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Regional official urges limits on Charlotte Water transfers from Catawba River
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Summary
A Council of Governments representative told the Morganton council that Charlotte Water’s proposal to increase interbasin transfers from the Catawba River to the Yadkin–Rocky basin would worsen drought risk, raise treatment costs and shift economic burdens to downstream communities; he cited HB 850’s moratorium and urged local engagement with the UNC Collaboratory study.
A Council of Governments representative told the Morganton council that Charlotte Water’s proposal to increase large interbasin transfers (IBTs) from the Catawba River Basin would harm downstream communities and compound drought risks.
The presenter said Charlotte Water currently holds a 33,000,000-gallon-per-day IBT certificate and is seeking to increase transfers to about 63,000,000 gallons per day. "They want to put another 300,000 people in Eastern Mecklenburg County," the presenter said, framing the proposed increase as a major change in regional water demand. He also said Charlotte’s system loses more than 19% of every gallon it withdraws, which he quantified in the briefing as about 23,000,023 gallons per day lost to leaks.
Why it matters: The Catawba River Basin serves roughly 2 million people through 18 utilities and, according to the presenter, has been listed among the nation’s most endangered rivers in recent decades. Reduced flows concentrate pollutants and can raise treatment costs across utilities downstream, he said, and long-term planning shows reservoir safe yield could be exhausted by midcentury under current growth projections.
The presenter urged local officials to press the state and utilities for alternatives to moving water across basin lines. He said Charlotte in prior planning considered two main options: purchasing or taking water from the Yadkin River Basin or returning used water after treatment to the Catawba (which would not be classified as an IBT). He said earlier cost estimates (cited from 2001) were substantially lower than more recent Charlotte estimates, which he described as exceeding $800 million per option; he characterized avoidance of an IBT as achievable with roughly a 12% increase in Charlotte Water’s capital budget spread over 15 years.
The speaker noted that last year the legislature passed House Bill 850, establishing a moratorium on large IBT increases (those exceeding 15,000,000 gpd) until March 2027 and directing the North Carolina Collaboratory at UNC Chapel Hill to study the statutory approval process for surface-water transfers and recommend changes. "The next 50 years of growth in our region will be determined by this issue," he said, and encouraged municipal staff and residents to engage with legislators and the Collaboratory.
During council questions, an unnamed council member asked whether water feeding Lake Norman largely originates in Lake James and whether increasing withdrawals would require lowering upstream reservoirs. The presenter answered that Duke Energy manages flows and moves water up and down the chain to maintain intake levels, and that Lake James serves as a last line of defense during severe droughts.
The presentation closed with a request that local utilities and coalition members engage state legislators and share local perspectives with the UNC Collaboratory. The presenter offered to provide additional data and outreach materials as the study progresses; the Collaboratory’s report was described as due in early 2027.
