Why is the Catawba River Basin important?

Why is the Catawba River Basin important?

The longest free-flowing stretch of the Catawba River in North Carolina is only about 17 miles. Most of the 224-mile river exists as a chain of seven man-made lakes, which first supplied electric power for industry and now provide recreation, drinking water and electricity for expanding Piedmont towns and cities.

Where does the Catawba River basin flow to?

The Catawba River begins on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in McDowell County. It flows east, then south into Lake Wylie on the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Many beau tiful, clear streams in the upper reaches of the basin have received state and national attention for their unspoiled character.

What did the Catawba use the river for?

The flow of the modern Catawba River is blocked by 11 dams, 7 of which are in North Carolina. Its water is used for drinking, electrical power, and recreation.

Is Catawba River clean?

Harmful bacteria and chemical elements pouring into the Catawba River Basin from homes, stormwater runoff and sewage spills have caused parts of the Catawba and most of its tributaries to miss the mark on federal clean water standards, according to the S.C.

What type of animals live in the Catawba River basin?

Animals. The Catawba River basins contains many distinctive animals such as a globally rare dragonfly called Edmund’s snaketail. The basin also contains the federally endangered Carolina heelsplitter, a freshwater mussel. Like all of these types of mussels, the heelsplitter is sensitive to water quality changes.

Where does the Catawba River basin end?

This once-wild waterway named for the Catawba tribe of Indigenous People — “the people of the river” — rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains just east of Asheville, NC, and yields for no fewer than 11 impoundments on its way to and through South Carolina, where it eventually becomes known as the Wateree River before …

What animals live in the Catawba River basin?

Is the Catawba River man made?

Catawba River: Once Wild Spanning two states and more than 200 miles, the Catawba is more a linked series of reservoirs than a genuine river anymore.

What animals are in the Catawba River basin?

Is the Catawba River safe to swim in?

Overall, E. coli levels in the Catawba lakes are low, and the reservoirs are typically safe for swimming. However, E. coli levels can change at any time and increase after rain events.

What are the two biggest threats to the Catawba River?

Rather, these standings show the Catawba as a river threatened by trends of development, use, and poor water management. The disparity of the issues facing the river are as diverse as power generation by nuclear and coal sources to an increasing number of commercial concentrated animal feeding operations.

Are there alligators in the Catawba River?

Alligators are found naturally in South Carolina’s portion of the Catawba River, called the Wateree River, but only as it gets closer to the coast. It’s illegal to keep alligators in North Carolina without a permit. North Carolina wildlife officers find 1 or 2 gators a year outside of their natural habitat.

Why are there water restrictions on the Catawba River?

On January 29, 2008, Duke Energy, the utility responsible for managing the Catawba River, extended its estimated time frame for Stage 4 water restrictions to August. The extension was possible because of conservation measures and the 6 inches of rain the basin received in December.

How big is the Catawba River in North Carolina?

Opponents of the IBT argued that towns and cities along the Catawba River basin are growing as well, and that the cities’ request is too large. On January 10, 2007, the North Carolina state environmental panel authorized Concord and Kannapolis to pump up to 10 million US gallons (38,000 m 3) a day from the Catawba River.

Is the Catawba River in the Pee Dee River basin?

Though neither Concord nor Kannapolis is located in the Catawba River basin (both are located in the Pee Dee River basin), the cities said the Catawba River is a regional resource. Opponents of the IBT argued that towns and cities along the Catawba River basin are growing as well, and that the cities’ request is too large.

Where does the South Fork Catawba River end?

The confluence of the South Fork Catawba River and Catawba River is submerged by Lake Wylie near the NC/SC state line. It flows into northern South Carolina, passing Rock Hill, through Fishing Creek Reservoir near Great Falls, and into the Lake Wateree reservoir, approximately 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Columbia.