CWWMG 2020-2021 Annual Report

Table of Contents

Message from Our Chairman

This past year has taught us to continue to embrace the different channels in which we communicate with one another. In the latter half of 2021 and heading into 2022, we were glad to see many members, affiliates, and champions of the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group (CWWMG or Group) in person after countless virtual meetings. I commend the Group for navigating these uncharted waters with grace and persistence to ensure our mission was not compromised. Still, there is no substitute for interacting with one another in person at meetings, events, or other collaboration opportunities. I hope to see more of your smiling faces over the coming months and into 2023.

The annual Water for All Summit was held in March 2022, with over 160 attendees. The event was an excellent opportunity to meet local government officials and members of the energy and water sectors, and it was phenomenal to see everyone in person. Some of those attendees also participated in our fourth Citizens’ Water Academy, which educates participants on the nuances of the River Basin and its impact on all facets of life. This year we were thrilled to be able to resume organized tours of various water infrastructure facilities for Academy participants.

As 2022 comes to a close, so does Barry Gullet’s official involvement with the CWWMG. The Board and I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Barry for all he has done to develop, guide, and support the CWWMG over the past 15 years. Barry served as chair of the CWWMG from its inception in 2007 to his retirement in 2017. Following that, he served as consultant to the Group and was the inspiration and force behind bringing the Citizens’ Water Academy to life. Barry’s years of dedication and contributions to the CWWMG have been invaluable. We will undoubtedly miss his official participation in various meetings, events, and programs. I not only consider Barry a colleague but also a great friend. He has exerted unparalled time, energy, resources, creativity, and sacrifice to help improve the lives of others who call the Carolinas home. Please join me in congratulating Barry and thanking him for his remarkable contribution to the CWWMG.

Barry’s formal departure from CWWMG is a reminder of the positive impact an individual can have on an organization. We need more CWWMG champions like Barry to help grow and foster the Group’s membership, initiatives, and community relations. I encourage our members to reflect on this past year, identify opportunities to serve on project committees, and connect with staff within their respective organizations to serve on those committees. As we all know, the Catawba-Wateree River Basin is the hardest working body of water in the Carolinas. The exciting part is that we have many talented and dedicated individuals to help bring its positive impact on surrounding communities to new heights.

This coming year will be exciting, and I look forward to sharing that journey with you!

Sincerely, Chair Jimmy Bagley, PE

Thank

Our Story

Blue heron in the Catawba River.

In 2006, Duke Energy published the Catawba-Wateree Relicensing Project Water Supply Study, which was the first basin-wide evaluation of future water needs in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. The results of this 2006 Water Supply Study were startling—without changes to water resource management strategies, over the next 50 years future water demands would approach or exceed the Catawba-Wateree River Basin’s available water supply during drought conditions.

In other words, during the next 50 years, we could face water supply shortages in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin unless we work together to develop and adopt more efficient and sustainable regional approaches to water resource management. So that’s exactly what the CWWMG has done!

The CWWMG was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in 2007 and has since worked diligently to coordinate a regional approach to water resource management to extend and enhance the water supply in the Catawba-Wateree River. By bringing together water utilities from North and South Carolina as well as Duke Energy, the CWWMG strives to find innovative water resource management strategies to extend our shared water supply and protect the ecological integrity of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.

Our Group recognizes that without excellent environmental stewardship and efficient water resource management strategies, the Catawba-Wateree River Basin may not be able to meet anticipated future water supply needs.

Our Mission

The Mission of the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group is to identify, fund, and manage projects that will help preserve, extend, and enhance the capabilities of the Catawba-Wateree River to provide water resources for human needs while maintaining the ecological integrity of the waterway.

Our Vision

The Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group envisions a future with a sustainable water source achieved through proactive planning, cutting edge research, and water shortage preparedness.

Our Board

SC At-Large Director Ray Peterson,

Secretary/Treasurer Ron Hargrove Charlotte Water

Chair Jimmy Bagley, PE City of Rock Hill, SC

NC At-Large Director Allison Kraft, PE Town of Mooresville, NC

Vice-Chair Jeff Lineberger, PE Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC

of Camden,

Our Advisory Committee is composed of eight committee members with varying backgrounds, expertise, or interest in water resource management. To ensure continual alignment with our mission and vision, the Advisory Committee members provide guidance and external perspectives about our Group’s general direction, governance, and strategic plans.

Vicki Taylor Environment (Chair)

Jeff Allen, PhD Academic/Research

Don Rayno Regulatory/State Government

Robert Long, CEcD Economic Development

Shirley Greene Residential Landowner of Project or River Frontage

Mitch Peele Agricultural/Forestry

Jason Wager, AICP, CEP Local Government

Keith Larick Agricultural/Forestry

Mike Teague Industrial/Business

Advisory Committee

Tim Gestwicki Recreation

Our Members

The CWWMG currently has 18 member organizations, which include the 17 public water utilities in North Carolina and South Carolina that operate water intakes along the Catawba-Wateree River and Duke Energy Carolinas. The Group recently amended its bylaws and expanded membership options to include water utilities that operate distribution only systems and commercial entities that own raw water intakes within the Catawba-Wateree River Basin and extended the basin coverage by an additional 76 miles.

Members of the CWWMG meet regularly to better understand water resource and water quality challenges facing the CatawbaWateree River. CWWMG members work together to formulate and implement innovative strategies to help ensure a sustainable water future for the Catawba-Wateree River.

North Carolina

South Carolina

Charlotte Water

City of Belmont

City of Gastonia, Two Rivers Utilities

City of Hickory

City of Lenoir

City of Morganton

City of Mount Holly

City of Statesville

Lincoln County

Town of Granite Falls

Town of Mooresville

Town of Valdese

Chester Metropolitan District

City of Camden

City of Rock Hill

Lugoff-Elgin Water Authority

NC & SC Members

Catawba River Water Treatment Plant

(Union County, NC and Lancaster County Water and Sewer District, SC)

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC

State of the Basin

About the River

The Catawba-Wateree River is a powerful, but not unlimited natural resource that supports and connects communities in North and South Carolina. The Catawba River begins in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and flows southeast before becoming the Wateree River within Lake Wateree, and then continues southward eventually joining the Congaree River to form the Santee River near St. Matthews, SC. Together, the Catawba-Wateree River flows for 376 miles and includes a linked series of 11 reservoirs. Our Group serves the 5,680 square-mile Catawba-Wateree River Basin (Basin), which provides water for communities from Morganton, NC to Camden, SC and supplies water resources used for approximately one-fourth of Duke Energy’s power generation in the Carolinas.

As a vital natural resource, the Catawba-Wateree River provides water resources for over 2.2 million people and supports generation of enough energy to power four million homes. The Basin is also a biodiverse natural environment that is an essential habitat for many animals and plants and a natural recreational amenity for area residents and visitors.

Our River is not particularly big, but it works very hard. It is perhaps the hardest working river in the country.

Water is a finite resource and the water supply in the Catawba-Wateree River is limited. Therefore, it is imperative we protect the natural environment and water resources in the CatawbaWateree River Basin and implement water management strategies that will help to safeguard our water future.

The Catawba-Wateree River is the heart and soul of our region. It provides water we use in our homes, on our farms, and in our factories, as well as the water resources we need to produce energy to power our lives.

The Catawba-Wateree River provides

State of the Basin

Recreational Amenities

The Catawba-Wateree River Basin provides area residents and visitors with a beautiful natural environment supporting a multitude of recreational activities. Each year, there are about 16 million recreational visits to the 11-lake system in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. In economic terms, public recreation on the Catawba-Wateree River system generates about $24 million in annual revenue for area businesses and directly supports about 1,700 jobs.

Our Group understands the importance of protecting the ecological integrity of the River Basin and promoting recreational opportunities, which is one reason why we have put such a strong emphasis on enhancing water quality through source water protection throughout the River Basin. We want the Catawba-Wateree River Basin to be a beautiful place for your family and ours to enjoy for many years to come!

Catawba Falls

Lake Wylie

Energy Demand

The Catawba-Wateree River helps to power our region. It is home to about one-fourth of Duke Energy’s total generating capacity in the Carolinas. In 2021, Duke Energy’s 13 hydropower stations, two nuclear stations, two coal-fired stations, and one combustion turbine station produced enough electricity to power over four million homes.

State of the Basin

State of the Basin

Climate Change

Climate change is expected to have a sustained and significant impact on the Earth’s natural resources, especially water resources. Climate scientists predict the ongoing rise of average global surface temperatures will lead to the intensification of the global hydrological cycle, which will cause changes in precipitation patterns and increase the rates of evaporation. These predicted changes in precipitation patterns would lead to more intense and frequent weather extremes. This means flooding and drought events are likely to become more severe and more frequent in river basins like the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.

These predictions for a more variable climate help guide water resources planning. That is why our Integrated Water Resources Plan is specifically focusing on longterm planning to embrace uncertainty about the future, including climate uncertainty. In the Integrated Water Resources Plan, the CWWMG will identify proactive water resources management strategies with the greatest chance of helping our members mitigate future vulnerabilities, including those caused by climate variability.

Climate Change Fast Fact

The future is expected to gradually get warmer at a rate of about 0.6⁰F per decade. It doesn’t sound like much but with nearly 80,000 acres of lakes, those hotter temperatures are expected to increase annual lake evaporation by about 11% by 2065.

State of the Basin

State of the Basin

Water Demand

The Catawba-Wateree River Basin is the main source of drinking water for over 2.2 million people in our region. The population in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin is steadily growing and has increased by about 10 percent since the 2010 census.

Where Is Our Water Going

of the Basin

State of the Basin

Projected Net Water Withdrawal

As part of our new Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP), we updated the net water demand projections for the expanded CWWMG Basin boundary to better understand the withdrawal and return forecasts for the Catawba-Wateree River Basin to 2075. The forecast Base Year was calculated using the historic average of water use (2006 to 2020, when available), to capture the cultural and climatological variation seen in the historic data and use a more representative starting point for future projections.

The new water demand forecast incorporates uncertainty into the analysis to account for variables such as new technologies, climate change, economic development, and other factors that can impact water usage. The 50th percentile forecast represents the most likely future net withdrawals. The boundaries of the forecasts (5th and 95th percentiles) show the 90 percent chance that the long-term net water withdrawal trend will be somewhere in between the two extremes. These ranges provide a valuable perspective on the potential impacts of reliably meeting future treatment capacity needs.

A Bright Future for Our Basin

We are working together and planning ahead to ensure a bright future for the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. Here are a few key initiatives the CWWMG and its members are currently working on.

State of the Basin

Our Work

Integrated Water Resources Plan

Practical Solutions for a Sustainable Future

In 2006, we realized that during drought conditions communities in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin could possibly face water shortages within the next 50 years. Without significant efforts to more efficiently manage our water resources, communities could see a time when there is not enough water flowing in the Catawba-Wateree River to support our region’s growing population and economy.

Since 2007, the CWWMG has been working with our regional partners to plan for and implement sustainable water resource management strategies. In 2014, this work culminated in the publication of a basin-wide Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP). The CWWMG is committed to regularly updating the plan as part of ongoing water resource planning and in compliance with the 10-year update provision required by the 2010 Settlement Agreement for South Carolina v. North Carolina (U. S. Supreme Court, Original Case No. 138).

In 2021, the CWWMG began updating the WSMP and rebranded the effort as the Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP) to better represent the CWWMG’s comprehensive approach to long-term planning considering water supply, water demand, water quality, and source water protection. The project team includes nationally-renowned water resource experts, who will work over the next few years to update and expand on the work included in the original plan.

January - December 2021

Basis of Planning

January - December 2022 Model Updates & Communications

January - December 2023 Evaluations & Recommendations

January - December 2024 Final Recommendations

January - December 2025 IWRP Production and Rollout

Year 1: 2021 The approach for the IWRP is to embrace uncertainty about the future to facilitate a robust planning process for future unknown risks and conditions. Year 1 of the IWRP focused on forming an IWRP Steering Committee to help guide IWRP development, updating water use projections for the entire Catawba-Wateree River Basin (Basin) boundary to 2075, identifying water quality priorities, and establishing key scenarios for future evaluations including various plausible futures for the Basin that combine climate variability, changes in land use and water regulations, and varying water demand scenarios.

Year 2: 2022 The IWRP includes a deeper dive on water quality issues, updating the hydrologic models’ integration between CHEOPS and WaterFALL models, extending the hydrologic time period through 2020, and engaging external stakeholders to help guide the IWRP effort. Regulatory and community engagement will be an integral part of the IWRP. The project team is actively engaging community stakeholders to gain insights on the needs of different water users and influencers throughout the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.

Protecting Water by Protecting Lands

Source water protection is imperative for ensuring good water quality, reducing water contamination risks and helping stabilize flows and groundwater retention. The U.S. EPA defines source water simply as “sources of water (such as rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater) that provide water to public drinking water supplies and private wells.” Protecting our source water in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin is a critical step towards ensuring we have reliable, high quality drinking water.

The American Water Works Association says that “source water protection is one of the first critical barriers against drinking water contamination and other risks to drinking water supplies. A strong source water protection program can be one of the most cost-effective methods for maintaining, safeguarding, and improving source water—and drinking water—quality and quantity.”

In 2018, the CWWMG established a Source Water Protection Task Force and has been actively engaged in source water protection efforts, specifically focusing on how we can strategically conserve natural lands in the CatawbaWateree River Basin to better protect our Basin’s source water.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, March 15). Basic Information about Source Water Protection. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/basic-information-about-sourcewater-protection American Water Works Association. (2018). Source Water Protection Justification Toolkit.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, July 7). Basic Information about Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution. Retrieved from Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution: https://www.epa.gov/ nps/basic-information-about-nonpoint-source-nps-pollution#:~:text=Nonpoint%20source%20pollution%20

Conserving Natural Lands to Protect Source Water

In a watershed, there are two types of pollution: point source pollution and non-point source pollution.

Point Source Pollution: sources of pollution that can be classified by how they enter a body of water. For example, a pipe that is depositing contaminated water into a river is point source pollution. Luckily, point source pollution is relatively easy to identify, so reduction initiatives can be focused and improvements can be readily measured.

Non-Point Source Pollution: pollution from multiple sources that is harder to identify, address, and measure improvements. According to the U.S. EPA, non-point source pollution can include:

Work

According to the U.S. EPA, non-point source pollution “is the leading remaining cause of water quality problems …[and] has harmful effects on drinking water supplies, recreation, fisheries and wildlife.”

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, July 7). Basic Information about Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution. Retrieved from Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution: https://www.epa.gov/nps/basic-information-about-nonpoint-source-nps-pollution#:~:text=Nonpoint%20source%20pollution%20can%20include,forest%20 lands%2C%20and%20eroding%20streambanks

Our Work

A Strategic Plan for Natural Land Conservation

In 2018, the CWWMG partnered with RTI International (RTI) and the Water Research Foundation, an international leader in water research and innovation, to study the relative impacts of climate variability and land use changes on water supply resiliency in the Catawba-Wateree River and investigate the extent to which strategic land conservation could help mitigate future impacts to the River’s water supply and protect our Basin’s source water.

In 2019, the Water Research Foundation published the resulting report, “Quantifying the Potential Benefits of Land Conservation on Water Supply to Optimize Return on Investments”, which developed and applied a framework to prioritize areas for conservation within the Catawba-Wateree River Basin based on projected future hydrologic, climate, and land use changes. A key finding from this study was that land use change (from natural to developed) will be the biggest driver of water flow and sediment delivery changes in our Basin. The good news is that land use change is also the main factor we can manage.

RTI developed a modeling tool that forecasts and quantifies the effects of potential changes to land use on our water supply. Using this tool, researchers were able to identify certain “hot spots” within the Catawba-Wateree River Basin where land conservation efforts could be focused to maximize the return on investment for protecting future water quantity and water quality.

Eddy, M., Houtven, G. V., Lord, B., Werkhoven, K. v., Serago, J., & Kovach, S. (2019). Quantifying the Potential Benefits of Land Conservation on Water Supply to Optimize Return on Investments.

Alexandria, VA: The Water Research Foundation.

What is a Hotspot?

A Hot Spot is a drainage area within the watershed where:

1. future projected changes in land use, climate, or water use have been determined to cause concerning levels of hydrologic or water quality change and

2. there is an opportunity for conservation action to mitigate the projected changes

Current Baseline 2050 Future Projection Mitigation Scenario

Our Work

Benefits of Land Conservation

Reduced Sediment Load in Reservoirs

Maintaining Forest Cover

• Lakes will benefit from reduced sediment loads and have higher water quality and clarity

• Drinking water treatment systems and customers will benefit from cleaner source water

• Forests provide carbon sequestration which helps reduce the negative effects of climate change

• Air filtration by trees in the forests help provide cleaner air which benefits human health

• Forests provide habitats for plants and animals

Protecting Against Non-Point Source Pollution

• Preserving natural lands around source water is the best form of protection against non-point source pollution, because the natural land acts as a buffer that absorbs and filters pollutants and prevents them from entering the body of source water

Using the Framework

Watershed Planning Local Decision Support Reassess the Data

This framework can be used to look at the “big picture” happenings across the whole Catawba-Wateree River Basin.

This framework can be used to conduct a data assessment for a specific area of interest. This framework can be used to ask and answer questions about what would happen based on projected changes to the hydrology and water quality in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.

Conservation Prioritization Tool for Source Water Protection

The Source Water Protection Tool developed by RTI International is free online and accessible to anyone for planning purposes. Users can overlay priority catchments on existing land use plans or districts and can customize their analyses to focus on the priorities or water supply concerns specific to their areas. For example, the tool can focus on sediment loading, “flashiness” or increased runoff, base flow, recreation, and land value impacts to help planners and policy makers make critical decisions for future growth patterns in their jurisdictions. These choices will not only affect their water supply, but that of others throughout the watershed for years to come.

Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group; CatawbaWateree Initiative; RTI International. (2021, June 23). Conservation Prioritization Tool for Source Water Protection: Quantifying the Potential Benefits of Land Conservation on Water Supply to Optimize Return on Investments.

To access this interactive online tool, go to Catawba Lands Map for Conservation Prioritization for Source Water Protection at:

Our Work

Other Source Water Protection Investments

Forney Creek Stream Restoration Project [A]

CWWMG provided a $20,000 grant to the Catawba Lands Conservancy to help purchase a 1.9-acre property in the Forney Creek watershed in eastern Lincoln County. This newly purchased property is now part of the larger 470-acre Forney Creek Conservation Area and provides a critical link for future stream restoration plans for this watershed.

A

B C

Photo by Nancy Pierce

Paddy Creek Land Acquisition [B]

CWWMG provided a $20,000 grant to the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina to help purchase a 27-acre property in Burke County, which included 1,950 linear feet along Paddy Creek. Paddy Creek is a direct tributary to Lake James in the headwaters of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. This newly purchased property is now part of a 180+ acre parcel that has been put under conservation easement by the Foothills Conservancy and will be part of a conservation project to reestablish a 300-foot riparian buffer along Paddy Creek, which will help to protect water quality in Lake James.

Canoe Creek Restoration [C,D]

CWWMG provided a $20,000 grant to the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina to support the acquisition and restoration of a portion of Canoe Creek in Burke County. This effort is part of a project to establish the Oak Hill Community Park and Forest for passive outdoor recreation, nature-based education, community agriculture, archeological exploration, ecological study, and forest restoration and stewardship.

North Carolina

Canoe Creek Restoration Our Work

D

Paddy Creek Land Acquisition

Forney Creek Stream Restoration Project

SOUTH CAROLINA

2021 Catawba Riversweep

As a presenting sponsor for the 2021 Catawba Riversweep, CWWMG continues to play an essential role in helping to keep our Basin’s communities clean and looking beautiful. The Catawba Riversweep is a one-day event each year where citizens from around the Catawba-Wateree River Basin come together to clean up their communities and waterways. This unique community engagement event is organized and led by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1997 and dedicated to preservation and protection of the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River.

Catawba Riversweep began in 2002 with a dedicated group of volunteers on Lake Wylie. Since then, dozens of other groups have followed in their footsteps holding their own community River cleanup events. On October 2, 2021, about 1,700 volunteers came together for one day to clean up the trash and debris found throughout the River, lakes, creeks, and streams all the way from Lake James down to Lake Wateree. They removed over 53,585 pounds of trash from over 55 sites!

CWWMG is proud to partner with the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation in support of this important community clean-up event that is essential to the environmental health of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.

About 1,700 volunteers working from 55 different sites collected 53,585 pounds of trash at the Catawba Riversweep

2022 Citizens’ Water Academy

The CWWMG launched the Citizens’ Water Academy in 2018 to support the growth of a new generation of civic, utility, and industry leaders interested in water resources, the environment, and brainstorming innovative solutions for our region’s most pressing water challenges. This year, over 100 Academy participants learned about the history and geography of the CatawbaWateree River Basin, as well as current water resource management strategies and future challenges facing our River.

Our goal with the Citizens’ Water Academy is to educate environmental stewards who understand the importance of planning for a safe and sustainable water future and will advocate protecting our shared water supply in their communities.

The Citizens’ Water Academy helps participants understand the importance and complexity of professional, responsible water resource management. Many of the uses of the CatawbaWateree River system are competing for the limited water, land, funding, and management

resources available. The Citizens’ Water Academy emphasizes the collaboration that exists between the numerous parties with interests and influence related to these competing uses. Collaboration is critical to ensure the Catawba-Wateree River system can continue to provide drinking water, power generation, recreation amenities, and support for a thriving regional economy while maintaining excellent ecological health.

Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Citizens’ Water Academy was again hosted in a virtual format, but we were pleased to offer additional in-person tours this Spring for 2021 and 2022 Academy participants. This year’s Academy included 16 virtual sessions that covered a wide range of topics. For each session, subject matter experts shared their knowledge and experience with the group. Even though the sessions were virtual, participants were encouraged to interact, ask questions, and offer their input.

Citizens’ Water Academy Tours

Citizens’ Water Academy Topics

History of the

Catawba

Duke Energy’s Role in the River Power Generation & the Catawba Plants, Animals, and the Catawba Water Utilities and the CatawbaWateree

Planning for the Future - The Integrated Water Resources Plan

• Understand how the Catawba has developed through time to meet the needs of the region

• How the development of the Catawba has influenced the culture, development, and economy of the region

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydro licensing process

• The vision of the Comprehensive Relicensing Agreement

• Duke Energy’s role, responsibility, and authority related to the Catawba-Wateree River Basin

• 2010 Settlement Agreement for South Carolina v. North Carolina (U. S. Supreme Court, Original Case No. 138)

• Who “owns” the water?

• Existing power generation

• Integrated resource planning

• The importance of the Catawba for fish and wildlife

• Significant invasive species threats to the Catawba

• Understand the Catawba is the primary source of drinking water in the region with no reasonable alternatives

• Learn about how the area’s population relies on the Catawba-Wateree for water supply & wastewater disposal

• Learn how water treatment and wastewater treatment plants work and drinking water quality issues

• Explanation of the original Water Supply Master Plan that was created by the CWWMG, including why it was needed and why it needs to be updated

• Process of updating the Water Supply Master Plan and creating the Integrated Water Resources Plan

Water Utility Operations

• Water distribution systems

• Water main breaks and boil-water advisories

• Water loss and non-revenue water

Sanitary sewer systems

Impact and prevention of sewer spills

Storm Water ChallengesWho’s in Charge of Water Quality?

Land Use Impacts on Water Quality Conservation & Marine Commissions

What is stormwater runoff and what influences the quantity and quality?

• Who regulates stormwater?

Water Quality in the Catawba

Real Estate & Development on the Catawba

Source water protection

The RTI study and the Clean Water Initiative

Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation

Catawba Lands Conservancy

Marine Commissions

The Lakes and “Their Towns” Recreation on the River

Real estate along the Catawba

• Homeowner perspectives

• Regional cooperation for water and wastewater resource management, specifically learning more about the Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility Project

• Working Together – the Two Rivers Utilities story

• Duke Energy’s role in recreation on the Catawba

• New recreational opportunities in Great Falls

Community 2022 Academy Graduates

The following graduates attended 12 or more sessions of this year’s Citizens’ Water Academy

Chikezie Isiguzo Research Assistant, South Carolina Water Resources Center

Christy Hill Program Coordinator, North Carolina Air National Guard

Crystal Panico New Development Program Manager, Union County Water

Aaron Duda Substitue Teacher, Fort Mill School District

Adam Toney Lake Services Representative, Duke Energy

Alan Gaines Senior Engineer, Charlotte Water

Alex Pellett Hydrologist, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Alina Young Project Manager, Union County Water

Amy Blom Educator, PhD, PCBC-A, Free Will Animal Training LLC

Arthur Beers York County Commissioner, Lake Wylie Marine Commission

Bhavana Swayampakala

Division Manager, Charlotte Water

Boo Robinson Charlotte Field Office Chief, United States Geological Survey

Bradley Craig Hydrologist, South Carolina Office of Resilience

David Scott Commissioner, Catawba County, Lake Norman Marine Commission

Erik Ruff Laboratory Supervisor, Charlotte Water

Hayden Davis Stormwater Coordinator, City of Belmont

James Williams Utilities Planner/Scheduler, Charlotte Water

Jorge Arango Field Operation Supervisor, Charlotte Water

Kendra Branch Laboratory Analyst, Charlotte Water

Kermitt Taylor Lake Services Representative, Duke Energy

Lawanda Blair Business Initiatives Consultant, Wells Fargo

Letitia Harvey

Office Assistant, Charlotte Water

Liz Duda Citizen

Martin Lashua Engineering Plan Reviewer, Charlotte Water

Morris Sample Executive Director, Lake Norman Marine Commission

Murilo Bustani Engineering Project Coordinator, City of Charlotte

Neil Brennan Executive Director, Lake Wylie Marine Comission

Olga Mazets

Quinetta

Buterbaugh

Asset Coordinator, Charlotte Water

District Manager, Government and Community Relations, Duke Energy

Robin Nicholson Government and Community Relations

District Manager, Duke Energy

Scott Hildebran City Manager, City of Lenoir

Shuhurah Lee Damage Prevention Investigator, Charlotte Water

Susan RodriquezMcDowell County Commissioner, Mecklenburg County

Thuy Le Associate Engineer, Union County Water

Tracy Taylor

Travis Gass

Damage Investigator, Charlotte Water

Chief Construction Inspector, Charlotte Water

Tyson Blanton Government and Community Relations

District Manager, Duke Energy

Veronica Horvath Senior Public Information Specialist, Charlotte Water

William Lee Zone Manager, Charlotte Water

Community

Water for All Summit 2022

“Update our aging infrastructure” – This is a phrase frequently heard around the country for many years. In 2022, all eyes were on the federal government and the signing of the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act (IIJA). While the IIJA focuses predominately on transportation, it also provides the single most significant monetary investment in water infrastructure in the history of the United States. The CWWMG Water for All Summit focused on many important facets of updating that infrastructure, such as community investment, collaboration, data sharing, funding, and climate change.

The 2022 Water for All Summit was held at the Gateway Conference Center in Richburg, South Carolina, on March 30, 2022. More than 166 industry and government professionals attended this one-day event. It was great to see attendees networking in person again this year, after the 2021 Summit was limited to a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The speakers who participated provided thought-provoking content.

Duke Energy’s Vision for the Future

Duke Energy, which serves millions of residents in the Carolinas, was “born” as a hydropower company on the Catawba River near Rock Hill, SC in 1904 and still has a large presence in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. Through their hydroelectric projects, water from the Basin is used to provide 810 megawatts of clean, economical, and renewable hydropower and 7,545 megawatts of nuclear and fossilfueled electric generation. Regis Repko [A], Duke Energy’s Senior Vice President of Generation and Transmission Strategy joined us this year to discuss Duke Energy’s Vision for the Future.

The Infrastructure Bill’s Impact on North Carolina and South Carolina

While the nation was focused on all of the funding associated with the IIJA, what did this mean for the Carolinas? Kim Colson [B], the former Director of Water for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, provided an overview of what the bill entailed and highlighted other funding sources that may be overlooked, such as the American Rescue Act. Following Mr. Colson’s presentation, a panel of industry experts shared their thoughts on how the various sources of funding could impact infrastructure projects in their respective states. Shadi Eskaf, Director of Water Infrastructure for NCDEQ, and Bonnie Ammons, Executive Director for the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, sat on the panel.

Community

Community

Catherine Coleman Flowers

Environmental justice and community engagement are essential components to consider when planning and budgeting an infrastructure project. Catherine Coleman Flowers, Founding Director of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice in Alabama joined us virtually to discuss these components. Ms. Flowers [A] has spent her career promoting equal access to clean water, air, and soil to reduce health and economic disparities in marginalized, rural communities. Her work has been highlighted nationally as she collaborates with the Biden Administration to bring Environmental Justice awareness to disadvantaged communities.

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F Ken Rentiers

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Catherine Coleman Flowers Hope Mizzell

Kathie Dello Shadi Eskaf and Bonnie Ammons Peter Colohan

Climate’s Impact on Water Infrastructure

Within the planning realm for any infrastructure project, the climate in which the project resides could be a factor. Weather patterns can impact storage capacities, floodplains, and more. The state climatologists from North Carolina (Dr. Kathie Dello [C]) and South Carolina (Dr. Hope Mizzell [B]) joined us to discuss climate’s impact on water infrastructure. Both states are currently developing resiliency plans to address climate challenges. These plans will help agencies make decisions regarding infrastructure projects.

The Evolution of Better Decision-Making

Don’t we all want to be better decision-makers so we can best serve our communities? Two great presenters, Peter Colohan [E] and Ken Rentiers [F], discussed the importance of sharing data and engaging with stakeholders to help form better projects for the community. Mr. Colohan, Director of the Internet of Water, spoke on the importance of sharing data with surrounding communities to help make sound decisions. However, it takes a purposeful effort to collect and share data. Mr. Rentiers, Deputy Director for Land, Water, and Conservation in the SC Department of Natural Resources, focused on engaging stakeholders to collect meaningful feedback. Gathering data and stakeholder feedback puts decision-makers in a great position to make decisions that will enhance their communities.

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