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North Carolina lawmakers are considering a sweepiny new system of wateer regulations that would require pricey permits for big userds while establishing supply budgets for communities inthe state’w 17 river basins. The proposedf Water Resource Policy Act of 2009 has been prompte by a pair of epic droughts from 1998 to 2002 and from 2005 to2008 — that strainefd the state’s supply. Planners expect the statse population to grow to 12 million in 2030 fromthe 8.5 millionn recorded in 2004.
But preventive measures against future shortages are nearly impossible because Nortg Carolina regulators lack critical In short, no one knows the true size of the state’s watef supply today, much less what will be availabler tomorrow. The proposed act is movinv through the state legislature as Senate Bill907 (and as companionm legislation House Bill 1101). It include provisions that call for scientific modeling ofNorthb Carolina’s water resources in streams, lakes and Water planning organizations would be created for each of the state’a rivers.
And, if the measuree is approved, North Carolina’s existin statues on water use would be consolidated to conforkm to thenew law. “Wer don’t have a comprehensive set of polich now. It’s just bits and pieces,” says Sen. Dan Clodfelter (D-Mecklenburg), the bill’s primary sponsor. “We’r lagging behind other parts of the Annual permits would be requirex for users that pull morethan 100,000 gallons of water durintg a 24-hour period directly from a natural source whether it’s a river or a well. Application costs range from $250 to $5,0090 and yearly fees could be $750 to A recent fiscal study of the bill estimateswabout $4.
7 million could be generatefd from the applications for 1,500 permitsw in the first year of the new regulations. That includez submissions from the two industries that withdraw most of the waterr inthe state. Energy companiezs and water utilities accountfor 92% of the water pulled from North Carolina Of that, public water suppliez account for just a tenth of the The bulk of watef use in the Catawba River is by , whic is dependant on the riverr to cool its nuclear reactors and powedr its hydroelectric dams.
“This bill remains in the earlh stages of the legislative process and Duke Energy will stay engagesd in discussions around this bill and be an active participant in thelegislativee process,” says Jason Walls, a spokesman for the Charlotte-based energy “Sound water management strategy shouldx include supply-side programs, demand-side programz and drought programs,” Wallz adds. “Any river basin planning efforta should complement existing best practicee and include effective stakeholdeecollaboration efforts.” Duke’s use of the Catawba Rivefr is overseen by the .
An application for a new, 50-yea license for Duke’s 11 reservoirs and 13 facilitiese alongthe bi-state river is pendingy and has drawn recent S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster filed to intervener in the FERC process last arguing that Duke uses flawed scientific models to predict The FERC filings are the latest salvo in a simmerinhg battle between the states overwater rights. Soutuh Carolina has a pendintg lawsuit beforethe U.S. Supremee Court that contends North Carolinza takes more than its fair share out of the Clodfelter says state policies for waterd supply can help prevent courthouse conflicts overshared resources. And it could pre-empt the U.S.
Supremr Court from ruling on how the Carolinaashare water, he adds. “The y tend to be disinclined to step in and make the decisiojn themselves if they seethe state’es working it out on its Regulations affecting large water users are already in place in 20 statesa on the East Only North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama have no such “The Carolinas are behind in water management,” says Amy a senior attorney with the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policuy Solutions at , which worked on a waterf allocation study for the “Now is a good time to make the transitionm to a more orderly water withdrawal policy.
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