Cabarrus Cheap Seats

Due to a death in the family, I won’t be able to get to post a planned third installment to the development articles - “Appetite for Construction” - and a comprehensive article on the Interbasin Transfer (IBT). I plan to get to both of these later this week.

However, I’m taking a few moments to address this whole IBT thing. Friends of mine have asked me how they can get informed and involved in local policy in a substantial way. Supporting the Interbasin Transfer is the best opportunity that I can remember to do to make a difference for our community.

Victoria Cherrie wrote an article in today’s Cabarrus Neighbors describing how opponents to the Interbasin Transfer (IBT) are making purely emotional appeals to sway this important initiative. Here’s a taste:

The opponents questioned an analysis by the state Division of Environmental Management of the transfer’s impact on the Catawba, and they booed Cabarrus speakers. 

The thing is that this wasn’t spontaneous; but organized by the Catawba Riverkeeper here’s more from the article

“At the meeting, when someone says something you agree with, then clap politely for them,” the e-mail said. “Shout a hearty, `Here, here’ or `Amen Brother’ or `Right On, Sister.’ 

“When someone says something you think is the biggest load of hogwash you have ever heard, then turn to your neighbor and mutter under your breath

Well, many chose to boo, hiss, and shout out things like “Dig a well”. No kidding. Go read the whole article to see how the discourse has devolved on this issue.

These folks are being motivated by two factors which don’t hold up to the facts

• The idea that the river water only belongs to those who live near it
• The Catawba Riverkeeper website and petition statement of facts

First, all of the navigable waters in North Carolina belong to the people of North Carolina. There are several IBTs in effect right now. Second, while I haven’t gone into the depths of the site - the Catawba Riverkeeper’s main claim that the IBT calls for a draw of 36 million gallons per day (MGD) from the Catawba is not entirely true. The IBT calls for a maximum of 26 MGD from the Catawba Basin and 10 MGD from the Yadkin Basin. While that sounds like a huge volume, the proposed IBT - at its maximum - calls for a maximum draw of 0.8% of the water flowing through the Catawba. That’s right - less than one percent.

The IBT will give us access to water we need to continue growing. It’ll be difficult for us to support the growth we’re expecting from the North Carolina Research Campus without this agreement.

Get Informed

In the latter part of this week, I’m going to present more facts and figures. However, if you’d like to see the most recent modeling, go to www.ncwater.org. This report explains how this proposal does not threaten any habitats along the Catawba and has a negligible effect on the lake levels in the basin under the worst circumstances

Get Involved

OK, so what can you do about it. Before you go writing letters and e-mails, at least skim the report. Also, there will be a public comment opportunity sometime next week, I believe. I’ll have more information on that.

If you don’t have time to make the comment period (I’m going to make an attempt), please e-mail me and I’ll send you a letter than you can use to send an e-mail or letter to appropriate officials.

Why get involved? This proposal could cave under public pressure from people who are misinformed, purely emotional, jealous, or just plain greedy. This needs to be based on the facts - and the facts are on our side.

I’ll have more later in the week.