South Carolina Threatens To Sue North Carolina Over Water Use

Via:- The State, in Columbia, S.C. we see that South Carolina could file a lawsuit against North Carolina "as early as this week" if the N.C. Environmental Management Commission approves a two-city plan to remove 36 million gallons of water a day from the Catawba River. For background, see this earlier story in the Charlotte Business Journal . The concern over consumptive water withdrawal gets amplified, in this particular case, because the design includes plans for inter-basin transfer. “The two cities propose to dispose of treated wastewater into another river basin that flows into the Pee Dee River”. The threat of lawsuit might be somewhat of a negotiating tool, as there is discussion of a possible interstate compact to resolve the Catawba dispute and future water issues”. What’s missing from the reports we’ve seen, as yet, is any discussion of sustainable growth rates and the potential alternative of water conservation. No TreeHuggers in the Carolinas? Of course there are! Wm. McDonough has been engaged to design the Museum of Life and the Environment , located on the banks of the Catawba. Image credit: South Carolina Native Plant Society