On August 11th, American Whitewater joined a group of 70 organizations, agencies, and individuals in signing a Settlement Agreement that will shape the management of the Catawba River for the next 30-50 years.  The agreement, marks the culmination of 3 years of studies and negotiations among a diverse group of stakeholders.  This effort included over 300 meetings – and the group logged nearly 58,000 hours and analyzed over 2,500 issues related to the river.

The signing of a settlement agreement is a major milestone but in many ways simply marks the beginning of a new phase of the dam relicensing process.  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will now take up to two years to analyze the agreement and the interests of people not involved in the agreement.  Eighty-five entities participated in the negotiations, 15 of which chose not to endorse the final agreement for a variety of reasons.  These entities include one state and one federal agency that could mandate actions that could upset the balance reached in the agreement.  While they could do this, both agencies have indicated they foster significant support for the agreement and are working with Duke Power to reach an acceptable solution.

The benefits of the settlement agreement span the entire 220 mile long watershed.   “This may be the single most significant community planning event that has occurred in this river basin and the results are going to have a very positive impact on the river and communities along the river for decades to come,” stated Jeff Lineberger, hydro licensing manager for Duke Energy.  AW fully agrees. 

Benefits of the agreement include:

• Additional Recreational Opportunities: New and enhanced public access areas will create more opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, camping and picnicking. Pre-scheduled water releases for recreational flows will create additional canoeing and kayaking opportunities.
• More Land Available for Recreational Use: More than 2,500 acres of properties owned by Crescent Resources (part of Duke Energy) will be dedicated for public recreation and Crescent will offer state and local governments more than 3,400 additional acres at reduced prices. Duke Energy will also make $9.3 million to $12.3 million available to state agencies to purchase additional land for recreational uses (depending on the length of the new license granted by the FERC).
• More Information Available on the Lakes and River: Reservoir levels (historical and near-term), water release times, generation schedules and maps to public access areas will be enhanced as a result of this agreement. Signs in English, Spanish and international symbols will provide additional safety information.
• Lake Level Ranges: Lake level ranges have been established to protect municipal, industrial and power generation water intakes, as well as recreation and property owner interests.
• Increased Aquatic Species Habitat: Higher flow releases will substantially increase aquatic habitat and will reintroduce consistent water flows to some parts of the river for the first time in nearly 100 years.
• Water Quality: Under the agreement, Duke Energy will install new equipment to enhance the quality of water released from hydroelectric plants. Water released from these plants will contain increased dissolved oxygen levels which are intended to improve water quality and fish habitat
• Water Supply Management: A new protocol will establish a basin-wide approach to reduce water use during drought situations. These conservation efforts apply to hydroelectric generation, water flows for recreation and public and industrial water system withdrawals. The goal is to manage the available water supply until rain returns reservoir water storage and groundwater to normal levels. Duke Energy and the Public Water System owners are also establishing a Water Management Group to jointly fund long-term initiatives that will improve water quantity and quality management across the basin.