The Catawba River is a major river located in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. It originates in

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

and flows into

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

and drains into the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, where it has been impounded through a series of reservoirs for

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

and generation of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

. The river is named after the Catawba tribe of Native Americans, which lives on its banks. In their

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

, they call themselves "yeh is-WAH h’reh", meaning "people of the river." The river rises in the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

in western McDowell County, North Carolina, approximately 20 miles (30 km) east of Asheville. It flows ENE, falling over two waterfalls, Upper Catawba Falls and Catawba Falls, before being dammed by Lake James, and joining the Linville River. It passes north of Morganton, then southeast through Lake Rhodhiss and Lake Hickory just north of

Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

, and into the

Lake Norman Lake Norman is an man-made lake, artificial fresh water lake in southwest North Carolina. The largest lake in the state, it was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station, Cowans Ford Dam by ...

reservoir. From Lake Norman it flows south, passing west of Charlotte, then flowing through the Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wylie reservoirs, where it exits the reservoirs approximately 10 miles (15 km) south of the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. The confluence of the South Fork Catawba River and Catawba River is submerged by Lake Wylie near the NC/SC state line. The river flows into northern South Carolina, passing Rock Hill, through Fishing Creek Reservoir near Great Falls, and into the Lake Wateree reservoir, approximately 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Columbia. At the now-submerged confluence with Wateree Creek, it becomes known as the Wateree River.

Dams

The Catawba has been controlled by several dams, including the following: North Carolina * Lake James Dam * Rhodhiss Dam *Oxford Dam *Lookout Shoals Dam * Cowans Ford Dam, creating

* Mountain Island Lake Dam South Carolina * Lake Wylie Dam in India Hook * Fishing Creek Reservoir in Great Falls *Dearborn-Great Falls Dam *Cedar Creek Reservoir Dam * Lake Wateree Dam

Headwaters and basin

The Catawba basin begins on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, near Evans Knob and Cross Mountain, at the edge of Pisgah National Forest. The Broad River begins collecting water on mountain slopes just to the south, with the two rivers waters meeting up again at the confluence of the Wateree and Congaree Rivers near Wateree, South Carolina.

Controversy

In 2006 the river became the center of a water use controversy between the residents of the Catawba watershed and

Cabarrus County, North Carolina Cabarrus County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina ...

. The cities of Concord and Kannapolis are expecting a daily shortfall of of water a day by 2035 in their Rocky River watershed and want to pump up to of water daily from the Catawba River. The Concord/Kannapolis Interbasin Transfer (IBT) proposal calls for water to be permanently transferred from one river basin to another river basin. Such a transfer is unlike the more common water usage, in which municipalities within the Catawba basin pump water from the river and treat it for residential use. Much of that treated water eventually returns to the Catawba River. Though neither Concord nor Kannapolis is located in the Catawba River basin (both are located in the Rocky River branch of the larger

Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...

basin), the cities said the Catawba River is a regional resource. Opponents of the IBT argued that towns and cities along the Catawba River basin are growing as well, and that the cities' request is too large. On January 10, 2007, the

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

state environmental panel authorized Concord and Kannapolis to pump up to a day from the Catawba River. This decision represented a compromise recommended by hearing officers for the Environmental Management Commission. The mayors of Morganton and Valdese said that they were adamantly against the transfer and that the panel's ruling was skewed and biased. Concord's city manager said the approval of the water transfer was "bittersweet", since the panel authorized an amount much lower than was originally requested and the action is likely to be delayed by lawsuits.

“Well, (officials from) Hickory are going to file an appeal,” said Concord Mayor Scott Padgett, who spoke briefly with Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright after the EMC meeting. “His major concern is changing the (interbasin transfer) process. My appeal to him is that there should be a truce. To file an appeal is just going to prolong something we deserve, is less than what we asked for and is going to further hard feelings this has already created.”

The controversy ended in early 2010 when all the parties reached a settlement. It further limits the amount of water available to Concord and Kannapolis under drought conditions.

A river at risk

Starting in the early autumn months of 2007, residents and businesses of the Catawba basin, along with large swaths of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

, began to feel the effects of an extreme drought. On October 15, 2007, the ''Morganton News Herald'' reported that

Governor

Mike Easley Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been ...

described the drought as "the worst in recorded history". On January 29, 2008,

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company ranked as the 141st largest company in the United States in 2024 – its highest-ever placement on the ...

, the utility responsible for managing the Catawba River, extended its estimated time frame for Stage 4 water restrictions to August. The extension was possible because of conservation measures and the 6 inches of rain the basin received in December. However, area leaders converged on Valdese to hear presentations from representatives of the N.C. Rural Center, N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the

Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...

about grants and loans available to help pay for solutions to the drought. In April 2008 the environmental group American Rivers named the Catawba- Wateree River "the most endangered river in America." Reasons cited for the river's condition are the drought, the presence of 11

hydroelectric dams Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

, and unchecked development along its banks, with the latter reported as the most serious threat. On June 11, 2008, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford signed legislation denoting the Catawba as a state scenic river. The designation carries no land-use restrictions, but it allows the state to convene an advisory group to address river-related concerns. On June 29, 2009, the EPA announced that four of the top 44 "High Hazard Ash Ponds" in the United States are on the Catawba River. Two ash ponds are adjacent to and discharge into Mountain Island Lake. The EPA High Hazard list also includes ash ponds on Lake Wylie and

. On December 11, 2014,

received approval from North Carolina to dump coal ash (containing arsenic, lead, thallium and mercury, among other heavy metals) from the Marshall Steam Station into

in order to repair a rusted, leaking pipe at their facility. Groundwater at the Marshall Steam Station flows toward Lake Norman, and the contaminated field abuts the lake for about 30 feet of shoreline near its largest coal ash basin, threatening water quality in the lake. On October 3, 2015, Duke Energy reported that a sinkhole had formed at the base of the Marshall Steam Station dam north of Charlotte on Lake Norman. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says Duke Energy placed a liner in the hole and filled it with crushed stone. The Catawba River basin is one of only four areas left in the southeast with significant populations of '' Hymenocallis coronaria'', the Shoals spider lily. It has one large population left at Landsford Canal State Park.

Crossings

The Catawba River is crossed by many highways over its course. (Note: this list may be incomplete) Catawba River in Catawba County

North Carolina *Lake James to Rhodhiss Lake **Power House Road bridge, near Glen Alpine **Watermill Glen Alpine Road bridge, near Glen Alpine **Independence Boulevard bridge, in Morganton ** NC 181 bridge, in Morganton ** US 64 bridge, in Morganton **Huffman Bridge, near Amherst **Castle Bridge, near Rutherford College *Rhodhiss Lake to Lake Norman **Burke Street/Caldwell Drive bridge, in Rhodhiss ** US 321 bridge, near

** NC 127 bridge, near Hickory ** NC 16 bridge, near

Conover Conover may refer to: People * Conover (surname) Places in the United States * Conover, Iowa, a ghost town * Conover, North Carolina, a city * Conover, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Conover, Wisconsin, a town * Conover (community), Wis ...

**Cecil H. Hoffman Bridge ( I-40), near Catawba ** US 70 bridge, near Catawba **Buffalo Shoals Road/Hudson Chapel Road bridge, near

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

** NC 150 bridge, near Terrell *Lake Norman to Lake Wylie ** NC 73 bridge, near Lowesville **Rozzelle's Ferry Bridge (NC 16), near Mountain Island **Randy M. Pendleton Memorial Bridge ( NC 27), near Mount Holly **Cameron Morrison Bridge ( I-85), near Belmont ** Sloans Ferry Bridge ( US 29/ US 74), near Belmont ** Buster Boyd Bridge ( NC 49/ SC 49), near Lake Wylie South Carolina *Lake Wylie to Lake Wateree **John McKee Spratt Memorial Bridge ( I-77), near Rock Hill **Thomas B. Spratt Memorial Bridge ( US 21), near Rock Hill ** SC 5 bridge, near Catawba **Roach S. Stewart Memorial Bridge ( SC 9), near Fort Lawn **Tom G. Mangum Bridge ( SC 97/ SC 200), near Great Falls

References

External links

* {{authority control Rivers of North Carolina Rivers of South Carolina Borders of North Carolina Borders of South Carolina Rock Hill, South Carolina Fort Mill, South Carolina Geography of Charlotte, North Carolina Hickory, North Carolina North Carolina placenames of Native American origin