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This article describes the founding and development of Lake James Environmental Association. It is instructive to look back 40 years to the beginning. Why, in 1973, did a group of people organize themselves to protect a largely undeveloped lake that had existed for 50 years? (Constructed from 1916-1923) Who were the founders? Founding of LJEA From the Articles of Incorporation, April 10, 1973:
The purposes for which this corporation is organized are: (a) To protect, foster and enhance the environment and the ecology of the Lake James and its tributary waters in Western North Carolina. (b) To engage in any and all types of activities not prohibited by law which shall be for the betterment of the Lake James Community, Burke County and the State of North Carolina.
The incorporators were: Finley W. Davis, Morganton George Verbruggen, Nebo C. C. Van Denburgh, Nebo Nineteen others joined these three on the initial Board of Directors: Dr. William Bell, Marion Ken Parkins, Marion Dr. Gordon Blank, Morganton Jack Powell, Hickory Louis Brinkley, Morganton Jack Sampson, Nebo George Buckner, Asheville Glen Scruggs, Forest City Jerry Burnett, Marion Dale Short, Shelby Dr. Larry Fleming, Morganton Harmon Shed, Salisbury Charles Josey, Old Fort Dr. S. H. Templeman, Lenoir Dr. Cameron Keels, Morganton Dr. S. H. Westbrook, Valdese James Monahan, Nebo Leon Williams, Black Mountain Lad Ottofy, Asheville
The founders, six of whom were physicians, were drawn to a mountain lake from places as far-flung as Asheville, Old Fort, Hickory, Forest City, Shelby, Salisbury, Lenoir, Valdese and Black Mountain. Why? What was the real back story? It turns out that the underlying motive was opposition to the construction of a proposed waste water treatment plant designed to discharge three million gallons of treated sewage daily into the Catawba River just upstream of the Lake. As a result of their successful opposition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an environmental impact statement concluding that there was no technical justification for this location and denied the discharge permit. The plant was relocated where its discharge would not enter Lake James. The first purpose of LJEA was realized, preserving its clean water. But, like so many things, this was not the end of the story. Sewage Treatment Saga A few years later, the city constructed a small Catawba River Wastewater Treatment Plant with a permitted capacity of 250-thousand gallons per day (GPD) to serve the north end of Marion. The plant discharged effluent into the Catawba which then flowed into Lake James. Lake water samples taken by NCDENR intermittently from 1981 to 1987 then showed more nutrient loading and algal mass response in the Catawba section than in the Linville section of the lake. This was not surprising since the Catawba section received 10 times the treated sewage inflow as the Linville section. In the late 1990s, the Pleasant Gardens community, on the northwestern outskirts of Marion, needed expanded sewer service of about 170-thousand GPD for its historic elementary school site and a few local businesses. This load was to be added to the existing Catawba River Plant. LJEA believed the plant was unsuited for this purpose because increasing effluent discharge to the lake would negatively affect the lakes cool water fish species. Additionally, the state had not permitted the plant to handle raw sewage overflow due to heavy rainfall or equipment failure. The Association proposed an environmentally sounder approach, piping the sewage to the larger, 3 MGD Corpening Creek plant. Disappointingly, the McDowell County Commissioners voted to utilize the smaller Catawba River Plant. In response, LJEA sponsored a Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) program for Lake James in conjunction with the UNC-A Environmental Quality Institute. This began a history of monthly water sampling readings to serve as a baseline for detecting any significant quality changes in the future. What occurred next was a several-year negotiation and support program. The objective was to convince the city and county to upgrade the capabilities of the Corpening Creek plant and shift all of the waste water treatment to this facility, removing Marions waste water effluent from entering the lake. Ultimately, decision-makers became convinced that there was tourism value to maintaining the lakes high quality water and its related benefits. LJEA helped officials justify grants to improve the Corpening Plant and phaseout the Catawba River Plant.
In 2011, the City completed a $6.6 million Wastewater Improvements Project1 that: repaired wastewater lines to reduce inflow and infiltration of stormwater and surface water into wastewater lines eliminated the City's Catawba River Wastewater Treatment Plant and pumped wastewater flow from that facility to the Corpening Creek Plant, and upgraded the Corpening Creek Plant to make that facility a true 3 MGD wastewater plant capable of meeting all current and anticipated State and Federal regulations.
As of May 27, 2010, the City of Marion no longer discharges treated wastewater into the Catawba River upstream of Lake James. In addition to the above activities, LJEA has helped accomplish some other important things that protect Lake James water quality and quantity and public access to the lake. Annual Lake Cleanup Long-standing LJEA board member, Dr. Bill Bell, Jr., describes how, years ago, his father had a vision of preserving a beautiful mountain lake. He began organizing Lake James clean-ups in McDowell County in the early 1970s, first with the Boy Scouts and then with Lake James Environmental Association (which still helps sponsor this event through member volunteers in both counties). Since the late 1980s Clean County and its successor, Keep McDowell Beautiful, have organized the annual cleanups in McDowell. In 2012 Keep McDowell Beautiful was excited to officially partner for the first time with Burke County and with the Lake James State Park in organizing the whole lake clean-up. On beautiful Saturday, May 19th, over 200 volunteers in McDowell County and 155 in Burke County took on the task of cleaning up Lake James shoreline and its islands. A list of the more than 40 sponsors of services, equipment, food and other supplies was provided to us.* During this outstanding volunteer event, people came together to share a
1
Project information excerpted from the City of Marion web site www.marionnc.org/waterTreat.php
passion for environmental awareness, beautification, and water quality improvement. Witnessing this achievement, Dr. Bell commented that this years cross-county, cooperative clean-up would have made Dr. Bill Bell, Sr., very proud.
* Local & Regional Sponsors included: Abeles, Asbury Septic Tank Cleaning & Backhoe Service, Burke County Sheriffs Department, Catawba Riverkeeper Foundations Lake James Covekeepers, Catawba Shorelines, City of Marion, Coburn Photography, Community of Lake James, Countryside Barbeque, Duke Energy Foundation, GDS, Inc., Green Valley Farms, Jersey Mikes Subs, Keep McDowell Beautiful, Lake James Environmental Association, Lake James Family Campground, Lake James Pub & Grill, Lake James State Park, Linville Rivers End Campground, Lowes Home Improvement - Morganton, Marion Moose Family Center, McDowell County, McDowell County Board of Education, McDowell News, MDC Signature Apparel, NC Wildlife Federation Lake James Area Wildlife and Nature Society, NC Department of Corrections, NC Department of Transportation, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Rayco Safety, Inc., Responder Boats, Volunteer Center of McDowell County. * National sponsors for the 2012 Great America Clean-up included: Dow, Glad, LG, Nestles Pure Life, Pepsi, Solo, Troy-Bilt, WM Waste Management, and Wrigley.
Drought Management The Catawba-Wateree River basin experienced two droughts of record in the past 15 years - (1998-2002) and (2007-2009). LJEA helped the public understand drought conditions, drought management and conservation practices, and provided recommendations about drought rules to the state and to those drafting Duke Energys Low Inflow Protocol (LIP). The LIP is a guide for managing water in the lakes on the Catawba-Wateree River and power generation during drought. Access to and Protection of Lake James In the late 1990s and early 2000s, as Lake James waterfront was being developed, the Save Lake James movement emerged. Members of this citizen action group expressed strong concerns about the lakes future water quality, natural appearance and accessibility by the public. This became a conflict over waterfront development practices involving Burke County and Crescent Resources (then Duke Energys real estate arm) and eventually involved a law suit against Burke by Crescent. Painful settlement negotiations were undertaken by these parties as well as several environmental non-profits, state legislators and other public officials. Eventually, an important settlement agreement was reached in 2004 that provided benefits to both sides. Crescent was able to create large lot, low density conservation developments at the Dry Creek and 1780 conservation district tracts and was allowed to have denser development in its East Lake tracts because of access to city water and sewer utilities. The county, state and environmental groups put strong restrictions on lake side developments and were able to purchase prime land from Crescent for Lake James State Park and the Linville Game Land which act to keep a large section of Lake James as a wild mountain lake, to protect the Linville Gorge National Wilderness Areas viewshed and the water quality of Lake James, and to provide public access which was important to the people of the area and the countys tourism economy. This was a wonderful, win-win collaboration by which the public acquired permanent access to a large section of Lake James
waterfront and forested land as well as year-round recreational opportunities, and the lake became better protected from development. Duke Energy Relicensing In the same time frame, Duke Energy began the process of applying to renew its FERC license to operate the Catawba-Wateree Power Generation Project for another 30 to 50 years. This massive project involved a stakeholder consultation process spanning the Catawba-Wateree basin and involving members of some 80 organizations. It also entailed a water supply study, creation of shoreline management guidelines, development and use of a complex computer model to explore approaches to generating power under a variety of conditions. Many tradeoffs among the stakeholders were analyzed to help build consensus. A Final Agreement was signed in 2006 by most of the stakeholders and became part of the reapplication. Duke has been operating with a temporary license since 2008 and expects to receive a new license in 2014. Interbasin Transfer In 2005 it became known that the NC cities of Concord and Kannapolis had requested that up to 38 million gallons of water per day (MGD) be transferred from the Catawba River basin to the Yadkin-Pee Dee basin (where they are located). Only six Catawba basin residents, including three from LJEA, attended NCDENRs initial public hearing in Charlotte to learn about the proposal. Having just recovered from a record drought, the idea did not sit well because it would impact Lake James water levels, negatively. Upon returning to Lake James, they began notifying residents of McDowell and Burke Counties about the proposal. Advised by the Catawba Riverkeeper, members of LJEA and the Community of Lake James informed and rallied county and municipal officials, state legislators, other organizations and the general public in the Upper Catawba basin to oppose the request. The Riverkeeper rallied the rest of the basin. . Informed opposition grew to over 1000 basin residents at the final public hearing in Charlotte (the largest in NC history). By then the request had been reduced to 20 MGD. The NC Environmental Management Commission (the deciding body) eventually authorized a transfer of up to 10 MGD conditional upon the cities first withdrawing 10 MGD from the Yadkin River and being subject to drought rules at least as strict as those in the Catawba basin. In 2007, Members of LJEA worked with members of the state legislature to develop and pass legislation strengthening the requirements to obtain an Interbasin Transfer. Between 2008 and today, LJEA continued its long-standing water quality, water quantity and clean-up programs, and became more conscious of the impact of the watersheds health and well-being on the lake and area residents. This led to development of programs concerning radon gas, water quality education in area schools, and erosion and sedimentation.
Radon Gas LJEA became aware of the risks associated with radon gas in homes, schools and businesses via North Carolinas Radon Program http://www.ncradon.org . After some board members found excessive levels in their own homes the board decided to help raise public awareness of this harmful, colorless, odorless gas, a product of uranium decay that can cause lung cancer. Based on home test results processed through Air Chek, Inc., the average McDowell County result is 5.4 pCi/L (http://countyradon.info/NC/McDowell.html) and in Burke County is 3.9 pCi/L (http://countyradon.info/NC/Burke.html). The action level is a reading of 4.0 or higher. Keep an eye out for the opportunity to test your home in January each year during Radon Action Month. In 2013 we also were able to arrange for radon test kits to be provided to a science class at Freedom High School. Kids in the Creek During late 2008, LJEA learned of an innovative, annual educational activity in Haywood County involving all eighth graders. Their Kids in the Creek program is a joint venture of Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) and the Haywood County School system. Its objectives are to enrich the students science education by providing them with handson experiences not available in the classroom and to expand their memorable knowledge of water quality and its importance to their lives. After being briefed on the program by HWAs executive director, we asked to observe the 2009 sessions and were invited to participate in it. We took this information to Burke and McDowell county schools to determine if there was interest in similar activities there. Several teachers responded and asked to observe/participate in the program with us. In fall 2009, a group of LJEA board members and local school teachers observed and assisted with the Haywood program for one to three days each. All were very impressed. Economically, this was not a good time for schools to be taking on new programs, but there was interest, so together we gradually found ways to support their science programs. Other cooperative activities include judging science fairs, helping clean up a school pond and trail area, hosting students activities on the area greenway which involved testing water for its properties and capturing aquatic wildlife specimens. These findings reflected the Rivers water quality and were eye-opening to the students. In summer 2013, a collaboration among LJEA, McDowell County Schools, the Lake James State Park and the local fish hatchery, provided potential first-generation college-bound students with expanded learning experiences. The science teachers and students from both counties serving on our board have helped us better understand their needs and support their education. The students represent future stakeholders in the quest to protect water quality for themselves and their children. They have knowledge of technology use and social networking among their peer group that help us move forward together.
Erosion & Silt Reduction Program Partly because of storm events and partly because of increased development in the watershed (which interact to cause greater erosion), we began to look more closely at the single biggest pollutant of Lake James and its feeder streams sediment. The board commissioned a multi-year, multi-project program to determine: 1. How much silt is in the lake after 90 years and how it is distributed and moves 2. The location of the primary sources of silt 3. What can be done to reduce future erosion and siltation To date we have aerial photographic evidence of silt beds at the incoming river mouths taken during drought. We also have photographic evidence of silt plumes created by boat wakes and wind-driven waves during normal water levels. Linville Mouth Catawba & North Fork Mouths Silt Plumes on Lake
In addition, the river mouths have been mapped using GPS and sonar during normal and high water levels. Weve even been able to compare the silt beds before and after a significant flood event, which reveals how the silt profile is changed by stormwater. In a pilot test, we were able to estimate the amount of silt that washed into the lake from the Catawba main branch during a 24-hour period after the May 2013 storm. This is all preliminary research about the first question above. Presently, we are assembling the knowledge and people to tackle item 2, determination of primary silt sources. As you might imagine, the opportunities to protect and improve the health and beauty of Lake James and its watershed are endless. Nothing is static so stuff happens as they say. We are pleased to have been on task for forty years. Clear progress has been made and we have our sponsoring members, volunteers and many collaborators to thank for this. Heres to the next 40 years!!