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The Kerr Lake system plans to sell the water in Franklin, Warren and Granville counties and to various cities in the Tar, Neuse and Fishing Creek river basins including Creedmoor.
For the people of the Roanoke Valley, the concern is direct. The more water removed upstream from the Valley, the greater the chances of the river and lake water quality deteriorating downstream.
Hearings and the public comment phase of KLRWS’s interbasin transfer request started recently. Many of the questions were left unanswered this early in the process.
This series of stories will outline the players, the process and the issues — what is at stake for Roanoke Valley residents.
Interbasin Transfer
An interbasin transfer, most simply put, is the taking of surface water from one river or stream and moving it into a different area, which has its own rivers and streams. In this case, water may be moved from the Roanoke River basin to the Tar, Neuse and Fishing Creek river basins.
The Roanoke River begins in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern Virginia and flows in a generally southeastern direction for 400 miles before emptying into the Albemarle Sound in eastern North Carolina.
By the time it reaches the fall line near Roanoke Rapids, it has captured water from nearly 8,000 square miles of land. From Roanoke Rapids to the coast, the river drains another 2,000 square miles, carrying more water than any other river in North Carolina. Which makes it a prime target for water systems needing more water for growing populations. Roanoke Rapids, Weldon, Lake Gaston and Gaston are located in the Roanoke River Basin.
The Players
In this developing saga, there are several players that need to be introduced in order to facilitate an understanding of the issue. First there is the Kerr Lake Regional Water System. It is made up of partners: The city of Henderson (head of system), the city of Oxford and Warren County.
The system received awards for “best tasting water” for several years but has not posted any Consumer Confidence Reports on its Web site dated after 2004.
The system currently holds a “grandfathered” Interbasin Transfer Certificate, from before 1998 when interbasin transfer laws were changed. It is allowed to draw up to 10 million gallons of water per day. Currently, it transfers about half that amount.
Additionally, the city of Henderson discharges about 4.4 million gallons of wastewater into Nutbush Creek every day, according to the system’s Web site. Nutbush Creek and the Nutbush arm of Kerr Lake are part of the Kerr Lake water system’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit. The creek has been on the state’s Division of Water Quality’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters since 2004 and is expected to be on the 2008 list when it is accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to Kathy Stecker of the Division of Water Quality.
According to reports, in 2005 KLRWS made a deal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to receive a 30-year allocation of 26 million gallons of water per day from the Roanoke River Basin. Having that allocation does not mean it can withdraw the water. First it must receive an interbasin transfer certificate from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Environmental Management Commission.
Another major player is CH2M Hill, a Raleigh consulting firm. CH2M Hill is a worldwide company, founded in 1946, with more than 26,000 employees.
According to the firm’s Web site, its goal is to “create, construct and operate facilities, infrastructure and systems that bring clean water, safe transportation, efficient industry, environmental solutions and communications to people in more than 77 countries.”
CH2M reports $5.8 billion in revenue, and project examples include environmental services with Dow Chemical Company, design, design management, construction management and quality assurance for the Virginia Department of Transportation, and aquifer storage and recovery program, planning and program management for the San Antonio Water System.
Bill Kreutzberger and Adam Sharp are the contact people for the Kerr Lake project. Based on Googled results, Kreutzberger is technology director for Water Resources/Environmental Management and senior principal water resources specialist with CH2M HILL. He works with government and private sector clients on a range of water quality, water resources and watershed management issues in the Southeast and nationally. The company has worked with the City of Raleigh and several towns in the Research Triangle Park on developing a regional water system.
From the state, one major player is North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Water Resources. According to Environment and Natural Resources’ representative Toya Fields, her department acts as a facilitator in the process. “If someone applies for a certificate, we make sure they follow all the requirements.” Fields insists that neither she nor the department supports the applicant, they support the regulations. “You have to remember that we’ve only given out three certificates since 1998,” she said.
Then, also from the state is the Environmental Management Commission, which makes the final decision as to whether or not the interbasin transfer certificate is issued. It is also part of the NCDENR.
According to its Web site, the panel is “a 19-member commission appointed by the governor, the Senate Pro Tempore and the Speaker of the House. The commission is responsible for adopting rules for the protection, preservation and enhancement of the state's air and water resources.”
There are a few public interest groups involved in the debate including the Roanoke River Basin Association (rrba.com) and the Roanoke River Basin BiState Commission, of which Rep. Lucy Allen is co-chair [(919) 733-5860, or in Louisburg at (919) 496-5111].
The Valley’s other lawmakers — Rep. Michael Wray [(919) 733- 5662, e-mail: Michael.Wray@ncleg.net]; Sen. Edward Jones [(919) 715-3032, e-mail: Edward.Jones@ncleg.net] and Rep. Angela Bryant [(919) 733-5878, e-mail: Angela.Bryant@ncleg.net] have all expressed their willingness to add their voices and expertise to the debate for their constituents.
If you have concerns about the Kerr Lake Regional Water System’s proposed interbasin transfer of water from the Roanoke River Basin to the Fishing Creek, Tar and Neuse River Basins, you can submit those concerns to:
Kerr Lake Regional Water System IBT comments, CH2M HILL, Attn: Kecia Lucas, 3201 Beechleaf Court, Suite 300, Raleigh NC 27604 or e-mail: klrws@ch2m.com
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