20080880 Ver 1_Public Comments_20080813

French Broad River at lowest level in at least 100 years
Subject: French Broad River at lowest level in at least 100 years
From: "C Wagner" <cpwagner@bell south. net>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:25:50 -0400
To: <[e-mail]. mil>, <cyndi.karoly@ncmai 1. net>,
<[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Reference: The Cliffs at High Carolina permit request for a large development and golf course on top
of a mountain in Swannanoa and Fairview.
It is apparent that our water resources are at the lowest levels since 1895. Building a water-guzzling
golf-course at the top of a mountain and a huge development will further tax our water resources.
Serious consideration needs to be given to the Cliffs request due to the damaging and far reaching
consequences this could have on the environment and the residents in Swannanoa and Fairview.
CITIZEN-TIMES
French Broad River at lowest level in at least 100 years
River's water flow rate may worsen if drought continues
NANCI BOMPEY • NBOMPEY(cDCITIZEN-TIMES.COM • PUBLISHED AUGUST 12, 2008 12:15 AM
ASHEVILLE - Stream flows in the French Broad River have reached their lowest levels since record-keeping
began in 1895 and likely will continue to drop as the region's drought drags on.
The river at Pearson Bridge in Asheville was flowing at a rate of 121 million gallons a day on Sunday, according
to the U.S. Geological Survey.
That rate falls well below the median stream flow of 781 million gallons a day for this time of year and below a
previous low of 139 million gallons a day measured in 2002.
"I've been working in river programs for 27 years, and I've never seen the river this low," said Bill Eaker,
environmental services manager for the Land-of-Sky Regional Council.
Eaker spoke Monday as he surveyed the French Broad near Carrier Park in getting ready for the annual Mayors'
Cup Raft Race coming Sunday.
Ironically, the event intended to highlight the river's cultural, economic and recreational importance could be in
jeopardy because water reaches only ankle- and knee-deep in places, Eaker said.
Around the region, commercial rafting companies have cut trips and water systems have issued conservation
measures as a lack of rain combined with groundwater systems that never recovered from last year's drought
have caused low stream flows.
Monthly average stream flows were at all-time record lows during June and July at more than half of the USGS
long-term stream flow gages in WNC
Nearly all of region is listed by the state as being in an exceptional drought, the most severe classification.
Asheville has received nearly 10 fewer inches of rain this year than normal.
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French Broad River at lowest level in at least 100 years
At this rate, it would take about one and a half times normal rainfall between now and January to end the
drought, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
"I can't predict the weather, but if conditions persist, it's (stream levels) going to stay low," said Jerad Bales,
director of the N.C. Water Sciences Center.
Quantity and quality
Low water levels can bring a host of problems for the French Broad, a river seen by some as a symbol for
WNC.
"The river is probably the one natural resource, other than the mountains, that people most closely identify with,"
Eaker said.
With less water, pollution from industries and other entities that discharge into the water are at higher
concentrations. Water temperatures also have been increasing while the levels have been dropping.
"People don't know too much about how rivers respond to drought," Bales said. "What is happening now is
everything that lives there is being squeezed into a smaller and smaller space ... the less water there is there is
less oxygen in the water, and the fish are going to be stressed because of that."
The river was once a major lifeline of the region, serving as a source of water for Native Americans and later as
a transportation corridor for farmers traveling through the region.
Water quality in the French Broad deteriorated when it was used as a dumping ground for raw sewage as the
population of WNC and its industry grew, but cleaned up after the passage of the Clean Water Act in the 1970s.
Since then, the river has become important for towns in WNC.
All of Hendersonville's water comes from the Mills River, and South Asheville is served primarily by the city's
intake on the confluence of the two rivers.
Low water levels in the Mills River forced Hendersonville last week to institute mandatory water restrictions.
The river levels also are hurting some in the tourism industry. For the first time in more than 25 years, the
Nantahala Outdoor Center decided last week to stop actively selling rafting trips on the French Broad. It has
also cut back on trips on the Chattooga River.
"It was just getting lower and lower and lower ... It was just getting to the point where it was obvious that the
river was handicapped," said NOC spokesman Charles Conner. "It's just not a river trip we want to sell to these
people."
Conner said the company will definitely feel a sting from the loss of trips on the river as will French Broad
Rafting Expeditions, a small company out of Marshall that is now running inflatable one-person duckies on the
river instead of the larger rafts. The change translates into fewer numbers of people per trip.
"It will end up being a tough summer," said owner Michael Hampton.
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French Broad River at lowest level in at least 100 years
Making a point
If there is an upside to the low water levels, some hope it lies in focusing attention on the need to plan for water
use as WNC continues to grow.
"It's a bad time for recreation and event planners, but it's a great time to drive home the point that water
resources are limited, and we've got to work together because this is a regional resource," Eaker said.
French Broad riverkeeper Hartwell Carson said local governments need to start talking about ways to plan for
increased water use and how they can work together to make sure water is evenly distributed around the region.
"If now is not the right time to be looking at long-term solutions, then I don't know what is," Carson said. "If the
lowest levels of water ever can't raise people's awareness, then I don't know what will."
Bales said more regulation on withdrawing water would help scientists better understand what is going on in the
rivers and in turn help people manage the rivers more effectively.
"The river will recover, but water resource managers need to pay attention because WNC is growing, water
demands are growing," Bales said. "We plan for certain worst-case conditions and maybe although we plan for
the worst-case conditions the conditions are worse than we planned for."
Carmen Wagner
Senior Criminal Research Specialist
DHS - Immigration & Customs Enforcement
SAC/Miami - Financial Division - Group 5
Phone: [phone]
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