New report shows plans to clean up Catawba river

CHARLOTTE — The Catawba Riverkeeper published an interactive, collaborative plan to clean up the South Fork watershed.

Named the South Fork Catawba Sub-Basin Restoration and Protection Plan, it’s a proposal outlining 22 potential projects that can be used by anyone who wants to improve water quality.

Explore the South Fork Catawba Sub-Basin Restoration and Protection Plan:

It includes stabilizing riverbanks, improved monitoring, cattle fencing, and dam removals.

The South Fork sub-basin has 118 miles of streams flowing through Burke, Catawba, Lincoln, and Gaston counties.

The report names three primary threats to water quality in this river:

1. Stormwater runoff,
2. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), and
3. Legacy and current land use changes

The South Fork supports five drinking water intakes, according to the Catawba Riverkeeper.

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