Panel Title

Local Government and the Great Drought: How Two South Carolina Cities Addressed The Water Shortage, 2002-2011

Location

DIGS 222

Discussant

Katarina Moyan

Panel

Water Quality, Availability, and Economic Realities of the Carolinas

Category

Carolinas

Start Date

7-11-2015 10:15 AM

End Date

7-11-2015 11:15 AM

Description

South Carolina experienced a significant water emergency as the result of a severe drought which began in the state in 2002. The City of York, the county seat of York County, processed water collected from a small reservoir, Lake Caldwell. This traditional water source quickly became inadequate to meet the needs of residents and businesses. The city was perilously close to depleting its water supply in the summer of 2002. This paper will examine negotiations with the City of Rock Hill, a much larger municipality with access to the water system of the Catawba River. The problems encountered in linking these two cities were geographic, technical, economic, and political. How could the fifteen miles which separate the two cities be bridged by new water lines? Would uneven elevation effect such a task? Who would pay for the construction? What political obstacles would be encountered? If successful, would water rates skyrocket for York citizens as they purchased, what some called, “Rock Hill water”? Could this water partnership be accomplished in a timely manner? This paper suggests that in times of dire crisis such as the Great Drought local government officials can work together to solve fundamental problems such as providing affordable and dependable water to their people.

Sources will include interviews with the principles of both municipalities and government documents about the negotiations which brought a successful conclusion to the water crisis.

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Nov 7th, 10:15 AM Nov 7th, 11:15 AM

Local Government and the Great Drought: How Two South Carolina Cities Addressed The Water Shortage, 2002-2011

DIGS 222

South Carolina experienced a significant water emergency as the result of a severe drought which began in the state in 2002. The City of York, the county seat of York County, processed water collected from a small reservoir, Lake Caldwell. This traditional water source quickly became inadequate to meet the needs of residents and businesses. The city was perilously close to depleting its water supply in the summer of 2002. This paper will examine negotiations with the City of Rock Hill, a much larger municipality with access to the water system of the Catawba River. The problems encountered in linking these two cities were geographic, technical, economic, and political. How could the fifteen miles which separate the two cities be bridged by new water lines? Would uneven elevation effect such a task? Who would pay for the construction? What political obstacles would be encountered? If successful, would water rates skyrocket for York citizens as they purchased, what some called, “Rock Hill water”? Could this water partnership be accomplished in a timely manner? This paper suggests that in times of dire crisis such as the Great Drought local government officials can work together to solve fundamental problems such as providing affordable and dependable water to their people.

Sources will include interviews with the principles of both municipalities and government documents about the negotiations which brought a successful conclusion to the water crisis.