Reservoir proposed to avoid water crisis

LAWNDALE, N.C. -- A town in northern Cleveland County could be home to the newest lake in western North Carolina under a proposal, which is under review by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

The 1300-acre lake would be built along a 10-mile stretch of the First Broad River.

Butch Smith, director of the Cleveland County Water District, said planning on the reservoir began more than 10 years ago.

The First Broad River, which serves as the primary water source for much of Cleveland County, was virtually dry during the region’s last drought in 2002.

Smith said the water crisis five years ago proved the need for a larger water source.

“We need something down the road that’s going to carry a long time,” Smith said.

Opponents of the proposed reservoir said the project would lead to drastic changes in the rural community dominated by forests and farmland.

Investors have been buying land that could become lakefront property, said Byron McMurry, a fourth-generation farmer who lives near the site of the proposed lake.

“If a reservoir is here I would dare say it would get into the tens of thousands of dollars per lot,” he said.

McMurry said he believes the water district’s 21,000 customers would be better served with a smaller reservoir.

A larger water source could attract more industry and employment opportunities to the region, said Don Melton, Board Chairman for the Cleveland County Water District.

The district’s customers would no longer depend on other nearby communities when the First Broad River is not able to supply the 6 million gallons of water a day used during the hottest days of the year, he said.

A public meeting on the reservoir proposal is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 17 at Cleveland Community College’s Keeter Auditorium.

Henry Wicker, project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, said he will be collecting information from residents on environmental concerns, family cemeteries, and other issues which could affected by the reservoir.

A review of the proposal could take two years, Wicker said.

If approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, construction could be complete by 2016, officials with the water district said.

The project is expected to cost at least $50 million and could be financed through the sale of government-issued bonds, Smith said.