Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Report links sprawl to groundwater depletion . <br /> 2 .7 <br /> harlottaicom <br /> . . . . . . . ... . . . . , . .. . . . . . .. . . •. .e .•:cn-cairz:ra �usm srsrsuxc.:�,.u�e�sp:r.:xat�ca.. - <asa.u.�><;we'ac,.ax�-�^ai�:z�; «xs� .ac:eu.a .::_ xr..-asna�.:rf^:n:•rn:es�xn'a.x: �rrx:n.:nxrza <br /> Posted on Thu , Aug . 29 , 2002 <br /> Report links sprawl to groundwater depletion <br /> Mecklenburg official not swayed by claim <br /> BRUCEHENDERSON - <br /> Staff Writer <br /> One more thing to blame on sprawl : the drought . <br /> Suburban roads , driveways and rooftops cover so much land that billions of gallons of rainwater can ' t soak <br /> into the ground , where it would recharge depleted groundwater, said a report released Wednesday by three <br /> environmental groups . <br /> The ground under the Charlotte - Gastonia - Rock Hill metro area alone loses 13 . 5 billion to 31 . 5 billion gallons <br /> of water a year, the report said . The low end of that range is about as much water as Charlotte - <br /> Mecklenburg Utilities pumps in four typical months . <br /> " Sprawl is hanging us out to dry , " said Deron Lovaas of the Natural Resources Defense Council . The group <br /> released the report with American Rivers and Smart Growth America . <br /> Water experts agree that so - called impervious surfaces send rainwater toward streams and lakes instead of <br /> into the ground . Critics say sprawl paves over more ground than compact , high - density development . <br /> But the experts say there ' s no proof sprawl makes droughts worse . <br /> " Making the jump that sprawl is the reason for water shortages , we can ' t make that jump , " said Dave <br /> Canaan , Mecklenburg ' s water and land resources director . <br /> Still , state officials factor in an area ' s amount of impervious surface when they calculate local water <br /> resources . <br /> While the four- year drought has sapped Piedmont lakes and streams , groundwater is also suffering . Water <br /> levels in a U . S . Geological Survey well at Mecklenburg ' s Hornets Nest Park have dropped about 5 feet since <br /> early 1998 . <br /> While lakes and streams benefit from more rain , storm water_ also washes pollutants into them , said John <br /> Bailey of Smart Growth America . The ground , in contrast , filters soaked - in rainwater before releasing it into <br /> surface waters . <br /> Bruce Henderson : (704) 358 - 5051 ; bhenderson@charlotteobserver. com . <br /> http : //www . charlotte . com/mld/charlotte/3959513 . htm ?template=contentModules/printstor . aa 08 /29/2002 <br />