Cashiers, NC-On the thirty-eighth anniversary of Earth Day, local citizens gathered at a public hearing in Cashiers to speak in support of a proposal that would give the Horsepasture River one of North Carolina’s strongest clean water protections.
The Environmental Management Commission is considering a proposal to designate the Horsepasture River an Outstanding Resource Water (ORW). To classify the river as ORW, officials must determine that it has excellent water quality and that it meets one additional standard set by the state. Additional standards include having an outstanding fish habitat or fisheries, having a high level of waterbased recreation, being an important component of state or national park or forest, having ecological or scientific significance, or having a special state or national designation such as Wild and Scenic River.
Known for its spectacular waterfalls, the Horsepasture River is surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest, Gorges State Park, and the Toxaway State Gamelands. After extensive testing in 2006, the Division of Water Quality found the lower portion of the river, below N.C. 281, to have excellent water quality. As a National and North Carolina Wild and Scenic River, the river meets another standard by having a number of fish species that hold special state designations.
Environment North Carolina and the Pisgah Group of the Sierra Club petitioned the state to begin the reclassification process. “The need to reclassify the Horspasture River is clear. As development in the area increases, even our most pristine rivers are at risk,” said Environment North Carolina Field Organizer Margaret Hartzell.
John Edwards of Sapphire Valley was among many citizens supporting additional protections for the river at tonight’s hearing. Edwards and his wife Phyllis have lived in the area for 20 years. “We feel reclassifying the Horsepasture River an Outstanding Resource Water will be of benefit to all who value the natural beauty of the area and who would like to see it protected for the present, as well as for future generations,” said Edwards.
If the Horsepasture River receives the Outstanding Resource Water designation, pollution discharges into the river will be limited and vegetated buffers will filter pollutants along the river and its tributaries. The Environmental Management Commission is expected to vote on the reclassification in the coming months.
According to Environment North Carolina research, across the state, more than 70 other unspoiled rivers and streams like the Horsepasture lack the protections they deserve under state and federal clean water rules.
