Have you ever gone swimming in Lake Norman? I love to swim, so I have. Something about the water feels off. It’s both slimy and viscous, more reminiscent of primordial ooze than a freshwater lake. You can see the discoloration and smell that there is something wrong. When you finally escape its suction and make your way to shore, you will invariably feel filthier than when you entered. If you’re lucky, you won’t wake up the next day with a cold or infection.
The reason for this? Lake Norman is home to almost every type of pollution imaginable. Regardless, many of us still use it for swimming, fishing, or even our drinking water. Proponents of the lake often dismiss valid concerns as paranoia. Some form their opinion based on political affiliation. The issue should not be ignored and it should not be partisan. The pollution facing our lake affects everyone, and is more serious than most care to admit.
Though it is often mistaken as a minor issue, runoff is one of the lake’s biggest pollutants. When Duke Energy created Lake Norman, the company put very little thought into mitigating these issues. Duke still owns a good deal of land around the lake, but the company sold most of it to developers. The homes and businesses built around Lake Norman are great for the community, but are often developed with no consideration for where the water will drain. Each time it rains, thousands of gallons of runoff carrying chemicals, oils, fertilizers, pesticides, and bacteria flood into the lake.
Lake Norman also suffers from a near-constant flow of sewage. The Catawba Riverkeeper, a non-profit that claims it “preserves, protects, and restores the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River basin,” estimates that in 2024, sewer overflows dumped 1.6 million gallons of raw sewage into Lake Norman, Lake Hickory, and Mountain Island Lake.
That disturbingly high volume only accounts for reported overflows of sewage systems from towns and cities on the lakes. There are hundreds of homes on the shores of Lake Norman with aging septic systems that are undoubtedly leaking sewage into the lake as well. There are also unconfirmed stories that some less-reputable septic disposal companies will drive the refuse to the lake and dump it. We can assume the yearly sewage volume is much higher than reported.
You might be thinking that it’s a felony to dump sewage into the lake. You’d be right, unless you happen to be Duke Energy. Duke has permits from the government to dump large amounts of wastewater sewage into Lake Norman, as long as toxicity testing afterwards meets “acceptable levels.” In 2004, the company intentionally dumped 500,000 gallons of sewage into Lake Norman. The move raised eyebrows, but Duke faced no repercussions. They retain the right to dump sewage to this day.
Duke Energy is also famous for coal ash pollution. Coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal, contains toxic chemicals such as arsenic and mercury. For sixty years, coal ash has been buried at Marshall Steam Station, polluting the groundwater beyond federal standards, according to Duke’s own report. Conveniently, the company insists that this pollution has not affected Lake Norman’s water quality in the slightest.
Duke sold large amounts of the coal ash as construction fill. Areas of Mooresville are built on piles of toxic ash, including areas near businesses and schools. In 2020, a sinkhole opened in one such area, nearly swallowing a building and sending even more of the ash into the lake.
Levels of radium and thallium, radioactive byproducts of coal ash and other Duke endeavors, are almost always uncomfortably high. In 2018, the Riverkeeper warned that the lake contained 2.5 times the federally acceptable limit. Duke and associated companies dismissed the concerns, insisting that this would not be a danger. Fortunately, the level hasn’t been that high since.
I will reiterate that hundreds of thousands of people get their drinking water from Lake Norman, including parts of Charlotte, the biggest city in our state. Most studies agree that treated water is safe to drink as long as levels don’t exceed federal standards and the treatment is done properly. Something about drinking radioactive sewer-water still makes me uneasy.
The list of pollutants in this article is not comprehensive. Other problems like algal blooms and fly ash permeate the lake, but to focus on them would be redundant.
As you may have noticed, many of these pollutants stem from Duke Energy. For many decades, Duke has held a government-backed monopoly on electrical utilities in much of North Carolina. Since Duke doesn’t have to abide by free-market principles, there is little to stop them from doing whatever they want. Well-placed campaign contributions dissuade any state or federal retaliation.
For now, advocacy groups are the only line of defense against anti-competitive companies like Duke Energy. The Catawba Riverkeeper’s yearly “State of the River” report is meant to keep Duke on its toes and highlight areas that need the most improvement.
The Riverkeeper has won major victories in the past, including a settlement that forces Duke Energy to clean up their coal ash on Lake Norman and prevent further groundwater contamination. However, Duke Energy provides millions of dollars of grants and donations to the Riverkeeper, which has called the organization’s objectivity in question, and the organization’s victories are few and far between.
Organizations like the Riverkeeper need the help of everyday citizens. Politicians need your vote more than they need Duke Energy’s money. If the people, regardless of party, decide that this issue is an important one, then the government must act.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. In the 1950s, 20 million gallons of “treated” sewage per day were being dumped into Lake Washington near Seattle, earning it the lake the nickname “Lake Stinko.” The pollution manifested itself via algal blooms and piles of dead fish. Due to the consistent effort of locals, the government was forced to reroute the sewage. Within a decade, the lake fully recovered.
With a similar effort from citizens around Lake Norman, we can affect the same type of change. If you want to learn more or to join the efforts to preserve the lake, visit The Catawba Riverkeeper’s website at www.catawbariverkeeper.org.