By Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell
North Carolina’s 85 miles of Broad River, from its headwaters to the South Carolina line, have historically been used for fishing, travel and transportation, industry and agriculture, a drinking water supply, and recreation. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is required by the Clean Water Act to classify sections of the waterway based on their actual use and potential use. Class B water is protected for primary recreation — swimming or full body contact with the water. A class C waterway is protected for secondary recreation, like canoeing or fishing from a boat, where a person is not in the water. Lake Lure is currently the only section of the Broad River that enjoys the class B designation.
When DEQ classified our NC waters years ago, the Broad River wasn’t properly cared for and wasn’t used for recreation to the extent it is today. Understandably, many people were not comfortable swimming in our rivers. They might have remembered that at one time, the sewage system at Lake Lure dumped directly into the upper Broad or heard stories of someone getting sick after swimming in the river. Or they may have been turned off by the sometimes turbid conditions of the water.
In the past 20 years, folks have realized that our Broad River has some of the best water in the Southeast. Our waters originate near the continental divide, where cold clear streams converge into a wide, easily navigable waterway. People now come from miles away to swim and play in this cool piedmont river. The Broad River Greenway opened almost 30 years ago, and scores of people swim there every warm summer weekend. We now have seven access points for canoe and kayak access, and more are coming soon.
MountainTrue is working with the Southern Environmental Law Center and DEQ to have our Broad River recognized as the treasure it is; reclassified to class B waters; and to have it protected for its actual uses, including primary recreation. We’re submitting a proposal to DEQ that includes river user testimonials, pictures of people swimming in the river, and water quality data.
Next time you feel like cooling off on a hot summer day, come out and swim in the Broad River!
