Alcoa's Land Protection Plan Along the Yadkin River

View of Falls Reservoir land to be gifted by Alcoa

As the validity of Alcoa’s 401 Water Quality Certificate, that was issued in 2009 by NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is being reviewed in the court room of Administrative Law Judge Joe Webster it is important to revisit Alcoa’s Relicensing Agreement for long-term land protection.

The fight over Alcoa’s relicensing of its four Yadkin River hydroelectric dams continues and the outcome is not certain. However, most everyone wants Alcoa to take full responsibility for cleaning up all pollution created by their Badin aluminum smelting plant. It is essential that NCDENR and the EPA press Alcoa and make sure that Alcoa does all that is environmentally necessary. It is also important for the State of NC to clarify the many water rights issues that involve Alcoa and other corporations like Duke Energy and Progress Energy. Ultimately the water in the rivers of NC belongs to the people of NC.

Many who have been involved with important land conservation efforts in the state remain supportive of Alcoa’s relicensing because of Alcoa’s commitment, if their license is renewed, to help preserve around 6,000 acres of land along the Yadkin River. The most important piece of Alcoa’s land protection agreement is the 1,085 acres they have agreed to gift to Morrow Mt. State Park. This would include their pristine property that runs along the entire length of the secluded Falls Reservoir (already protected on the east side by the Uwharrie National Forest) from Morrow Mt. State Park and also includes the ancient Paleo-Indian Hardaway Site. The long-term protection of this important 1,085 acre tract for the state must be accomplished for many environmental, historic, geological, archeological and eco-tourism reasons.

Other parts of Alcoa’s land protection agreement include their gifting a 270 acre expansion of the Uwharrie National Forest, a 63 acre gift for Eagle Point Nature Preserve in Rowan County and a gift of 14 acres around the Badin Public Recreation Area in Stanly County. So Alcoa has agreed to gift over 1,400 acres along the Yadkin River as part of its relicensing agreement. In addition to those important land gifts Alcoa has also agreed to sale 2,310 acres of land around High Rock Lake and 2,420 acres along Tuckertown Lake to the state of NC for recreation, gamelands and land conservation. The price for these 4,730 basically shoreline aces is $16.2 million or around $3425 per acre. This important land preservation agreement was worked out with the stakeholders and was one of the main reasons they agreed to support Alcoa’s relicensing. It appears that NCDENR with the guidance of Bill Ross and the Land Trust of Central NC were the key players in helping to insure the long-term protection of this approximate 6,000 acres. After this land conservation agreement was announced several years ago Jason Walser, the executive director of the Land Trust of Central NC said: “This agreement represents one of the largest and most important conservation opportunities we have seen in the Southern Piedmont in a generation. We may never see another conservation opportunity of this scale again. What’s truly significant is the quality of the land being offered by Alcoa. The waterfront land possesses incredible ecological value, and nearly all of the proposed land will be available to the public for recreation or hunting.”

The following 23 organizations have expressed support of a new license for Alcoa through their signatures on the formal Relicensing Settlement Agreement for the Yadkin Project.

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (Alcoa-Yadkin)

American Rivers

Badin Lake Association

Badin Historic Museum

Catawba Indian Nation

City of Albemarle, NC

High Rock Business Owners Group

High Rock Lake Association

Land Trust for Central North Carolina

Montgomery County, NC

The Nature Conservancy (S.C. Chapter)

N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources *

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Pee Dee River Coalition

Piedmont Boat Club

Rowan County, NC

Salisbury/Rowan Association of Realtors

S.C. Coastal Conservation League

S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control

S.C. Department of Natural Resources

Town of Badin, NC

U.S. Forest Service

Uwharrie Point Community Association

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As a fairly new resident near Morrow Mt. State Park, as the recent chair of the Guilford County Open Space Committee and as an active supporter of the emerging Haw River State Park I tried my best to describe the above story about Alcoa’s commitment to long-term land protection around the Yadkin River. There are certainly other facts that need to be added to make this story complete. I am aware that other important groups like the Stanly County Commissioners and the Yadkin Riverkeeper oppose the relicensing of Alcoa’s four dams on the Yadkin River. However, for those of us committed to long-term land preservation in NC this is a very unique opportunity that cannot be taken lightly. These 6,000 acres along the Yadkin River are truly extraordinary in every way. I for one hope that the fight over Alcoa’s relicensing does not jeopardize the preservation of this land.