Legislature takes major step to secure reliable clean water supplies

August 1, 2014

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(Raleigh, NC) – American Rivers today applauded the North Carolina state legislature for passing SB 163, a bill that expands community water supplies by allowing the use of reclaimed water.  Reclaimed water is purified waste water that can be recycled through the water supply system.  Modern water systems are able to clean waste water, restoring it to a resource that can be reused.  The use of reclaimed water reduces the need for additional water withdrawals from rivers and lakes. Outdated policies previously prohibited this common sense water supply solution.

Peter Raabe, North Carolina Conservation Director for American Rivers, made the following statement:

“We applaud Speaker Thom Tillis, Rep. Andy Wells, Sen. Fletcher Harstell and Sen. Brent Jackson for their leadership toward securing reliable and cost-effective clean water supplies for our state, while protecting the health of our rivers and streams. This bill allows for the expansion of community water supplies without building costly and damaging new dams. We should all be proud that North Carolina is leading the way on innovative solutions to environmentally protective water supply options.”

About American Rivers

American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters, and volunteers.

Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers, and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.