Where It Begins

The Catawba River headwaters have been protected by the Foothills Conservancy

Clean And Clear Catawba, by Alice Battle – April 6, 2012

The Catawba River begins as three silvery strands in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Two of the strands arise in McDowell County, 10 miles below Mt. Mitchell. As they flow toward the Atlantic, they fall 1,000 feet in the first 8 miles.  
Then the landscape becomes gentler. The strands join and become a river called the Catawba. It flows another 20 miles to Lake James.

The third tributary rises in Buncombe County. It starts as a trickle near Evens Knob and joins Linville before it enters Lake James. Both join in the lake, but are not really together in Lake James. Each has a lake of its own joined by a narrow channel.

Lake James is named for James B. Duke, who with W.S. Lee built hydro dams to provide electricity for the textile and the furniture industries that grew up in the Catawba watershed as it passed Hickory, Gastonia, Charlotte, Belmont, Lenoir, Statesville and Rock Hill.
Photo credit — This photo appears on the website of the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina. The nonprofit group has preserved some of the most sensitive wilderness areas of the NC Mountains including more than 1,000 acres of the Catawba River's headwaters above Old Fort. Visit foothillsconservancy.org to learn more about this group and how you can support its work. 

About Alice Battle – Alice lives on Mountain Island Lake has served on numerous groups devoted to protecting the lake, including the Duke Energy Relicensing stakeholders group. She currently is Lakekeeper for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.