South Carolina is one of the two states that relies on the Catawba River. As the Catawba originates in central North Carolina, the river goes through many dams and have its water allocated to the different counties reliant on it before making its way to South Carolina. Year after year, South Carolina looked to its northern neighbor and cried foul, claiming that North Carolina was diverting more and more water from the river before it crosses state border. This dispute Catawba River’s water rights culminated in a Supreme Court case in 2007. While the case ended with the two Carolinas settling out of court, it reveals the difficulty in properly managing a river that crosses state borders.
