Fair sharing of water resources is crucial
THEIR VIEWS

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley recently reiterated his appeal for that state's residents to ''be really tight with the water'' in light of an ongoing drought. Unfortunately, the water problems in the Tar Heel State have a direct bearing on South Carolina's worsening water woes as well.

That's because major sources of drinking water, like the Catawba River, flow through both states. If North Carolina taps out too much, there's not enough left for South Carolina.

So far, the message apparently hasn't trickled down to North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, who recently contended that his state's water needs aren't severe enough to pose an imminent threat to South Carolina's. But even a long-term threat should be a neighborly concern.

Problems would certainly arise under a plan to pump 72 million gallons of water a day out of the Catawba, primarily to alleviate water shortages in Concord and Kannapolis. North Carolina's diversion would diminish the Palmetto State's water supply - and, in the view of South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, would be a clear violation of U.S. law.

With that potential long-term crisis looming, South Carolina and her neighboring states are in this together. Prudent water conservation and management policies are in order.

So is fair sharing of this precious resource.

The (Charleston) Post and Courier