McMaster expects progress in Carolinas' water war

By Matt Garfield - mgarfield@heraldonline.com

S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster expects good news when the U.S. Supreme Court makes a key early ruling in the water war between the Carolinas.

In a campaign stop at Thursday's Too restaurant in Rock Hill, McMaster talked about the legal battle over withdrawal rights from the Catawba River. McMaster is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.

At issue are 72 million gallons of water a day North Carolina and various communities and businesses along the Catawba want to divert for use in other watersheds.

The high court will rule on whether three smaller entities that draw from the Catawba — Duke Energy, the city of Charlotte and the Catawba River Water Supply Project — should be granted status as full-fledged parties in the lawsuit on par with the two states.

McMaster hopes a ruling will be issued in the next two months. South Carolina opposes allowing those entities to intervene in the case.

“It delays everything and makes it more expensive and complicated,” McMaster said in an interview with The Herald. “Instead of a judge reading two briefs, they'd have to read five.”

McMaster's appearance Thursday evening drew some of York County's Republican stalwarts, including Sheriff Bruce Bryant, former county GOP chairman Henry Eldridge and former 16th Circuit Solicitor Tommy Pope.

The visit kicked off a busy week of political events around the county.

S.C. Sen. Robert Ford, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, will visit Fort Mill on Monday for a monthly party dinner. Ford will speak at 7 p.m. at the Towne Tavern.

Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett will hold a meet-and-greet Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Cotton Factory in downtown Rock Hill. Barrett will be accompanied by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, an outspoken conservative who lost his seat in 2006.

The biggest name arrives the following week. U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint will be in Rock Hill on Dec. 14 for an afternoon fundraiser at the Magnolia Room at Laurel Creek, York County GOP Chairman Glenn McCall said.