Orchid Conservatory at DSBG opens Saturday
Charlotte Trip Magazine Article
The Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens (DSBG) are by far the coolest piece of the Gaston County sites to visit. Over time, the Gardens will be larger and more complete — there is a 40-year Master Plan for the site — world class by anyone’s standards. This was a privately funded project without government “partnership”. The late Daniel Stowe kick started and endowed the development of the Gardens with a donation of land and $14 million in the early 1990’s. All other development has been through private contributions and sponsorship.
The unique destination sites that now border the City of Belmont are the US National Whitewater Center to the east (just over the river north of the I-85 weigh station) and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. Along with historical sites located throughout the county, Gaston is blessed with tourism resources that can rival many pleaces.
Good luck to the folks of the community who develop and market these facilities. Belmont certainly has taken a lead when it comes to developing intriquing places to visit.
(Red Imperial Bromliad – one of 2,000 rare and exotic plant at DSBG)
Belmont Not Meeting Water Restriction Guidelines
With Stage 3 water restrictions in place, Belmont must just be ignoring the severity of the drought.
In October, Governor Easley called on the municipalities throughout the state to cut water useage by 50%. According to the NC Drought Monitor, Belmont just isn’t meeting that goal.
gov-easley-water-consumption-monitor-10-22-07.pdf
Belmont’s average daily useage as of August 2007 was 2.4 million gallons per day.
12/10 12/3 11/26 11/19 11/12 11/5 10/29 10/22
| -34.76% | -29.97% | -30.18% | -29.48% | -17.64% | -19.66% | -29.31% | -33.75% |
So, what’s up with that?
It is not as if the state hadn’t given communities guidelines or unreasonable expectations. Back in 2002, during the last drought, the State passed HB 1215. Section 5 of House Bill 1215 required the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to evaluate water conservation measures being implemented in North Carolina and to identify incentive programs and other voluntary programs that can help foster water conservation, water reuse, and water use efficiency.
water-use-during-droughts-and-water-supply-emergencies.pdf
At the last city council meeting, City Manager Barry Webb, spoke about the possible actions to “encourage” further water conservation, including a “temporary” water rate increase.
We all know that several businesses will be heavily impacted, and that those on “fixed incomes” will want exemptions right off the bat, if council seriously considers this added taxation.
Belmont council talks higher fines for water use violations
from the Tuesday Gazette:Belmont Councilman Irl Dixon said the city should consider increasing fines for water violations, if a higher level of water conservation becomes necessary.And that time could come as soon as next month, City Manager Barry Webb told City Council at its meeting Monday.Webb said Duke Energy told members of the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group at a meeting Friday that recent rain improved storage in the basin slightly. But, if the area doesn’t get more rain soon, Stage IV water restrictions could be imposed by mid-December or early January, he said.
“If we go into another stage, I think we need to go to heavier fines,” Dixon said.
Current Stage III fines for water violations start at $100.
According to city staff, some Belmont water users have been fined for watering lawns in the middle of the night. Dixon and Belmont Utilities Director Chuck Flowers said they have both seen several Belmont lawns that appear to be getting water.
“I know this stuff is going on. People are going out at two or three in the morning to water their grass,” Dixon said.
According to Webb, Belmont currently has the most restrictive ordinance in place for water conservation during drought conditions. Rules applied to the different stages of drought conservation vary for each municipal utility, though they all have the same goal of reducing water use by a certain percentage. Other cities in the Catawba chain have more lenient restrictions in place, Webb said.
“We’re probably stricter than anybody right now,” Webb said.
As part of the drought discussion, Webb said Duke Energy also presented a worse case scenario, projecting that usable water in the basin could become depleted by mid-March, if rainfall remains scarce. That means some water intakes in the Catawba chain would begin to lose the ability to draw water, he said.
That scenario is improbable, but just in case, Belmont is talking to the cities of Gastonia and Mount Holly about line connections to pump water to Belmont customers in an emergency, Webb said.
“If the worse case scenario happens, we’re going to have options to meet our needs,” Webb said.
You can reach Daniel Jackson at (704) 869-1833.
The Belmont Front Porch 