Supervisor Says Soil & Water Info 'Not Hard to Find'

July 16, 2007

HUDSON—A Caldwell Soil & Water Conservation District supervisor, on a personal campaign to help citizens become better informed, says public documents and studies detailing government conservation programs are “not difficult to find.”

Dennis A. Benfield of Hudson, elected in 2006 on a promise to keep the public informed about district projects, pointed out that “a myriad of brochures, reports and formal studies about ecological problems are available directly from government agencies.”

“Some government programs and agencies,” Benfield said, “are just not necessary. But in the area of soil and water conservation, there’s a three-way partnership among state, federal and local government units that really works. The internet offers an easy way to stay informed.

Benfield to Offer Information on Caldwell Soil & Water Projects

June 27, 2007

HUDSON—Dennis A. Benfield of Hudson, elected last year as a Caldwell Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) supervisor, is starting a personal publicity campaign to make Caldwell County citizens aware of some of the district’s projects.

“The only promises I made in the campaign were that I would work hard to be a good supervisor on the soil and water board, and that I would try to help keep people aware of the kinds of projects the district is sponsoring in Caldwell County,” Benfield said.

“It’s been about six months since I joined some very dedicated people on the board,” he added. “I’ve learned an awful lot and I have so much more to learn, but I have begun to see how this board uses its funds as ‘seed money’ to cause some very important conservation efforts.”

Caldwell SWCD Supervisor Urges 'Three-Front War' On IBT Law

January 16, 2007

HUDSON--Now that the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) has “awarded” Concord and Kannapolis a 10-million-gallons-per-day Inter-Basin Transfer (IBT) from the Catawba River—over the objections of a coalition of local governments and citizens from the upper Catawba basin—what’s next in this “water war?”

Caldwell Soil & Water Conservation District supervisor Dennis A. Benfield, who has been active in the water fight, has suggested "that IBT opponents respond aggressively and attack the transfer on three specific fronts: in court, in the General Assembly and in the political “appointments process.”

Benfield Speaks to NC Legislative Group on Changing IBT Law

December 21, 2006

RALEIGH—A group of 40 civic leaders and elected officials from the upper Catawba River basin flew to Raleigh on Wednesday to address legislators and regulatory managers on changes they believe necessary in North Carolina’s 1993 law which determines how Inter-Basin Transfers (IBTs) are granted within the state.

Other than the legislators and regulators themselves, 14 public speakers addressed changes they wanted to see. Only one, Concord mayor Scott Padgett, spoke in favor of the proposed 36-million-gallons-per-day IBT that Cabarrus County towns want from the Catawba. All the others opposed provisions of the current law.