Kickoff the summer at Badin Lake on Saturday

To celebrate the start of the summer recreation season at Badin Lake, Alcoa is joining forces with local law enforcement agencies to host a series of family-friendly activities on Saturday, May 30 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Badin Lake Access Area located off Hwy. 740 in Badin.

“We encourage everyone to come out to Badin Lake on Saturday to enjoy a free snow cone, grab a free life jacket and learn how to stay safe on the lakes,” said Karen Baldwin, a natural resources manager for Alcoa Power Generating Inc. who spearheads the company’s water safety efforts.  “We want to use this event to remind families about the different ways they can protect themselves when they are swimming or boating in the lake.”

Special guests will include Joe Teti, a Stanly County resident who is co-star of the Discovery Channel show "Dual Survival."

“A lot of people have seen Joe putting his survival skills to work on TV. We want to remind everyone to put their survival skills to work when they are at the lake: Always wear a life jacket. Don't drink alcohol when you are operating a boat or swimming in the lake. Always keep a close eye on your children,” Baldwin said.

Activities will include:

Interactive Games: 
Take part in fun, family friendly games and activities that reinforce the importance of water safety.



Free Life Jackets:
 Alcoa will give away free life jackets to 100 children under 13 years old. North Carolina law requires children under 13 to always wear a properly fitting life jacket when on a boat.

Boating Safety Tips:
 Representatives from the Stanly County Sheriffs Office, Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on hand to share boating safety tips, provide free boating safety inspections, and showcase the boats used to patrol the lakes and rescue those in need.

Kids Characters: There will be special appearances by Spiderman and Elsa.

Animals from Dan Nicholas Park

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Alcoa Power Generating Inc. has been sponsoring a water safety campaign at the lakes along the Yadkin River for more than 10 years. Providing free life jackets is one of several ways that Alcoa works with law enforcement agencies to promote water safety. The company also provides financial support to local sheriff departments for increased patrols of the lakes and sponsors an advertising campaign to remind people to “Put It On.”

North Carolina consistently ranks near the top of the list when it comes to boating. NC ranked 5th in the nation in boating accidents (139), 6th in boating injuries (90) and 10th in boating deaths (16) last year.

The number one cause of death in boating accidents is drowning, according to US Coast Guard. Statistics show that 77% of boating fatalities were the result of drowning.

Alcoa Volunteers Assist Stanly County Seniors

A team of volunteers from Alcoa Power Generating Inc. spent Friday, May 8 working with Stanly County senior citizens as part of the United Way of Stanly County’s Day of Caring. The volunteer effort was part of an Alcoa ACTION grant that involves the donation of time and money to support local community causes.

Alcoa employees completed five landscaping and home repair projects through OASIS, a non-profit organization which provides Stanly County seniors with services that help maintain independence and dignity, prevent premature nursing home admittance, and enhance quality of life. The company will also provide a $1,500 grant to OASIS.

“We love working with the seniors in our community,” said Nicole Wright, the Alcoa Foundation’s local coordinator. “Our employees really enjoyed spending the day out in the community and the people we worked with were so appreciative.”

Court issues order on issue of navigability

U.S. District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle ruled that the Yadkin River was not navigable in an order containing his findings of fact and conclusions of law as to navigability in the lawsuit between Alcoa and the State of North Carolina.

The May 6 order states that the State of North Carolina failed to meet its burden of proof that the relevant segment of the Yadkin River (the 45-mile area where Alcoa's hydroelectric dams are located) was navigable for commerce at the time of statehood.

"All of the evidence suggests that the Relevant Segment was never, at any point in history, navigated for commerce in its entirety, nor could it have been," states Judge Boyle. 

Click here to read the entire order.

Update on Riverbed Lawsuit

I want to provide everyone with a brief update on the riverbed lawsuit that began this week in U.S. District Court in Elizabeth City, NC. The court ruled that the Yadkin River is non-navigable. We're pleased with the court’s ruling as it is a key point in demonstrating ownership of the land. 

As to the remaining issue of ownership, Judge Boyle directed the parties to submit their motions for summary judgment on title issue within 30 days. We look forward to proving ownership in the next phase of the case.

Here is an Associated Press article that summarizes the trial.

Associated Press

April 23, 2015

US judge: Riverbed property rights next in Alcoa dams fight

By Emery Dalesio

A federal judge ruled this week that boats could not navigate North Carolina's second-largest river system at the time of American independence, a decision that helps Alcoa Inc. as it tries to prove it owns the riverbed on which some valuable hydroelectric dams were built.

Judge Terrence W. Boyle said late Wednesday that the 40-mile section of the Yadkin River where Alcoa Inc. operates four hydropower dams was not navigable at the time the United States was born. States took control of their navigable rivers when they joined the union, so Boyle's ruling is a setback to North Carolina proving it still owns the riverbed.

Boyle opened a nonjury trial on Tuesday to hear a 2013 state lawsuit challenging whether Alcoa had property rights to build the dams. The dispute is about who will control the Yadkin's flow and billions of dollars of clean power for the coming decades.

Boyle's ruling means the trial now is likely to take up whether Alcoa can show property records proving it owns the riverbed the dams were built on.

Lawyers for both sides dug deep into the state archives and the Library of Congress to review accounts describing the river's navigability dating to before and soon after North Carolina became a state upon ratifying the Constitution in 1789.

The evidence included letters from an American Revolutionary general, expressions of sour grapes from Moravian settlers in the 1750s disappointed the land they bought near present-day Winston-Salem offered no navigable routes, and an 18th century landowner describing how he was able to use the Yadkin to ship his crops.

Family friendly events planned at High Rock Lake on Saturday

To celebrate the start of the boating season at High Rock Lake, Alcoa and the High Rock River Rats are hosting a series of family-friendly events on Saturday, April 25 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Buddle Creek Access Area in Lexington. A lake cleanup effort sponsored by the High Rock River Rats will take place at the same time.  

“We encourage everyone to come out to High Rock Lake on Saturday to enjoy a free hot dog, grab a free life jacket and learn how to stay safe on the lakes,” said Karen Baldwin, a natural resources manager for Alcoa Power Generating Inc. who spearheads the company’s water safety efforts.

“We want to use this kickoff event to remind families about the different ways they can protect themselves when they are swimming or boating.”

Activities will include:

Interactive Games:
Take part in fun, family friendly games and activities that reinforce the importance of water safety.



Boating Safety:
Representatives from NC Wildlife Resources Commission, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and local law enforcement agencies will be there to share boating safety tips and show off the boats used to patrol the lakes and rescue those in need.

Free Life Jackets:
Alcoa will give away free life jackets to 100 children under 13 years old. NC law requires children under 13 to always wear a life jacket when on a boat.

Hot Dog Lunch:
Enjoy a hot dog lunch, courtesy of the High Rock River Rats



Lake Cleanup:
The High Rock River Rats and Piedmont Triad Regional Council’s Stormwater SMART program encourage people to join the cleanup effort and help keep High Rock Lake clean.

The Buddle Creek Access Area is located off Holloway Church Road in Lexington. A similar event will be held at Badin Lake in May.

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. has been sponsoring a water safety campaign at the lakes along the Yadkin River for more than 10 years. Providing free life jackets is one of several ways that Alcoa works with law enforcement agencies to promote water safety. The company also provides financial support to local sheriff departments for increased patrols of the lakes and sponsors an advertising campaign to remind people to “Put It On.”

North Carolina consistently ranks near the top of the list when it comes to boating. NC ranked 5th in the nation in boating accidents (139), 6th in boating injuries (90) and 10th in boating deaths (16) last year. Some of those accidents happened at High Rock Lake.

The number one cause of death in boating accidents is drowning, according to US Coast Guard. Statistics show that 77% of boating fatalities were the result of drowning.