Wednesday`s meetings, part of a series of eight public forums held in towns and cities in the Carolinas located along the 220-mile Catawba-Wateree River system, are part of a process Duke Power has chosen to renew its operator`s license for the Catawba-Wateree Hydroelectric Project.

The final outcome will be an agreement everyone must live with for the next 30 to 50 years.

``This process will include at least three years of planning, environmental studies and consultations with resource agencies, non-governmental organizations, local governments, industry and the public,`` said George Everett, Duke Power`s vice president for environmental affairs

The forums began Monday in Hickory, N.C., although Duke Power has held a number of informational meetings prior to these public forums, according to Duke Power spokeswoman Guynn Savage. Monday`s meeting drew some 35 to 50 people, many of whom had questions about the process and the types of information Duke Power might provide, Savage said.

``I think right now we`re starting to see a level of interest that will pick up as get further into the process,`` Savage said.

Kershaw County is very interested in the process and during the years has invested funds into protection of the river, said Steve S. Kelly Jr., Kershaw County Council chairman, Thursday.

``Kershaw County is fortunate to have the Wateree River as a resource,`` Kelly said. ``We want to be sure to participate in any way we can.``

The Wateree Homeowners Association is also actively trying to raise public awareness, said Gary Faulkenberry, president of the Kershaw County WHOA chapter.

Attending Wednesday`s forums is especially vital for Lake Wateree`s future, Faulkenberry said. For one, Duke Power will judge the interest, passion and citizen power of the people in the lower Catawba/Wateree area from the attendance at this session, and two, the company will be actively seeking public input on needs and issues that should be addressed in the re-licensing process, he said.

``The many stakeholders of the 11 lakes on the Catawba have a list of `wants` that run the gamut, so Duke will obviously not be in a position of making everyone happy,`` Faulkenberry said.

The No. 1 issue WHOA has identified is water flow, Faulkenberry said.

Low water flow being released from Lake Wylie, north of Wateree, and higher levels of wastewater effluent being discharged from the city of Charlotte has Lake Wateree on the edge of a major algae bloom, Faulkenberry said.

An algae bloom can severely drop oxygen levels in the water, causing many problems, including widespread fish kills, he said.