Meet the Cast

Sandra Postel
Director

Global Water Policy Project
Amherst, MA

Sandra Postel speaks about the current water crisis on a global level. We are entering into an era of water scarcity due to population and economic growth that is spreading, not only in the United States, but in the rest of world as well.

Paul Simon
Former Illinois State Senator

Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL

Mr. Simon is involved in studies involving the fight over water, both nationally and internationally. Fourteen thousand people a day die unnecessarily from poor water quality, according to a United Nations report. Many intelligence agencies have assessed the situation and have made a few predictions. Is desalinating seawater the answer?

Bio and Interview

Colonel Ray Alexander
District Engineer and Commander

Wilmington District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Wilmington, NC

Colonel Alexander took command of the Wilmington district in 2001 and immediately had to face a drought that was four years in the making. He discusses the many uses of reservoirs.

Bio and Interview

Governor Michael F. Easley
Governor of North Carolina

Raleigh, NC

Governor Easley sees the need for government and citizen cooperation in preparing for our future water needs. Crops and livestock were affected by the recent drought, along with many other businesses. His quick action in 2002 asking for disaster relief helped convince many people that the drought was real and that it was time for conservation.

Bio and Interview

Jennifer E. Miller
Artist

Hillsborough Artists Coop
Hillsborough, NC

Jennifer talks about how nature and water are an inspiration to her and her work. She has been painting scenes of the Eno River and Hillsborough area for a number of years. Jennifer looks to water as a way to unify all people.

Dennis Brobst
Director

Public Utilities
Moore County, NC

Dennis is responsible for maintaining the water and sewer systems in Moore County. In 2002, the City of Vass, in Moore County had to resort to trucking water in from other sources, because the water level in the Little River fell below their intake.

Bio and Interview

Henry Nixon
Resident

High Rock Lake
Lexington, NC

For over fifty years, Henry Nixon and his family have been coming to High Rock Lake. He’s seen quite a bit of change at High Rock Lake and is concerned about its future.

Tom Blaylock
Resident

High Rock Lake
Lexington, NC

After 20 years of coming to High Rock Lake in the summer for boating pleasure, Tom pulled his boat out of the lake last year. This was just in time, as the next day, the water level was extremely low and he would never have been able to do so had he waited. Hear his thoughts and comments.

Stephany Farquhar
Co-owner

High Rock Lake Marina and Campground
Lexington, NC

Stephany expresses her opinions about the conditions at High Rock Lake. Her business suffered greatly, along with other businesses on the lake during the drought. She has become actively involved in efforts to make sure the lake and its businesses will be protected in the future.

Thomas M. Leahy, P.E.
Water Resources Manager

City of Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach, VA

Mr. Leahy speaks about the water problems Virginia Beach faced due to their rapid population growth and the Lake Gaston/Virginia Beach pipeline.

Bio and Interview

Boyd Strain
Bio and Interview

Boyd Strain
Resident

Member of the Lake Gaston Association
Lake Gaston, NC

Boyd built his retirement home on Lake Gaston for the peace, serenity and the water. He’s concerned about the area’s future and discusses interbasin transfer.

Bio and Interview

Hal Sharpe
President

Roanoke River Basin Association
Littleton, NC

Mr. Sharpe discusses the Roanoke River Basin Association’s stance on the Lake Gaston/Virginia Beach pipeline and riparian rights.

Bio and Interview

John N. Morris
Director

NCDENR, Division of Water Resources
Raleigh, NC

John Morris discusses the effects of withdrawing too much water from the aquifers. He also looks to the future and what could be done to insure our future water needs.

Roy Stamey
Lifelong Resident and Employee

Woods and Wetlands Store
Deep River, NC

His family owned land in Deep River for over sixty years. With the advent of the Randleman Dam Project, Roy and his family had to move.

Bio and Interview

John Kime
Executive Director

Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority
Greensboro, NC

John discusses the Randleman Dam Project that has been costly and controversial. In fact, they ended up in court a number of times. However, the project is vital to Greensboro’s long-term survival, and affects many of the surrounding communities.

Lloyd Smith
Lifelong Resident

Deep River, NC

Lloyd feels that overall the Randleman Dam project is a good idea, even though many people lost farmland that had been in their families for over 100 years.

Dr. Courtney Hackney
Professor

Biological Sciences, UNCW
Wilmington, NC

Dr. Hackney talks about how upstream and downstream use has affected the Cape Fear River. He also talks about the effect of developing estuaries and how saltwater intrusion affects our potable water.

Dr. Courtney Hackney
Bio and Interview

Bio and Interview

Richard Spruill
Associate Professor

East Carolina University
Greenville, NC

Richard explains how aquifers in North Carolina are declining.

Bio and Interview

Jean Crews-Klein
Vice President of Business Development and Natural Resources

NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc.
Raleigh, NC

Jean Crews-Klein talks about the Capacity Use Rule that affects the Central Coastal Plain.

Bio and Interview

Ralph Clark
City Manager

City of Kinston
Kinston, NC

Do rural communities face different water problems than larger cities? Yes, and one way the City of Kinston dealt with it was to form an alliance with other rural communities and build a new infrastructure they all could share.

Billy Ray Hall
Director

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
Raleigh, NC

Billy Ray Hall discusses water costs and the needs of rural North Carolina communities.

Bio and Interview

Robert W. Oreskovich
Director

Dare County Public Utilities
Kill Devil Hills, NC

Dare County’s approach to providing it citizens with potable water is through desalinization of “brackish” water. Find out what brackish water means and how reverse osmosis is one way that technology has been able provide an alternative source of drinking water.

Bio and Interview

Jennifer Platt
Water Conservation Manager

Town of Cary
Cary, NC

Jennifer wants people to know the importance of using water wisely. Working with the education system and a unique block leader program, the Town of Cary is educating its citizens about water conservation.

Documentary Meet the Cast (In Order of Appearance)
Bio and Interview	Sandra Postel Director Global Water Policy Project Amherst, MA Sandra Postel speaks about the current water crisis on a global level. We are entering into an era of water scarcity due to population and economic growth that is spreading, not only in the United States, but in the rest of world as well.

Paul Simon Former Illinois State Senator Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL Mr. Simon is involved in studies involving the fight over water, both nationally and internationally. Fourteen thousand people a day die unnecessarily from poor water quality, according to a United Nations report. Many intelligence agencies have assessed the situation and have made a few predictions. Is desalinating seawater the answer?		Bio and Interview

Colonel Ray Alexander District Engineer and Commander Wilmington District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington, NC Colonel Alexander took command of the Wilmington district in 2001 and immediately had to face a drought that was four years in the making. He discusses the many uses of reservoirs.		Bio and Interview

Governor Michael F. Easley Governor of North Carolina Raleigh, NC Governor Easley sees the need for government and citizen cooperation in preparing for our future water needs. Crops and livestock were affected by the recent drought, along with many other businesses. His quick action in 2002 asking for disaster relief helped convince many people that the drought was real and that it was time for conservation.		Bio and Interview

Jennifer E. Miller Artist Hillsborough Artists Coop Hillsborough, NC Jennifer talks about how nature and water are an inspiration to her and her work. She has been painting scenes of the Eno River and Hillsborough area for a number of years. Jennifer looks to water as a way to unify all people.

Dennis Brobst Director Public Utilities Moore County, NC Dennis is responsible for maintaining the water and sewer systems in Moore County. In 2002, the City of Vass, in Moore County had to resort to trucking water in from other sources, because the water level in the Little River fell below their intake.		Bio and Interview

	Henry Nixon Resident High Rock Lake Lexington, NC For over fifty years, Henry Nixon and his family have been coming to High Rock Lake. He’s seen quite a bit of change at High Rock Lake and is concerned about its future.

	Tom Blaylock Resident High Rock Lake Lexington, NC After 20 years of coming to High Rock Lake in the summer for boating pleasure, Tom pulled his boat out of the lake last year. This was just in time, as the next day, the water level was extremely low and he would never have been able to do so had he waited. Hear his thoughts and comments.

	Stephany Farquhar Co-owner High Rock Lake Marina and Campground Lexington, NC Stephany expresses her opinions about the conditions at High Rock Lake. Her business suffered greatly, along with other businesses on the lake during the drought. She has become actively involved in efforts to make sure the lake and its businesses will be protected in the future.

Thomas M. Leahy, P.E. Water Resources Manager City of Virginia Beach Virginia Beach, VA Mr. Leahy speaks about the water problems Virginia Beach faced due to their rapid population growth and the Lake Gaston/Virginia Beach pipeline.		Bio and Interview

Bio and Interview	Boyd Strain Resident Member of the Lake Gaston Association Lake Gaston, NC Boyd built his retirement home on Lake Gaston for the peace, serenity and the water. He’s concerned about the area’s future and discusses interbasin transfer.

Bio and Interview	Hal Sharpe President Roanoke River Basin Association Littleton, NC Mr. Sharpe discusses the Roanoke River Basin Association’s stance on the Lake Gaston/Virginia Beach pipeline and riparian rights.

Bio and Interview	John N. Morris Director NCDENR, Division of Water Resources Raleigh, NC John Morris discusses the effects of withdrawing too much water from the aquifers. He also looks to the future and what could be done to insure our future water needs.


Roy Stamey Lifelong Resident and Employee Woods and Wetlands Store Deep River, NC His family owned land in Deep River for over sixty years. With the advent of the Randleman Dam Project, Roy and his family had to move.

Bio and Interview	John Kime Executive Director Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority Greensboro, NC John discusses the Randleman Dam Project that has been costly and controversial. In fact, they ended up in court a number of times. However, the project is vital to Greensboro’s long-term survival, and affects many of the surrounding communities.

	Lloyd Smith Lifelong Resident Deep River, NC Lloyd feels that overall the Randleman Dam project is a good idea, even though many people lost farmland that had been in their families for over 100 years.

Dr. Courtney Hackney Professor Biological Sciences, UNCW Wilmington, NC Dr. Hackney talks about how upstream and downstream use has affected the Cape Fear River. He also talks about the effect of developing estuaries and how saltwater intrusion affects our potable water.		Bio and Interview

Bio and Interview	Richard Spruill Associate Professor East Carolina University Greenville, NC Richard explains how aquifers in North Carolina are declining.

Bio and Interview	Jean Crews-Klein Vice President of Business Development and Natural Resources NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. Raleigh, NC Jean Crews-Klein talks about the Capacity Use Rule that affects the Central Coastal Plain.

Bio and Interview	Ralph Clark City Manager City of Kinston Kinston, NC Do rural communities face different water problems than larger cities? Yes, and one way the City of Kinston dealt with it was to form an alliance with other rural communities and build a new infrastructure they all could share.

Billy Ray Hall Director N.C. Rural Economic Development Center Raleigh, NC Billy Ray Hall discusses water costs and the needs of rural North Carolina communities.		Bio and Interview

Bio and Interview	Robert W. Oreskovich Director Dare County Public Utilities Kill Devil Hills, NC Dare County’s approach to providing it citizens with potable water is through desalinization of “brackish” water. Find out what brackish water means and how reverse osmosis is one way that technology has been able provide an alternative source of drinking water.

Bio and Interview	Jennifer Platt Water Conservation Manager Town of Cary Cary, NC Jennifer wants people to know the importance of using water wisely. Working with the education system and a unique block leader program, the Town of Cary is educating its citizens about water conservation.