The rest of this once free and beautiful river is covered by reservoirs. In order from the first to the last, they are Lake James, Lake Rhodhiss, Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals Lake, Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake, Lake Wylie, Fishing Creek Lake, Great Falls Lake, Rocky Creek Lake and Lake Wateree. The dams have operated under a fifty year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since 1958. The license must be renewed in the next eight years during which the appropriateness of all the dams will be scrutinized. Perhaps the Catawba can become a river again instead of a serious of lakes.
Water quality is varied as one moves southward through the basin.
In the upper reaches, the Linville River, designated a Natural and Scenic River, is fairly pristine and is considered an outstanding resource water under state standards. Other waters within the basin that feed the Catawba River are considered degraded. Pollutants include treated residential and industrial wastes, dyes, phosphorous and fecal coliform. The South Fork of the Catawba River has so many dye discharges from textile mills who are not required to remove the dye, that is called the Rainbow River. Several significant tributaries of the Catawba River originate in the Carolina's largest city, Charlotte.