Those are the two questions county officials have put to leaders of Kannapolis, Landis and China Grove.

The answers will be crucial in determining decisions by the county and Carolina Power and Light, which is considering a water line to take millions of gallons from the Yadkin River. Under a joint venture, the towns could get additional millions of gallons to meet expected development needs.

The three towns currently depend exclusively on reservoirs.

Availability of water is seen as critical to the commercial, residential and industrial growth of the area.

“We need to know what kind of capacity, short term and long term,” said Rowan County Manager Tim Russell, who met with Landis Mayor Fred Steen and China Grove Mayor Joseph Sloop at the Kannapolis city offices last Friday with Kannapolis City Manager David Hales.

“We don’t see the county getting into the water business,” said Russell, adding that this is a way the county can help the south end.

Russell asked the towns to come up with numbers within the next two weeks. Those numbers will be given to CP&L, which is working on getting permits and looking at options. One option also includes buying water from the city of Salisbury.

“This project has potential,” said Hales. “It could be a very expeditious way of providing additional water. It is a very viable project and really has some potential to bring water at a very competitive price.”

Hales said there are many unknowns, particularly the cost involved in putting in a connecting line and pumping equipment, and the condition of the existing transmission line.

Kannapolis is preparing to build a much larger water treatment plant and is looking for more water.

A Greensboro engineering firm which is handling the water plant design for Kannapolis will come up with projected water needs, as well as some possible cost figures.

The county has indicated some willingness to participate in costs.

“We can be a partner or we can be a catalyst,” said Russell, unsure at this point what the county role will be in the project.

Both Landis and Kannapolis operate water treatment facilities. China Grove buys most of its water from Landis.

Landis Mayor Steen said the town engineers will be doing projections of water needs for up to 20 years.

He sees the possible project as a definite plus for the south end of the county.

“We hope it does materialize. It would solve a lot of long-term problems.”

CP&L will have to jump through several hoops, including obtaining various environmental permits.

The costs for municipalities and the county would involve a connector line to hook the CP&L site from the current Kannapolis line and related pumps.

A 30-inch line now runs from near Second Creek in western Rowan to Kannapolis Lake. The pipe was installed nearly 30 years ago by textile baron C.A. Cannon to ensure a sufficient water supply for Cannon Mills. Cannon also bought hundreds of acres of land with plans to build a reservoir. That land is now owned by Kannapolis.

The end of the Kannapolis line is about three miles from the site of the CP&L plant now under construction.

While Landis currently has sufficient water, Kannapolis depends on a small watershed to feed Kannapolis Lake. Kannapolis pumps from Coddle Creek and Second Creek in western Rowan but hasn’t had a full lake for several years.

CP&L will need millions of gallons daily for its turbine steam recovery operation, part of the overall facility under construction near Cleveland.

The steam recovery units are scheduled to go on line in 2003. Initially, CP&L will buy processed water from the county for its initial operations scheduled to go on line next year. The first phase does not require large amounts of water.