Western NY county mulls plan to pitch water assets to dry South

LOCKPORT, N.Y. - One upstate New York county is considering a plan to lure companies from Southern states by touting this region's abundance of fresh water.

The marketing consultant to the Niagara County Center for Economic Development has visited four Southern states, including areas of Georgia and North Carolina where the lack of water is causing problems.

Fred Teeter says some building permits are being denied in eastern North Carolina because of a water shortage.

Niagara County offers plenty of fresh water because it's located on the western end of Lake Ontario. But Teeter acknowledges that having an adequate water supply may not be enough to persuade a company to relocate to western New York.
A report on the county's marketing effort in the South will be presented next Wednesday at a business forum in North Tonawanda.