[3] The last contract was signed in 1958, at a time when virtually no homes were on the lake and the environment was less of a concern than the hydroelectric power the dam provided.
The association is known for protecting the local environment over the years, including fighting to prevent a nuclear power plant from being built on the Yadkin River which would have used up to 75 million gallons of water per day.
This resulting in a large fish kill and other damage to the environment, as well as the inability of local home owners and visitors to use the facilities of the lake.
[7] During this time, Alcoa has been granted permission to operate under the proposed guidelines of the pending 2008 contract, and the lake levels have been dramatically higher than during the previous drought.
[9] Their position has sometimes been controversial, such as opposing the City of Salisbury's demand that Alcoa pay for sedimentation removal[10] and they have publicly stated that their goal is to find a balance between the hydroelectric project, local home owners and businesses, and the environment.