Council Adopts Resolution Opposing Water Transfer Plan

Published on December 10, 2025

At its November 18 meeting, the Wilmington City Council adopted a resolution opposing the Town of Fuquay-Varina’s request to transfer more than six million gallons of raw water per day from the Cape Fear River for its own town’s future drinking water needs.

Currently, Fuquay-Varina does not draw its own raw water directly from any river. Instead, the town purchases wholesale, treated water from neighboring water systems — specifically the City of Raleigh, Johnston County Water System, and Harnett County Water System.

However, the town expects its current contracted water supply to fall short of future growth by 2030. To fill that expected shortfall, the town is asking for permission to draw roughly 6.17 million gallons per day directly from the Cape Fear River (via a water treatment plant in the basin) and transport that water to Fuquay-Varina under an “interbasin transfer.” The IBT is now under review by the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission.

City Council’s resolution argues that permanently diverting such a large volume from the Cape Fear River — with no plan to return it — would harm downstream communities that depend on the river. The resolution also requests that the EMC extend the public comment period and schedule an additional public hearing in New Hanover County to ensure residents and impacted utilities have a fair opportunity to provide input.

Council concerns include:

Risk of water shortages during droughts. The proposed plan would permanently reduce the Cape Fear River’s baseline flow. That diminished flow could trigger water restrictions for downstream cities, even in times when a drought has not been declared.
Long-term threat to reliable water access. The river currently supplies drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in southeastern North Carolina.
Unequal burden: growth upstream, risk downstream. Many downstream communities fear that this would set a precedent, allowing rapidly growing inland towns to draw on the Cape Fear, while shifting environmental and resource risks to the Lower Cape Fear region.
Economic and environmental consequences. Reduced river flow could hinder recreational use, wildlife habitats, and businesses that depend on a stable water supply. Over time, the diminished flow might also discourage economic development in downstream areas.

In short: the Council sees this not as a regional issue about fairness, shared resources, and the long-term water security for all communities that rely on the Cape Fear River.

Mayor Bill Saffo emphasized the significance of protecting the region’s water supply:

“Wilmington and the entire Lower Cape Fear region depend on the Cape Fear River for our most essential resource: safe, reliable drinking water. Our communities have worked for years to safeguard this river as a shared resource for current and future generations. Fuquay-Varina’s proposal to remove more than six million gallons a day – without returning it – threatens that balance by shifting the burden of its growth onto downstream residents. Permanently taking millions of gallons a day from a river that more than half a million people rely on is simply unacceptable. We stand united with our regional partners in urging the State to protect the long-term water security of the communities that call this region home. I also urge the Environmental Management Commission to listen to the voices of our region, schedule a public hearing here in the Lower Cape Fear, and carefully consider the long-term consequences of this proposal.”