CFPUA, Mayor Saffo urge residents to oppose Fuquay-Varina water transfer request
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has partnered with Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo in a new video encouraging area residents to tell the state to reject the Town of Fuquay-Varina’s request for an Interbasin Transfer Certificate.
If approved, the certificate would allow Fuquay-Varina to take 6.17 million gallons a day from the Cape Fear River. After treatment and use for the town’s residents and businesses, the same amount of treated wastewater would be discharged into the Neuse River Basin.
CFPUA says the transfer would permanently subtract 6.17 million gallons per day from the river flow available to more than 500,000 residents in the Lower Cape Fear, which is from Fayetteville to Wilmington, who rely on the Cape Fear River as a source of drinking water.
The utility notes that 6.17 million gallons a day of raw water is enough to provide treated drinking water to more than 27,000 homes.
CFPUA says the permanent loss of water from the Cape Fear River would increase the risk of water shortages during droughts and could create a precedent for other upstream communities seeking additional water supplies.
The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is accepting public comments on Fuquay-Varina’s application through April 1, 2026.
The video directs viewers to an online form, where comments about the proposal can be submitted. The form can also be accessed by scanning a QR code included with the video.
