TELL THE NC DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY:
HANDS OFF OUR WATER!
The Town of Fuquay-Varina has requested an interbasin water transfer (IBT) from our Cape Fear River to the Neuse River to meet increasing water demands in southern Wake County. This IBT would remove over six million gallons of water from our Cape Fear River every day. FOREVER. To put that in perspective, that’s three-quarters of the water that Fort Bragg draws from the Cape Fear River daily.
Sustainable Sandhills is working with our partners at Fayetteville Public Works Commission, Cape Fear Coalition, Cumberland County, Town of Spring Lake and other local stakeholders to prevent this IBT.
WHY ARE WE WORKING TO PREVENT THIS IBT?
Over one million people in the Sandhills and Wilmington regions rely on our Cape Fear River for accessible and dependable municipal water resources as well as transportation and recreation opportunities. An IBT could threaten our water quantity and quality and set a dangerous precedent.
The Cape Fear River is already carrying more than its share of pressures: contamination from “forever” chemicals such as per and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) and 1,4-dioxane, agricultural pollution, urban stormwater, habitat loss, drought and increased flooding.
IBTs could create a strain on water availability in the donor basin while water use in the recipient basin remains largely unregulated, potentially causing the enforcement of water rationing measures and higher utility rates in the donor basin in the event of a water shortage.
Fort Bragg, the world’s largest military installation, also relies on water from the Cape Fear River, so preserving our water is a matter of national security. Operational sustainability relies on the mindful use of natural resources, and our military neighbors must be mission ready in order to answer their call to duty.
This IBT could also degrade the natural habitat of both the donor basin and the recipient basin by threatening our fish and wildlife, causing the introduction and proliferation of invasive and harmful plant and animal species, and harming the biogeographical integrity of our region.
Droughts have affected our Cape Fear River’s water supplies in the past. IBTs further reduce river flows during droughts. We want to insulate our water supply against droughts and other climate change related impacts as much as possible – NOT create more vulnerabilities to these effects.
Our Cape Fear River has been impacted by pollution from chemical releases of PFAS and 1,4 dioxane. To transfer contaminated water from the Cape Fear River to the Neuse River is – in a word – irresponsible. IBTs could cause the proliferation of these chemicals throughout our state and create more challenges as we work to mitigate the effects of pollutants on our environment and public health
Several municipalities and utilities across North Carolina currently draw water from our Cape Fear River. But where does this practice end? Continuous IBTs are not sustainable without clear replenishment, pollution mitigation and conservation plans. Sustainable Sandhills advocates for improved water efficiency, mindful and resilient development and public education campaigns in these municipalities to alleviate their supply issues.
Sustainable Sandhills is working to ensure the accessibility, viability, dependability and affordability of our natural resources. Environmentally incompatible development in the Triangle should not be condoned or enabled at the expense of the Sandhills and our neighbors downriver.
HOW CAN YOU HELP US KEEP OUR WATER IN THE SANDHILLS?
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is currently reviewing the IBT Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Their decision to deny or permit the IBT will shape drinking water availability, ecological health and downstream resilience across the entire Cape Fear River Basin. This IBT could impact 20 percent of the state’s population and create long-term, far-reaching and irreparable consequences.
We need our residents to SPEAK UP for the Cape Fear River and the future of our water. Your story and voice matter, and they have the power to shape NCDEQ’s ruling.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO SPEAK UP
FOR THE CAPE FEAR RIVER
ATTEND A PUBLIC HEARING
You can attend as a spectator or issue an oral comment
Thursday, December 4 in Fayetteville
Registration to comment begins at 5:30 pm
The hearing begins at 6 pm
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Cumberland Hall Auditorium
2211 Hull Road
Tuesday, December 9 in Raleigh
Registration to comment begins at 5:30 pm
The hearing begins at 6 pm
Archdale Building
Ground Floor Hearing Room
512 N. Salisbury Street
Thursday, December 11 in Pittsboro
Registration to comment begins at 5:30 pm
The hearing begins at 6 pm
Chatham County Agriculture Center
1192 US Highway 64 W Business
Need advice on how to draft a comment? Check out suggested talking points HERE.
SIGN OUR PETITION
If you don’t feel comfortable addressing the Environmental Management Commission face-to-face, sign our petition and we’ll send your name and comments to NCDEQ during the public comment period.
SUBMIT YOUR OWN COMMENT
The public can submit comments on the IBT directly to NCDEQ during the public comment period.
Submit comments by April 1, 2026 via email to Maya Holcomb at maya.holcomb@deq.nc.gov.
Mail comments (postmarked by April 1, 2026) to:
Maya Holcomb
Division of Water Resources
NC Department of Environmental Quality
512 N. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27604