City urges public to speak out about proposed interbasin transfer

Published on November 24, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The City of Fayetteville officials are encouraging residents to voice their opinion about the Town of Fuquay-Varina’s request for an Interbasin Transfer (IBT) that would permanently remove millions of gallons of water each day from the Cape Fear River Basin. This proposal has the potential impact on Fayetteville’s long-term water supply and economic future.

Fuquay-Varina has requested state approval to withdraw up to 6.17 million gallons of water per day from the Cape Fear River Basin and discharge it, after use, into the Neuse River Basin. Because that water would not be returned to the Cape Fear River, the IBT could reduce river flows over time for communities downstream, including Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and neighboring jurisdictions that rely on Public Works Commission for safe, reliable drinking water.

PWC currently provides drinking water to approximately 250,000 people in Fayetteville and surrounding communities and supplies up to 8 million gallons of water per day to Fort Bragg, the nation’s largest military installation. The Cape Fear River also supports local businesses, industries, and recreation throughout the region. City and PWC leaders warn that removing millions of gallons per day without returning it to the basin would increase stress on the river during droughts, drive up treatment costs for downstream utilities, and threaten long-term regional growth and resilience.

“Our community’s future depends on a healthy Cape Fear River,” said Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin. “I stand with the Public Works Commission in opposing this interbasin transfer as proposed because water drawn from the Cape Fear River Basin should stay in the Cape Fear River Basin. I encourage Fayetteville residents to show up, speak up, and help us protect safe, affordable drinking water for our families, our businesses, and our soldiers at Fort Bragg for generations to come.”

PWC’s concerns are that reduced river flow can concentrate contaminants, increase the risk of harmful algal blooms, and require costly upgrades to water and wastewater treatment facilities just to maintain safe service. Downstream utilities in the Cape Fear River Basin already face low-flow challenges in hotter, drier months; an approved IBT would make those conditions more frequent and severe. The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources are accepting public input on the Fuquay-Varina IBT request, including at a public hearing in Fayetteville:

Fayetteville Public Hearing

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025
• Time: 6 p.m. (sign-in and speaker registration begin at 5:30 p.m.)
• Location: Fayetteville Technical Community College, Cumberland Hall Auditorium, 2220 Hull Road, Fayetteville, N.C.

Additional public hearings will be held in Raleigh on Dec. 9 and Pittsboro on Dec. 11. Residents may also submit written comments to the N.C. Division of Water Resources by mail or email through Feb. 1, 2026.

“Fayetteville is America’s Can-Do City, and this is a moment to come together and act,” Colvin said. “Your voice matters in this process. By attending a hearing or submitting comments, you can help ensure state leaders understand what this river means to our community and why we must not drain our future.”

For more information about the proposed IBT and PWC’s position, residents can visit the Fayetteville Public Works Commission website at FayPWC.com.

###