FEBRUARY 11-17, 2015 UCW 9
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
The proposed request from Wake
County and the towns of Apex,
Cary and Morrisville to increase an
additional 9MGD out of the Cape
Fear River Basin into the Neuse
River Basin is an ill conceived
"bandaid" for lack of good planning
by local officials and is one that
jeopardizes the health, agriculture,
drinking water and economies of all
residents in the Cape Fear Basin.
As the former owner of a 6,000-
acre farm in southern Cumberland
County, I watched the farm aquifers
fall 12 feet in 15 years from drought
and water requirements from the
nearby Smithfield Processing plant
in Tarheel, N.C.
This falling aquifer has been
experienced throughout the
Cape Fear Basin and has forced
municipal utilities, agriculture
and companies to increasingly
rely on water supply from the
Cape Fear River.
The growth of Fort Bragg has
impacted the water requirements
of smaller communities such as
Spring Lake and Lillington and has,
as a result, put pressure on available
water resources and river volumes. In
addition, recent reports of high levels
of 1.4 dioxanes, pollutants and other
nutrients would amplify the toxicity in
river water with further diversion of
water volume.
Apparently there has been no
reliable comprehensive study (or it is
not available) of nutrient levels in
the Cape Fear River downstream
from the proposed transfer site to
Wilmington, N.C.
The concern over nutrient levels
coupled with the lack of solid
scientific data of the river water
should, in itself, be enough to stop
this proposal until proper due
diligence and alternative solutions
are completed.
Certainly if proper procedure
and critical review is not followed
an injunction should be sought by
communities belonging to the Cape
Fear Assembly.
The rapid development of the
upstream communities should have
and still requires careful planning.
Reservoirs, filter plants and local
environmental investment that
support their populations need to be
considered — alternatives that are
not at the expense of downstream
communities who are also coping
with their own water issues.
The proposed IBT for the FPWC
Service Area should be denied.
In Response to the Proposed Interbasin Transfer
by SHARON VALENTINE
The Cape Fear River is increasingly being considered a water supply for many in the state,
without consideration of the impact on the health of the river.
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OPINION
SHARON VALENTINE, Contributing
Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand-
comingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.
