A Thorough Review of the Options
Before an interbasin transfer can be approved, North Carolina law requires applicants to evaluate reasonable alternatives. The goal is to determine whether there is a better way to meet a community’s long-term water needs while minimizing impacts on both river basins.
Fuquay-Varina’s Environmental Impact Statement examined 16 alternatives, including new water supply sources, expanded regional partnerships, conservation measures, wastewater return options and combinations of those approaches.
After evaluating those alternatives, the Town selected the approach that best meets its long-term water needs while minimizing environmental impacts and making efficient use of existing regional infrastructure.
Alternatives at a Glance
| Alternative | Evaluated | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Partnership with City of Sanford / TriRiver Water | ✓ | Preferred Alternative |
| Expanded Purchases from Raleigh Water | ✓ | Long-term capacity constraints |
| Expanded Purchases from Johnston County | ✓ | Long-term capacity constraints |
| Expanded Purchases from Harnett County | ✓ | Insufficient long-term solution |
| Return Additional Wastewater to Cape Fear Basin | ✓ | Significant cost with limited environmental benefit |
| Independent Reservoir (Middle Creek) | ✓ | Greater environmental impact and significantly longer implementation |
| Additional Conservation Measures | ✓ | Incorporated into demand projections |
| Indirect / Direct Potable Reuse | ✓ | Not practical for projected needs |
| Groundwater Development | ✓ | Insufficient long-term supply |
| No Action | ✓ | Does not meet future demand |
The Environmental Impact Statement evaluates 16 alternatives. This table summarizes the principal alternatives most frequently discussed during the public review process.
The Preferred Alternative
The selected approach builds on an existing regional partnership with TriRiver Water and the City of Sanford.
Under this approach, Fuquay-Varina would purchase treated water from the Sanford Water Treatment Plant while continuing to use existing wastewater infrastructure serving both river basins.
The Environmental Impact Statement found this approach provides a reliable long-term water supply while avoiding the greater costs and environmental impacts associated with constructing new independent infrastructure.
Why Other Alternatives Were Not Selected
The Environmental Impact Statement evaluated additional purchases from Raleigh Water, Johnston County and other regional providers.
Those alternatives were not identified as long-term solutions because the supplying utilities must also plan for their own future water needs. Their Local Water Supply Plans project additional demand from existing customers and partner communities over the same planning horizon.
The Environmental Impact Statement evaluated returning additional wastewater from Fuquay-Varina’s Neuse River Basin service area to the Cape Fear River Basin. That option would require approximately 19 miles of additional pipeline, new pump stations and related infrastructure at an estimated cost exceeding $220 million.
The study found those costs and construction impacts would provide limited environmental benefit because the selected approach already results in only minor changes to river flow.
Conservation is an important component of every long-term water supply strategy, and it is already part of Fuquay-Varina’s planning.
The town has one of the lower per-capita water use rates in the region, and its demand projections assume continued conservation efforts. Those measures help reduce future demand but do not eliminate the need for additional long-term water supply capacity.
The Environmental Impact Statement considered alternatives involving new reservoirs, groundwater development and water reuse.
Each would require significant new infrastructure, additional permitting and substantially longer implementation schedules. None provided a more practical or environmentally beneficial solution than the selected approach.
Why the Preferred Alternative Was Selected
The Environmental Impact Statement compared each alternative using a consistent set of criteria, including engineering feasibility, environmental impacts, long-term reliability, implementation schedule and cost.
The selected approach:
- Meets projected water needs through 2055.
- Builds on an existing regional partnership.
- Makes efficient use of existing infrastructure.
- Minimizes additional environmental disturbance.
- Was found to not adversely affect water quantity, water quality or ecological health in the Cape Fear River Basin.
No single factor determined the outcome. The selected approach emerged from a comprehensive evaluation of engineering, environmental, operational and financial considerations.