For most of its nearly 190-mile journey through Central and Southeastern North Carolina, the murky Cape Fear River flows slowly and peacefully through a relatively flat landscape as it makes its way from the Piedmont to the coast.
But over the past few weeks the river’s waters have been anything but tranquil as local government officials, environmentalists, concerned citizens and regulators tussle over plans by one Triangle community to take water from the river basin to meet the needs of a booming population.
While withdrawing water from a river basin isn’t uncommon in North Carolina, it’s what Fuquay-Varina wants to do with the water after its been through the town’s utility systems and used by homes and businesses that’s generating concerns…