The US Army Corps of Engineers is considering a request from the City of Raleigh to increase the amount of water the City can take from Falls Lake. As one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, Wake County needs a lot of drinking water. The City of Raleigh’s Public Utilities have reported that we have enough water to meet growing demand until 2060, but after that our growing population will need more than we have available. With that in mind, Raleigh is looking at alternative water sources, like storing water in quarries and increasing water reuse. The City has also requested that they be allowed to draw more water from Falls Lake, the primary source of drinking water for Raleigh and Eastern Wake County.
Taking more water from Falls Lake, in conjunction with the other efforts Raleigh is making, is an alternative to building the Little River Reservoir. The Little River Reservoir has been considered for years as an option for expanding Raleigh’s water supply, and is still on the City’s list of preferred options. However, the project faces federal scrutiny because of the many environmental impacts it poses (including potential impacts to some endangered species), and the costs to build it are substantial. Taking more water from Falls is a prudent alternative with much lower environmental and economic costs.
The Army Corps is only now preparing to do their Environmental Assessment of Raleigh’s request for more water, so results won’t be out for a while. Stay tuned as we follow the process and support feasible alternatives to damming the Little River!