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Groundwater has become increasingly recognized as an important
component of Wake County’s water resources. Almost
one-quarter of the County's residents rely upon groundwater for
their water supply. Recent studies emphasize the importance
of groundwater as a crucial current and future water supply,
primarily to those areas of the County where the extension
of water and sewer service is not planned. The effective
management of groundwater resources in these Non-
Urban Areas (NUAs) is critical to growth. Wake County has
experienced a 41 percent growth rate in each of the last two
decades, and the impacts of the explosive growth and development
to its' water resources, in particular, are becoming more apparent.
The County recognizes that proper management of water resources is
essential to ensure their sustainability. As such, the County has
recently completed a Comprehensive Groundwater Investigation
to ascertain the quality and sustainability of groundwater, and to
implement proactive efforts for responsible management and
use of the resource.

The Comprehensive Groundwater Investigation provided
clear answers to the following questions:

What is the current consumption of groundwater in Wake County?
Is the supply of groundwater capable of meeting the projected demand?
How do groundwater recharge rates vary across the County?
What is the relationship between streamflow and groundwater?
Are there areas of the County where groundwater quality has been impacted?
How can the water resource impacts of urbanization and increased groundwater use be best monitored?

The Comprehensive Groundwater Investigation was conducted by the Wake County Department of Environmental Services, in association with CDM, and with input from a variety of stakeholders. Please click here to download the Final Comprehensive Groundwater Investigation Report.