Wake County outlines 50‑year 'One Water' plan, emphasizes regional coordination with Raleigh

Wake County presented its Wake One Water Plan to the Stormwater Management Advisory Commission, framing the plan as a 50‑year, watershed-based strategy to prepare for population growth, groundwater vulnerability and increasing weather extremes. The presenter said the plan was developed with municipal partners and technical consultants and will move from planning to implementation with an emphasis on shared actions and metrics.

“The Wake One Water Plan is a 50-year water supply plan really make sure we have the water we need to support the future growth and development of Wake County while making sure we protect our natural resources in a sustainable way,” the presenter (Nancy) told the commission. She said Wake County is growing “at 66 people a day” and that demand is projected to more than double over the next 50 years.

Why it matters: The plan explicitly ties water supply, stormwater, wastewater and groundwater strategies into one coordinated countywide approach and lists 64 actionable strategies spanning conservation, reuse, green stormwater infrastructure, septic-system management, agricultural best practices, land conservation and flood-resilience investments. Wake County told the commission the plan was funded with ARPA dollars, completed after a multi‑stage public engagement in 2022–2024, and approved by the county board of commissioners in February.

Key elements and implementation - Focus areas: Wake County emphasized four priorities—optimizing water supply (conservation and water reuse), water-quality and hydrology improvements (green stormwater infrastructure and septic-system management), land conservation and urban tree-canopy preservation, and flood resilience (dam safety, flood gauges, and a mix of green and gray infrastructure where needed). - Partnerships and technical team: The county named technical partners (TetraTech, Haz & Sawyer, Research Triangle Institute) and said the planning effort included over 1,600 survey responses and representation from municipalities, homebuilders, agricultural stakeholders and community groups. - Implementation footprint: The plan contains 64 strategies with timelines, resource estimates and partner roles. Wake County said some strategies will fall primarily within the county’s budget while others will be shared with municipalities; staff expects to track progress annually and model large changes over five-year periods. - Local engagement: The presenter praised Raleigh’s participation in the planning process and said the county will seek continued municipal collaboration, citing that Raleigh has been “engaged from day one” and providing representatives on working subcommittees.

Questions and next steps Commissioners asked about statutory authority and how municipalities should use the plan. County staff said the plan is intended as a regional guide for decision-making and plan alignment rather than as a document requiring municipal legislative approval; municipalities may adopt or align policies and capital budgeting with the plan as appropriate. The county will reorganize its Wake County Water Partnership to emphasize implementation and expects to return to partners with updates and requests for collaborative action and technical assistance.

The county presenter closed by asking for continued municipal engagement and noting the need for workforce development, funding strategies and expanded monitoring networks. The commission did not take any formal vote on the plan but received the briefing and agreed to continued coordination.

The Wake One Water Plan is now entering implementation; Wake County staff said they will be tracking progress and reconvening partners to operationalize high-priority strategies.