FAYETTEVILLE — Wake County's growing pains have some communities asking to tap the Cape Fear River for water. But some Fayetteville homeowners are objecting, saying their future is at stake.

In a standing-room-only crowd, dozens of concerned Cumberland County residents packed Shaw Auditorium at Fayetteville State University Tuesday night to stake their claim on the Cape Fear River Basin.

A proposed inter-basin transfer would allow Cary, Research Triangle Park and other Wake County communities to draw as much as 27 million gallons of water per day from the Cape Fear River. That is 11 million gallons more than what is currently used.

Once the water is used and treated, it would be returned to the Neuse River Basin instead of the Cape Fear. Many residents say the water should be returned to the Cape Fear River Basin.

TheN.C. Division of Water Qualitysays a plan is in place to make sure everyone will have an adequate water supply.

Tuesday's meeting was the second public hearing hosted by theEnvironmental Management Commissionthis week. A final decision will be made sometime in the spring.