Wake County is moving closer to downzoning thousands of acres around its Little River, hoping the move will help persuade state and federal regulators to let Raleigh build a reservoir on the pristine water supply in the county's northeast corner.

The six-mile-long lake between Rolesville and Zebulon, in the works for two decades, would provide 17 million gallons of drinking water a day for fast-growth northeast Wake.

After our region's record drought, few people question the need for the lake. But getting regulatory approval to build the Little River Reservoir depends on protecting its water quality from polluted runoff from development, say Raleigh and Wake County planners working on the project.

To help protect the lake, Wake proposes to downzone 6,237 acres in the "critical area" surrounding the reservoir from minimum two-acre to three-acre lots.

Wake's Planning Board voted unanimously, if reluctantly, to recommend the rezoning and related development restrictions.

"The bottom line is that Wake County needs another reservoir," Chairman John Miller said at the board's meeting last week. "I'm not overly convinced this is the absolute best way. But I've not heard anyone, while it may affect their individual lot, [say] that they don't support that we need good-quality water."

The proposal unsettles some of the 500-odd property owners involved, though most said they just want to know more about how the rezoning would affect them.

Sarah Robertson, a Wendell property-rights activist, faulted the county for pushing ahead without, she said, involving affected land owners soon enough.

The county has hosted four community meetings and sought comment by phone and e-mail.

Board member Eleanor Nunn said the reservoir will be good for the entire county. "We have to move forward," she said.

Board member Michael Golder said he hopes regulators don't insist on five-acre lots instead.

Others note that land around Falls Lake only got more valuable after lot sizes were restricted. "Resort property," some call it.

The final decision falls to Wake's commissioners, who plan to take up the rezoning July 7.

"It's kind of time-critical now with regards to either thumbs-up or thumbs-down," said Melanie Wilson, Wake's planning director.