Happening Now

Nine projects have been identified as contributing to the recovery and increased resiliency of the City of Asheville water system.

Fusegate repair at North Fork Water Treatment Facility

The fusegate that “tipped” during Helene is a component of the auxiliary spillway. The auxiliary spillway functioned exactly as designed and prevented North Fork’s reservoir from overtopping the earthen dam.

• Next Milestone: Schnabel Engineering is wrapping up pre-construction design, with work to replace the fusegate tentatively scheduled to begin in November.

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Debris Removal at North Fork Water Treatment Facility

Storm debris — trees, branches, and other vegetative material — will be removed from key waterways and roads in the watershed that feed the reservoir at North Fork. This helps maintain water flow, prevent flooding, and protect infrastructure. Crews will take care to protect healthy vegetation and wildlife during operations. A contractor hired by the state will perform the work. Debris will be chipped and hauled to a final disposal facility. Pending permitting from the State, debris will be processed on-site at North Fork.

This work will begin October 6 and:

• Protect the City’s drinking water system by maintaining water flow and flood prevention.

• Reduce the risk of wildfire damage in sensitive watershed areas.

• Safely and responsibly dispose of storm debris.

What to expect:

• Contractors will work 7 days a week, during daylight hours

• Increased truck traffic in the area

• Operations will be monitored for safety and environmental protection.

  • Next Milestone: Debris removal will last for several months beginning in early October and likely through the winter months.

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Temporary Pre-treatment solution

Temporary pre-treatment systems act to reduce turbidity of raw water before it enters our filters, which are unable to treat especially turbid water. The systems serve as a redundancy for North Fork and DeBruhl. Turbidity at North Fork has returned to pre-Helene readings, and turbidity at DeBruhl is close to that, but both reservoirs remain vulnerable to moderate to severe weather events that could potentially spike those levels.

• Next Milestone: Water Resources continues to negotiate with FEMA for funding that will allow the systems operating at North Fork and DeBruhl to stay in place as long as possible. Currently, they will remain in place until at least the end of Noember. De-mobilization will begin December 1, a process that will last several weeks. 

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Road and Bridge Repair at North Fork and Bee Tree Reservoirs

All bridges in both the North Fork and Bee Tree watersheds were destroyed and must be replaced.

• Next Milestone:Temporary structures will be installed to allow access, while permanent repairs will require design and construction contracts.

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Minor Repairs at Mills River Water Treatment Plant

Minor flood damage occurred at Mills River’s intake. Several intake channel covers washed away. An intake pump was also severely damaged and replaced.

• Next Milestone: Most repairs were completed in the weeks following the storm. The City is pursuing reimbursement through the FEMA Public Assistance Program. 

Repairs at Bee Tree Dam and Spillway

The dam suffered some exterior damage from sloughing due to over-saturation. 

• Next Milestone: Repairs will require design and construction contracts.

Permanent Pre-treatment solution

This critical resilience project will install plate settlers and sediment basins at North Fork and DeBruhl that will allow our filters at each plant to treat especially turbid water.

• Next Milestone: Water Resources has engaged two private engineering firms to perform pre-construction planning and design for North Fork and DeBruhl.

Alternate by-pass

This critical resilience project provides an additional bypass water line to supplement the existing bypass that washed out during Helene. The alternate bypass will be geographically separate from the current bypass. It will, to the degree possible, avoid the flood plain along the Swannanoa River.

• Next Milestone:Water Resources has applied for funding under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for pre-construction planning and design.

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Location of fourth water treatment plant

To increase capacity and meet rising demand, Water Resources will eventually require a fourth treatment plant. The new plant will need to be located in the western service area and will draw water from the French Broad River.

• Next Milestone: Water Resources has applied for funding for site selection evaluation through the federal Economic Development Administration. 

Background

When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on September 27, 2024 as a Tropical Storm, it caused catastrophic damage to the City's water production and distribution systems. The main distribution line from North Fork Water Treatment Plant was destroyed by floodwaters and turbidity (presence of sediment) in the water at North Fork and Bee Tree facilities made the water untreatable even if the distribution system was intact.

As the City moved from the response to the recovery phase, building back better and with greater resiliency has been the focus. These projects have been identified as those that will contribute to that goal.