Last Friday, Assistant City Manager Ben Woody shared an in-depth look at the damage to the water system in Asheville — and the progress made in restoring running water to the thousands of locals and businesses left without. The City of Asheville has not provided an exact timeline for repair, only reiterating that “full operation of the system could potentially be weeks away.”
Here’s what we do know.
The damage
Asheville is served by three water treatment plants — North Fork in Black Mountain, Mills River near the airport, and William DeBruhl in Swannanoa — which together operate thousands of miles of pipes.
The Mills River plant, which primarily serves South Asheville, is fully operational. The city is asking those with water to conserve, and the boil water advisory remains in effect.
The William DeBruhl plant (usually referred to as Bee Tree) had waterlines demolished in the storm and is currently inaccessible until roads are repaired; according to the county, a lot of debris has been removed and road repair is beginning.
North Fork, the principal water treatment plant for the area, is responsible for 80% of our water. North Fork’s 36-in bypass waterline experienced significant damage after the storm washed away almost 25 feet of ground. This bypass line was a redundant installation meant to mitigate any damage to the 36-in and 24-in main and transmission lines and was originally built to withstand a typical hurricane event — but Helene exceeded the typical. These other lines are gone, so the repair of the bypass line is a top priority.
Helene shifted the waterway entirely and it now flows over the lines, so crews are having to construct dams as they go to make the repairs. The crew also has to run the repaired line further than the original because the original line was clogged by boulders.
The rebuild, which will be installed deeper and will be armored, is expected to be reconnected later this week. At the Wednesday, Oct. 9 news briefing, Woody shared some context for the speed of these repairs: When the line was originally installed, it was a three-year project. If they were operating under normal conditions to do these repairs, it would be a two-year project.
The restoration
In order for water to start being restored, two things have to happen: This line has to be rebuilt and connected and we have to be able to put water into the system.
Currently, the water in the North Fork Reservoir is still filled with sediment — and pushing that water through the filters would destroy them. EPA officials are on site with local teams to provide resources and to help treat the water; the team has created a pilot plant (which is a small version of the plant, kind of like a lab) to test treatment options. They are developing an in-reservoir treatment plant and working to address the turbidity of the water and allow for coagulation, which removes the charge from the particles in the water and allows them to settle.
When the water is ready to leave North Fork, crews will still need to fill tanks, repair pipe leaks, and remove air locks from the distribution system. According to the city, “Water restoration will occur slowly and incrementally.”
The next water system update is scheduled for the Friday, Oct. 11 news briefing.
Water distribution sites
Drinking water as well as nonpotable water can be found at these city and county distribution sites:
- William W. Estes Elementary - 275 Overlook Rd.
- Sand Hill Elementary - 154 Sand Hill School Rd. (enter via Acton Circle)
- Pack Square Park - 70 Court Plaza
- Asheville Middle - 211 S. French Broad Ave.
- Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center - 121 Shiloh Rd.
- Lucy Herring Elementary - 98 Sulphur Springs Road
- Oakley Elementary - 753 Fairview Rd.
- North Windy Ridge Intermediate - 20 Doan Rd., Weaverville
- Fairview Elementary - 1355 Charlotte Hwy., Fairview
- Black Mountain Ingles - 550 NC-9, Black Mountain
- Leicester Elementary - 31 Gilbert Rd., Leicester
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