Buncombe County’s Hurricane Helene briefings are now held once per day at 11 a.m. You can livestream the updates on the Buncombe County Government Facebook page or tune into Blue Ridge Public Radio 88.1 FM or the iHeart radio stations, including 99.9, 104.3, and 105.1 FM and 570 AM.
Here’s what we know:
Monday, Oct. 21
Water turbidity defies expectations
Clay Chandler, the Asheville Water Resources public information officer, shared that after this past weekend, 95% of the system has been restored, with Eastmoor and Bee Tree back online.
Chandler shared photos of the North Fork reservoir, showing that the surface water has barely cleared up, if at all. What surprised the Asheville Water Resources Department was that the turbidity of the water 40-50 feet below the surface has begun to improve. Initially, it was expected that after the treatment process, turbidity would improve from the surface to the bottom.
The curtains, which will help manage the turbidity and allow treatment to be done in stages, will arrive later this week, potentially Thursday or Friday. The curtains will be installed and anchored, and then a second round of the treatment process will occur, in about a week, according to Chandler. There is still no timeline on when the water will clear up.
Storm debris management
2.5 million cubic yards. That’s how much storm debris is estimated to be in the City of Asheville alone — enough for 70,000 truckloads. In Buncombe County, there are 10 million cubic yards of debris, including the City of Asheville’s amount — enough for 280,000 truckloads.
An additional site for storm debris has been secured at Enka Commerce Park. This is now the primary site where debris will be staged, ground, compacted, and hauled out. No additional debris will be taken to the previous sites that were identified at 65 Ford St. and the front nine of the Municipal Golf Course; however, security and prep work will continue at these locations so they could be reactivated if needed. Reminder: These sites are not open to the public.
D-SNAP deadline
The deadline to apply for funds to purchase food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is this Thursday, Oct. 24. Learn more about eligibility for the program and how you can apply.
FDNY steps back
The Fire Department of New York is beginning a demobilization plan, letting local services take the lead now that they have additional resources and assistance and immediate threats have been addressed. Some areas, including Reynolds, Riceville, Fairview, Swannanoa, and Black Mountain, will continue to receive critical mutual aid.
City offices reopen
City of Asheville offices — with the exception of city recreation facilities and locations managed by community and regional entertainment facilities — will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Despite recreation facilities not yet being open, Asheville Parks and Recreation is planning to host two Halloween-themed events this weekend:
- Trunk or Treat | Saturday, Oct. 26 | 4-6 p.m. | Stephens Lee Community Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave.
- Boo Bash | Sunday, Oct. 27 | 2-4 p.m. | Tanger Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd.
Two county parks open
North Buncombe Fields and Hominy Valley Park have reopened, but all other Buncombe County parks remain closed. As for City of Asheville-managed parks, more than 30 have reopened — find the updated list.
Trash + recycling
The Buncombe County Landfill is open Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. with normal fees.
The Buncombe County Transfer Station is open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. with normal fees.
In addition to running regular routes, Waste Pro trucks will be parked at the following locations for bagged, residential trash only, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.:
- Monday, Oct. 21 — Leicester Elementary, 31 Gilbert Rd., Leicester
- Tuesday, Oct. 22 — A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Rd., Candler
- Wednesday, Oct. 23 — Owen Pool, 117 Stone Dr., Swannanoa
- Thursday, Oct. 24 — Fairview Ingles, 225 Charlotte Hwy., Asheville
- Friday, Oct. 25 — North Buncombe Pool, 734 Clarks Chapel Rd., Weaverville
You can drop off recyclables at Curbside Management’s location at 116 Woodfin Ave., Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Spectrum
Internet has been restored to 85% of Spectrum customers in Buncombe County, with ~12,000 still offline. Last week, Spectrum shared that customers will automatically be credited for the time without service.
