This applicator boat deposited the treatment chemicals into the reservoir. “I know the boat is underwhelming,” said Clay Chandler, “but it got the job done.” | Photo via City of Asheville
At the Friday, Oct. 18 news briefing, the Water Resources Department outlined the progress made in restoring running water to the thousands of locals and businesses left without after the storm and offered an update on treating the North Fork reservoir.
As far as a timeline, Communications Specialist Clay Chandler reiterated, “I’d love to be able to tell you, but I just can’t.”
Here’s what we doknow.
The latest on treatment
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, large batches of aluminum sulfate and caustic soda arrived at the North Fork reservoir. Having now been poured into the reservoir, these chemicals will aid coagulation and PH balance, respectively, clearing the water from the top down. Note: These materials are used by the Water Resources Department as part of their normal treatment process.
As a reminder, coagulation is the process of reducing the electric charge of the particles in the water so that they can gravitate toward each other, become heavier, and sink to the bottom. This process has now begun.
The department hoped to share a timeline at the Friday, Oct. 18 news briefing, but they do not currently have an accurate idea of how long the treatment will take. Chandler said that they will have to wait a few days to see the effectiveness of this initial round of treatment before deciding whether a second is needed. He did emphasize, however, that this will be a long process.
If you’ve been following along closely, you might remember the mention of curtains as part of treatment. Curtains placed around areas of the reservoir will allow water treatment to be completed in stages, rather than having to treat the whole reservoir at once. This is still part of the plan; however, the curtains were being shipped from Florida and were delayed after the state was hit by Hurricane Milton. Our crews didn’t know if the curtains would take days or weeks to get here, so they elected to move forward with treatment rather than wait.
Crews continue to pressurize and fill the system with this sediment-heavy water, which allows them to repair smaller leaks, fill tanks, remove airlocks, and flush the system without waiting for the reservoir treatment to be completed — thus speeding up restoration.
Click the button below for more information on the damage, restoration progress, and what to do when your water returns.
Two (big) reasons to apply to UNC Asheville this week
Presented by UNC Asheville
Financial aid, scholarships, and programs like these help make a quality education affordable. | Photo provided by UNC Asheville
Looking for a top-rated university that not only paves the way to a successful career, but also provides a well-rounded liberal arts and sciences education and nationally recognized faculty?
We’ve got two reasons this is the week to consider completing your education at UNC Asheville.
🏫 Access Asheville upped to $90,000
Breaking news: Access Asheville upped its qualifying annual income to $90,000. The university’s financial aid program guarantees fully covered tuition and fees for North Carolina residents whose annual family income is $90,000 or less (previously $80,000) — making a high-quality education more accessible to more than half of NC families and residents.
🧑💻 It’s Free Application Week
ICYMI, this week is College Application Week (aka Free Application Week). From Monday, Oct. 21 to Sunday, Oct. 27, UNC Asheville is among the participating NC colleges that are waiving their application fees — yes, that means you can apply for free when applying through the CFNC portal.
On Friday, Oct. 18, the Buncombe County Schools Board of Education voted to reopen schools this Friday, Oct. 25, operating on a two-hour delay through Friday, Nov. 1. All schools now have power, nonpotable water, and internet — drinking water delivery has begun and bus information will soon be shared with families.
Drink
The Town of Black Mountain is now under a boil water notice, meaning that after vigorously boiling for one minute, this water can be used for drinking, cooking, and more. Find answers to your frequently asked boil water notice questions.
Transit
Beginning today, Oct. 21, ART bus service will expand, bringing four more routes online — S1, S2, W5 and 170 - Black Mountain — and offering transportation to the FEMA Resource Center at AC Reynolds High School. Paratransit services will also resume where possible. Flag stops will no longer be offered; designated stops must be used.
Civic
NC set a first-day record for early voting on Thursday, with 353,166 ballots accepted statewide. If you haven’t yet joined that number and need help getting to the polls, the Buncombe County Democratic Party is offering rides or you can request a ride through Ride2Vote.
Cause
Mountain Housing Opportunities’ Essential Home Repair program is available for homes in need of help, whether from hurricane damage or prior issues. Learn more about the program and apply — MHO encourages people to apply even if they don’t meet eligibility requirements as they hope to expand assistance through disaster recovery resources.
Outdoors
As of Friday, Oct. 18, Asheville Parks and Recreation crews have reopened 32 parks and continue to work to open more locations. Park water fountains have been turned off, but if there are remnants flowing, you should not drink from them. City officials also stressed that if a park is listed as closed, everyone should stay away.
Opening
Biltmore Estate announced its plan to reopen on Saturday, Nov. 2. The opening will mark the beginning of Christmas at Biltmore, with decorations throughout the house, and the estate’s attractions, restaurants, and lodging will be open. However, the Outdoor Adventure Center and trails will remain closed.
Biz
Hatch Innovation Hub and Venture Asheville are inviting local business owners to share their stories and challenges in the aftermath of the storm during a listening session on Friday, Oct. 25 at 12 p.m. RSVP for the event at Hatch to receive strategic advice and resources.
Number
$9 million. That was the winning bid for a rare copy of the US Constitution, sold by Asheville auction house Brunk Auctions. The document was set to be auctioned on Sept. 28, but the sale was postponed to Thursday, Oct. 17 due to Hurricane Helene. Learn more about how the copy was found and why it’s so special. (WLOS)
Read
Chef Ashleigh Shanti’s cookbook “Our South: Black Food Through My Lens,” is out now. The book, finished shortly before she opened Good Hot Fish, features recipes inspired by microregions of the South, from the mountainous Backcountry to the coastal Lowcountry. (Eater Carolinas)
Eat
To speed up the restaurant reopening process, Buncombe County Environmental Health has developed a new inspection procedure. Food establishments need to fill out the Emergency Operations Plan and will then receive a notification detailing whether or not an inspector needs to visit — if a visit isn’t needed, a restaurant can reopen at its convenience.
Tech
Scammers’ tactics are increasingly sophisticated — OmniWatch offers a groundbreaking layer of identity protection (think: 24/7 monitoring, full-scale identity restoration, and up to $25,000 in scam insurance).*
Category
Community
Updates + need-to-know information
A local team will help long-term recovery. | Photo via FEMA
The following article is being updated on our website daily. Click the button at the bottom of this section to read the full story.
Please note that there were no live briefings on Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20.
Friday, Oct. 18
No more curfew
As of today, Oct. 21, the curfew has been lifted for Asheville.
Home inspections + FEMA jobs
If your FEMA home inspection shows that there was an issue with inaccessibility, you should call 1-800-621-3362 or visit the Disaster Recovery Center to reschedule.
As the community moves forward, FEMA is building a WNC team to assist with long-term recovery. This is common practice in large disasters, said the FEMA representative, “People who are part of the community have the most equity in its recovery.” You can apply online at usajobs.gov.
Notes from the US Geological Survey
According to Dr. Jonathan Godt from the USGS, “As far as landslide disasters, this is one of the worst in US history in terms of impact.” There were at least 1,000 landslides in WNC initiated by this storm sequence.
The NCGS and the USGS worked in partnership to identify any potential major landslide movement in the coming months that would impact recovery efforts, but none have been identified. However, they did share a word of caution — any landslide scars (meaning the areas where a landslide happened) can become active again under the right conditions. The organizations are working with Buncombe County to share risk information.
As we can all attest right now, it takes a village to begin to restore our city. And as Asheville parks reopen, that’s due in part to the local groups on the ground, putting in the cleanup work. Shoutout to the Asheville Lawn Bowling Club (pictured below) for working with Asheville Parks and Rec staff to begin repairing the rink in Carrier Park. Neither the park or rink are open yet, but learn more about the club and see how you can get involved when the spaces reopen.
