ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Nearly one year after Tropical Storm Helene disrupted water service across Asheville, local business owners say they still have questions and growing concerns about the city’s long-term ability to keep the taps on.
At a Council of Independent Business Owners (CIBO) meeting held on UNC Asheville’s campus, leaders, including City Councilman Bo Hess and Water Services Public Information Officer Clay Chandler, gave an update on recovery efforts and long-term plans, answering direct questions from business stakeholders about system stability, funding and risk.
Currently, the city is relying on temporary pretreatment systems at its North Fork and DeBruhl reservoirs to keep high sediment levels from overwhelming the filtration process. Those systems were installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after Helene took the city’s water system down for 53 days…