Gov. Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in state grants for eight flood mitigation projects in Western North Carolina today. While speaking from the bank of the French Broad River in Woodfin, Stein said the funded projects will help reduce flood risk in the French Broad River Basin.
The eight projects will create new floodwater storage; restore and reconnect floodplains; relocate facilities and infrastructure out of harm’s way; and improve water quality.
The state grants are part of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The first-of-its-kind plan was initiated after the General Assembly directed the agency to develop a way to limit the impact of floods around the state’s rivers…