ASHEVILLE, N.C. — On Monday, residents of western North Carolina, numbering over 100,000, received the green light to use tap water for drinking and bathing following nearly two months of disruption caused by Hurricane Helene, which severely damaged the local water infrastructure.
Clay Chandler, a representative from Asheville’s Water Resources Department, announced during a briefing that all recent water quality tests yielded clear results, leading to the lifting of the boil-water advisory.
The catastrophe from Hurricane Helene in late September wreaked havoc on Asheville’s water system, inflicting extensive damage that had officials initially predicting a lengthy repair timeline.
By the end of October, the city managed to restore water service to the majority of its residents. However, the boil-water notice remained in effect while necessary work was conducted to rehabilitate the system, such as clearing out sediment from water reservoirs and conducting thorough testing.
Chandler reported that over 1,000 water samples had been collected from across the distribution network in recent weeks, emphasizing the scale of the effort involved, stating, “It literally took an army of people to pull that off.”
Hurricane Helene has been responsible for the loss of over 200 lives across various states, with western North Carolina enduring some of the most significant impacts.
With the aging water infrastructure throughout much of the U.S. and the increasing frequency of natural disasters fueled by climate change, experts predict that water advisories are likely to become increasingly prevalent.
“We are navigating through a period of uncertainty, not just in Asheville, but also in terms of the broader implications of climate change and the extreme weather events it brings,” commented David Dyjack, the executive director of the National Environmental Health Association, reflecting on the challenges faced in recent months.