Clean water is flowing again in Asheville
The announcement came slightly earlier than many were expecting; water tests conducted over the weekend came back clean, officials said
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Asheville officials have lifted the area’s boil water advisory, allowing residents to drink from their taps for the first time since Tropical Storm Helene
by Lindsey Banks
As of about 11 a.m. today, clean drinking water has been restored to the Asheville area, ending a 52-day water crisis following Tropical Storm Helene.
Earlier this morning, the Asheville water department lifted the boil water advisory for customers who rely on the North Fork Reservoir located in Black Mountain, which includes about 160,000 people in Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson counties.
The water system was completely offline for the first three weeks after the storm due to power outages and damage to the area’s pipes and water filtration system. Once the water was flowing again in mid-October, it was contaminated and full of sediment.
This morning, the good news came to residents through a push alert from the city’s water department.
“Our crews conducted sampling of the water at the test sites over the weekend, and all of the testing was completed Sunday,” said Asheville Water Resources Department spokesperson Clay Chandler in a media briefing today. “The tests were all clear, so therefore, we are lifting the boil water advisory as of today.”
This is a huge milestone in the Asheville area’s recovery. Residents have been unable to safely use water directly from their taps since Sept. 27.
When Helene first touched down in the N.C. mountains, the treatment plant was knocked completely offline, which meant residents primarily relied on bottled water. Once power was restored, pipes were repaired and sediment levels were down enough, a boil water advisory was issued on Oct. 18 and residents were told they could use the water to wash their hands and bathe if they were careful not to let the water get into their mouths.
Today, that all ends.
People are still advised to avoid using “large volumes” of water, like filling bathtubs and pools, taking long showers and watering gardens. The North Fork Reservoir provides water for 80% of the city’s water system. The rest is supplied by the Mills River Water Plant, which is fully functional, and the Bee Tree Reservoir in Swannanoa, which is still offline and reporting high levels of sediment.
Today’s announcement came as a surprise for many. Last week, the city’s water department told residents that the timeline for clean water would be late November or early December, and this weekend, it updated the restoration date to tomorrow, Nov. 19.
Lindsey Banks is a staff reporter for The Ledger: lindsey@cltledger.com
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman