State provides $6 million to reduce flood risk
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Gov. Josh Stein announced $6 million in grants from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint program to help reduce flood risks across the state. The announcement includes projects to restore the French Broad River Basin after western North Carolina experienced catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene last fall.
Funding in this announcement will go toward 11 projects in the river basins of the Cape Fear, French Broad, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, and Lumber rivers.
“Last year’s flooding of the French Broad River after Helene is a somber reminder of how damaging flooding can be to an area,” Stein said. “We must stay prepared for future severe weather events, and this funding will help communities become more resilient and less vulnerable to flooding.”
The grant funding is provided by DEQ’s North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint, with projects chosen by the department’s Division of Water Resources. As directed by the North Carolina General Assembly, the Blueprint continues to allocate $76 million in funding to support flood mitigation projects such as water retention, floodplain restoration and nature-based flood mitigation efforts in the Cape Fear, French Broad, Lumber, Neuse, Tar Pamlico and White Oak river basins.
The following flood risk reduction and floodplain protection projects in the French Broad River Basin are supported through the partnership:
• Yancey County Soil and Water Conservation District will restore approximately 1,000 linear feet of stream channel and add 8-acre-feet of floodplain water storage in a Hurricane Helene-impacted residential area through an effort known as the “Cattail Creek Flood Resiliency” project. This project is being awarded $100,000.
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• The Land of Sky Regional Council will restore approximately 80% of a mile of stream channel, plant 2.75 acres of streambank vegetation, and add 11-acre-feet of floodplain water storage along the French Broad River in a Hurricane Helene-impacted residential area of Madison County through the “Rollins and Fortner Hollow Riverbank Restoration.” This project is being awarded $789,000.
• The Southwestern Commission will restore approximately half a mile of linear feet of stream channel, plant 2.6 acres of streambank vegetation, and create 6-acre-feet of floodplain water storage along the Pigeon River in a Hurricane Helene-impacted urban residential area of Haywood County through the “Town of Clyde Flood Resiliency” project. This project is being awarded $110,000.
