Today‘s round of Helene questions, my replies and the real answers:

Question: I have a question for the Answer man. I heard the Ingles Distribution Center in Black Mountain was flooded during Helene. Did they lose a lot of inventory? How have they been able to reopen?

My answer: Man, as usual, I just could not get Ingles to stop talking to me about this.

Real answer: I got no response from an Ingles designated spokesperson. I did drive out to the distribution center the week following Helene, and by mid-week it was back open, at least partially.

A worker told me it was back up and functioning.

But it was clear the massive distribution center took a serious blow. Mud and dirt remained in the parking lot. The storm clearly hit the company hard.

On Oct. 2, Ingles posted that the company “is devastated by the catastrophic damage from Helene.

“Unprecedented destruction and tragic loss of life have touched every town, city, community, and business,” the post continued. “Our hometown Black Mountain, North Carolina, which houses our distribution center was one of these areas. We had loss of power, critical infrastructure, transport vehicles, inventory, and yes even loss of life. We were all severely impacted.”

The company has nearly 200 stores in six Southeastern states, and the company noted it had “stores in our region with significant damage and some stores still without power and water.

“We are working diligently to bring operations back online and begin helping our community. Ingles is known for being there when hard times fall, it is part of our fabric to respond,” the post continued. “At this time when we are reliant, we are grateful to our vendors, media partners and charity organizations we have coming to help us.”

An Oct. 19 Facebook post gave more insight.

“Ingles continues to make huge strides in our progress to bring our distribution center to full capacity,” the post stated. “While the losses were significant, only eight days after the devastation Ingles markets began to ship groceries to stores. This along with an incredible team of associates, vendors, and other distribution partners most of our stores are open. As we continue to make progress you will see more and more Ingles Trucks on the road…Give a wave or a honk; like you they are excited to be back to work.”

Ingles has hosted charitable events and food giveaways, and partnered with groups such as the Red Cross, MANNA Food Bank, Hearts With Hands, and Samaritan’s Purse to help flood victims. 

As of Oct. 24, Ingles’ website listed four stores as still temporarily closed. They’re in Swannanoa, Morganton, Newland and Spruce Pine.

From my store in Fletcher, it’s been pretty evident that Ingles has had trouble stocking some items, including the ice cream I badly want right now but certainly do not need.

By the way, the online news publication The Assembly, based in Raleigh, had an excellent report on Ingles Oct. 8 titled, “A Homegrown Grocery Giant Stumbles After Helene.” 

It noted: “The company’s distribution center and corporate offices sit on the banks of the Swannanoa River, which crested at over 26 feet, a level not seen since 1791 and roughly 10 feet higher than the National Weather Service’s major flood stage.”

The article also said of the distribution center, “aerial footage from September 30 shows its parking lots coated in mud.”

Question: I live in Asheville but my water comes from Woodfin. I am getting water, thankfully. However, while the city of Asheville has been very proactive with their daily water updates, Woodfin has not. Phone calls go unanswered and the last system update on their website is dated Oct. 13. I’m following Asheville’s guidance for now, but it would be nice to get some details from Woodfin. Is the water safe for bathing, dishwashing and/or laundry? What’s happening with the treatment facility? And what’s the timeframe for restoration of full service?

My answer: I feel like if I answer this poorly, I might get censured by the town board.

Real answer: First of all, a point of clarification.

“Woodfin Water is a separate water authority and not part of town government,” Woodfin Town Manager Shannon Tuch told me via email.

She referred me to Seth Eckard, the Woodfin Water District’s executive director.

“I’m pleased to inform you that the Woodfin Water District has fully restored water service to all customers,” Eckard said via email Oct. 21. “As of late last week, we’ve successfully repaired all known water line breaks and leaks throughout the service area.”

Eckard said the Woodfin Water Plant is operating “at full capacity and has been consistently producing high-quality water since the storm.

“In addition, our system is currently supplemented by water from the City of Asheville, which means we will remain under a mandatory boil water notice until the city lifts its advisory,” Eckard said. “While this notice is in effect, we ask our customers to boil water for at least one minute before consumption.”

The water is safe for non-consumption uses such as washing clothes, dishes, and bathing, but don’t drink it.

Eckard said he’s “sorry to hear about any customer who had difficulty reaching us.” He noted that the office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and you can reach it at 828-253-5551.

“Additionally, we regularly post updates on our Facebook page, website (woodfinwater.com), and via our text alert system,” Eckard said. “Customers interested in receiving real-time alerts can find instructions on how to sign up by visiting our website.”

Question: I am seeing people talking about this article from Black Mountain News from 2017 and stating that the bypass line for the current Asheville water supply is running through the former Chemtronics plant Superfund site. I didn’t know anything about this article until I saw it tonight. I’m just wondering what the deal with this is and if there is any truth to it. If so, it seems like something we should know about, and I wondered if it was something you all would consider looking into for an article.

My answer: Yes, I can see where a water line running through an EPA Superfund site could be less than ideal, and maybe newsworthy.

Real answer: It looks like this is not the case.

The bypass line that is carrying the non-potable water to Asheville’s water system comes out of the North Fork Reservoir, in Black Mountain, then into Asheville. This is not close to the old Chemtronics plant, which manufactured explosives and chemical weapons and was placed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List in 1983 because of contaminated groundwater and soil from waste disposal practices.

The 535-acre Superfund site is closer to the Bee Tree Reservoir and William DeBruhl Water Treatment Plant in Swannanoa, but still not that close, said Clay Chandler, spokesperson for the Asheville Water Resources Department. 

“The old Chemtronics facility was at the head of Old Bee Tree Road,” Chandler said. “William DeBruhl Water Treatment Plant is at the head of Bee Tree Road.”

“The Chemtronics property is a couple of watersheds and several miles from DeBruhl,” Chandler continued. “No transmission mains or any other public water mains traverse that property.”

In all, the Chemtronics property comprises 1,065 acres and remains an active EPA cleanup site.

Earlier this month, the agency posted about it and the effects of Tropical Storm Helene on the Superfund page devoted to Chemtronics.

“On Oct. 2, 2024, local site personnel were able to conduct an initial inspection of impacts to the Chemtronics Superfund Site caused by Hurricane Helene,” the EPA stated. “Based on that site visit and several thereafter, impacts to the site were all physical in nature and have no adverse effect on the environmental protective conditions at the site.”

Lots of trees were down and roads damaged, but, “Access is being actively reestablished, including collaboration with local utilities,” the EPA stated.

“The protective caps that cover all of the disposal areas in the Front Valley and Back Valley remain intact,” the EPA said. “All of the capped disposal areas exist in upland areas of the property and they were not inundated by flood waters. The constituents present in groundwater at the site remain contained within the site boundaries and there is no off-site migration.”

The remediation systems in place do not require electricity to operate, so the power outage was not an issue.

“The floodwaters that traversed the site were in the lowland areas near Bee Tree Creek, and no impacted soils or other media was transported off-site during the storm event,” the EPA stated. “Based on this information, no offsite sampling is scheduled at this time. Routine monitoring will continue at the site.”

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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