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Several states begin cleanup efforts after Hurricane Helene

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www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2024-09-29 13:24:22


SUMMARY: Hurricane Helen devastated the Southeast, resulting in dozens of fatalities and millions without power. Extreme , particularly in Western North Carolina, has left at least 60 people unaccounted for, with some experiencing what describe as “biblical devastation.” The storm dumped up to 30 inches of rain, causing numerous landslides and washing away over 400 roads, stranding countless . Urgent rescue efforts are ongoing, with teams from nearly 20 states assisting those affected. The aftermath resembles a war zone, as entire neighborhoods and businesses have been destroyed. Recovery will be challenging as communities begin to rebuild.

The Biden Administration approved numerous federal emergency declarations to up federal resources to in the areas hard hit by the storm.

More: https://abc11.com/post/hurricane-helene-death-toll-sunday/15370909/

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As North Fork turbidity improves, Asheville also pursues Army Corps of Engineers filtration plan โ€ข Asheville Watchdog

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avlwatchdog.org – JOHN BOYLE – 2024-11-04 14:02:00

As the murkiness of North Fork Reservoir continues to improve โ€” some noticed clearer tap over the weekend โ€” the City of Asheville is pursuing a filtration plan from the Army Corps of Engineers that could be in place by the end of the month.

โ€œSome good is Water Resources now has a second option at its disposal for treating the turbid water at North Fork reservoir,โ€ city Water Reources Department spokesperson Clay Chandler said at the Monday Buncombe County Helene briefing. โ€œThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the early stages of implementing an alternative treatment that could possibly โ€” and I want to stress possibly โ€” be operational in very late November, very early December. That’s based on information the Corps of Engineers has given us.โ€

The city has installed turbidity-reducing curtains in North Fork, which supplies 80 percent of Asheville’s drinking water, and it has completed two rounds of treatment with aluminum sulfate and caustic soda, which cause coagulation of sediments and reduce sedimentation. That the city to put 10 million to 15 million gallons of treated water a day into Asheville’s system over the weekend, which likely accounted for the clearer water customers say they saw over the weekend, Chandler said.

The Corps of Engineers system will rely on mobile treatment units, which will be staged at North Fork in a clearing above the dam. The exact number of the units, which Chandler described as โ€œgenerally shaped like a shipping container,โ€ and precise layout are still being determined. He said the city hopes the system is operational by early December.

โ€œWe will pursue this option concurrently with the in-reservoir treatment process, and we’re absolutely not giving up on that, not by any means,โ€ Chandler said. โ€œAnd it’s possible that the in-reservoir treatment process clears up the lake enough for us to start treating water on a very large scale before the Corps of Engineers system is even operational.โ€

At the briefing, Chandler said the reservoir’s turbidity had dropped to 18.5 by Monday morning, down from 21.2 on Oct. 31. Measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs), turbidity needs to hit about 1.5-2.0 for the city to be able to fully treat the water to make it potable.

Chandler stressed that the Corps of Engineers’ plan is a construction project, so weather, equipment procurement and other variables could cause delays. Planning started Oct. 1.

Despite the variables, Chandler said, โ€œWe are very, very hopeful and optimistic that by early December, based on the information that we have right now, that system will be operational.โ€

The goal is to reach a capacity of 25 million gallons of treatable water a day.

โ€œThat’s enough to keep the system pressurized and provide flushing capacity,โ€ Chandler said, referring to clearing the system of non-potable water. โ€œThe flushing part of this is going to be very, very important.โ€

Once the city starts pushing out nothing but potable water into the system, โ€œwe’re going to have to completely replace the water in the tanks and our main transmission and all auxiliary transmission lines,โ€ Chandler said.

That process will take a of weeks.

System flush, testing must happen before boil water notice can be lifted

โ€œI think the latest timeline we have for that is two and a half to three weeks, so even though we start pushing potable water, that does not mean that the boil water notice will be lifted immediately,โ€ Chandler said. โ€œWe will have to again flush the system and perform some extensive back-end testing before we can lift that boil water notice.โ€

The entire system, which serves 63,000 residential and commercial customers, remains under a boil water notice. The tap water available now is safe for showering and flushing commodes, but bottled water is recommended for consumption.

Chandler stressed that the Corps of Engineers’ installation timeline may change. The federal agency is in the process of procuring materials, equipment and personnel.

โ€œOver the next couple of weeks, equipment, materials and personnel will begin arriving at North Fork for construction and setup,โ€ Chandler said. โ€œOnce construction and setup begins, the contract’s terms will require the contractor who’s going to do all this work to work for 24 hours a day until the system is operational. So we’re our best to move this process along as quickly as possible.โ€

A third round of aluminum sulfate/caustic soda treatment is planned. The city will give the second round more time to work, so the third round will likely take place Monday or Tuesday of next week.

โ€œI want to emphasize again, it is important to note that the in-reservoir treatment process could clear up the reservoir before the Corps of Engineers project is operational,โ€ Chandler said. โ€œHowever, to maximize redundancy, we are going to pursue the Corps of Engineers project regardless. And keeping that system in place until we have the upgraded filters that we’ve been seeking is a possibility that we’re going to pursue.โ€

A third round of aluminum sulfate/caustic soda treatment is planned for North Fork Reservoir. The city will give the second round more time to work, so the third round will likely take place Monday or Tuesday of next week. // Credit: City of Asheville

FEMA will pay for the Corps of Engineers system, but the cost was not available at the briefing.

North Fork, which opened in 1955, uses a โ€œdirect filtrationโ€ system designed for extremely pure water, which the reservoir normally delivers, mainly because of its pristine 20,000-acre wooded watershed. The system cannot handle higher turbidity.

Plates can filter out stubborn sedimentation

The Corps of Engineers systems works with a system of โ€œsedimentation platesโ€ that removes sediment. The lake sediment is mostly very fine clay particles that have stubbornly remained in suspension, and the plates can filter that out.

โ€œTo simplify that, it will basically not 100 percent but pretty close to 100 percent of the sediment that’s in the water, which is what’s causing it to be turbid right now,โ€ Chandler said.

Chandler said previously that installing a permanent filtration system designed for high turbidity would cost the city more than $100 million. The city does have a โ€œfilter upgrade wish listโ€ for North Fork and its other reservoir, Bee Tree in Swannanoa.

โ€œEssentially, if we were to get that project funded, the technology that we would be using at that point is the same technology that the Corps of Engineers will use with their system,โ€ Chandler said. โ€œWe would absolutely love to keep this Corps of Engineers system in place until those filter upgrades are made. And if it’s up to us, we will. It’s not completely up to us, though, but we’re going to make that case.โ€

Asheville City Councilmember Maggie Ullman broke the news about the Corps of Engineers equipment installation and timeline in a Friday Instagram post. Chandler addressed the county briefing the day before but didn’t mention the Corps of Engineers plan.

โ€œIt became viable Wednesday night and made its way down to me after the briefing on Thursday,โ€ Chandler said. โ€œWe didn’t have a community briefing until . There was no immediate deadline for any kind of action or anything like that, so we felt comfortable waiting until today to detail it.โ€

He noted that the timeline was provided by the Corps of Engineers, not the city, which has steadfastly refused to offer a timeline on potential potable water restoration other than to say it is weeks away.


is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. John Boyle has been covering Asheville and surrounding communities since the 20th century. You can reach him at (828) 337-0941, or via email at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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The post As North Fork turbidity improves, Asheville also pursues Army Corps of Engineers filtration plan โ€ข Asheville Watchdog appeared first on avlwatchdog.org

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Duke professor dives into early voting numbers

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www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2024-11-04 12:45:10


SUMMARY: In North Carolina, both presidential campaigns are focused on swaying the remaining voters as over 57% have already cast ballots. Political expert Matt McCor suggests candidates should emphasize unity and positive messaging about the . He predicts Stein is likely to win the gubernatorial race, but questions whether it will be by the margins indicated in polls. A strong win for Stein could signal for Democrats in down-ballot races. He also notes that while young voters (18-29) are not in large numbers, those who did often lean Democratic, though trends vary outside of college campuses.

Pope ‘Mac’ McCorkle is with the school’s Sanford School of Public Policy.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Election security concerns in final days of 2024 campaign

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www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2024-11-04 12:44:34


SUMMARY: Ahead of Tuesday’s final vote, the FBI has issued an urgent warning about disinformation, identifying at least two fake circulating online that falsely claim to be from the agency. These videos, believed to be created by foreign actors, particularly Russian trolls, aim to undermine trust in American elections and foster division among citizens. One inaccurately claims that groups were for rigging mail-in ballots, while another targets Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. The FBI emphasized that the content is false and not produced by them, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding foreign interference in the electoral .

In the final hours of the campaign, local across the country are taking extraordinary steps to protect election workers and …

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