Has pollution made local rivers a blue-green color? Mission and the VA Medical Center used their own water after city’s was restored? Who is Cowboy Dave? • Asheville Watchdog
Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: My question is related to the waterways around western North Carolina and their health. I live near the Swannanoa River. The past few weeks the river has been a blue/green color. It’s almost glacial looking. Some are saying this color is a result of all the toxins from Hurricane Helene. Can you please weigh in? Is there active testing on our rivers like the French Broad, Swannanoa, etc?
My answer: I mean, beyond the pickup trucks, semi trailers, plastic pipes, broken trees and Dumpsters still lodged in the rivers, they seem pretty healthy.
Real answer: The experts I talked to agree that it’s most likely a natural phenomenon related to the flood, scouring of rocks and removal of waterway sediment, and not to pollutants.
Philip Prince, a geologist and adjunct professor at Virginia Tech University, has been studying Helene’s effects in western North Carolina. While he hasn’t specifically covered the water color issue, he has a theory why it’s happening.
First, he surmises that all of the work being done in and around the water channels continues to cause rocks to be ground up. The storm also scoured the rocks, creating a similar effect.
“If you take rock and you grind it up or joggle it around, that dust that you get, if it gets suspended in the water, it makes that color,” Prince said. “Which is why the comparison to a glacial (waterway) is probably pretty apt, because glacier movement over rock essentially does the same thing — it takes pieces of rock and it grinds them against each other, and it makes, basically, rock powder. And when that rock powder gets in the water, it will turn it sort of like a bright, milky blue or green.”
Helene rearranged the rocks in a lot of streams and rivers, which resulted in a lot of heavy equipment being used, sometimes in the streambeds, to rearrange them or even reroute the waterways some.
The natural scouring effect that occurred during Helene also may play a role.
“The stream beds where they haven’t had an excavator drive around in them, they were really scoured by this event,” Prince said. “The rocks that were left, they normally have oxidation and scum on them, so they’re dark. Many rocks were just brilliant ghost white after this — it was literally like they got pressure washed.”
That can create a different reflection scenario.
“If the water is clear — if the water does not have a lot of suspended material in it — the sunlight coming down hitting that white rock on the river bottom and reflecting off and coming back up through the water, that will change the color of it,” Prince said. “That will make the water look different.”
It could also be somewhat of a combination of the two — brighter bottom rocks and some suspended rock dust that creates the colorization.
In some rivers in America, suspended limestone particles create a green-blue effect. But Prince said in our mountains there is “a near complete absence of limestone rocks around here, unless it’s brought in as crush.”
There is a limestone quarry in Fletcher, but that’s unusual. Most of the rock here is gneiss or schist, which are both very similar to granite.
Anna Alsobrook, the French Broad watershed science and policy manager at MountainTrue, an Asheville environmental nonprofit, said she has noticed the blue-green coloring. She surmises that the coloring is “due to all the scouring from the hurricane.”
“Flood waters moved tons of sediment, exposing more bedrock, and wiping it clean,” Alsobrook said. “So, maybe there’s more mineral deposition since there’s more contact with the actual rock (versus sediment), or maybe it’s more of a light reflection thing, since the light is bouncing off rock rather than sediment.”
Alsobrook said she doesn’t think “it has anything to do with any particular influx of pollutants in the waterways.”
Regarding those pollutants and testing, French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson, who also works at MountainTrue, told me the organization received another round of water and sediment samples from around the French Broad Watershed in mid-December.
In early October, the French Broad River in Marshall also was taking on a green hue.// Watchdog photo by John Boyle
Samples came from the Nolichucky River in Erwin, Tennessee; the Nolichucky downstream of Erwin; the Swannanoa River in Swannanoa and Biltmore Village; and the French Broad River at Westfeldt Park, Woodfin, Marshall and Hot Springs. They also tested Mud Creek downstream of Hendersonville and the North Toe River downstream of Spruce Pine.
“We found a variety of pollutants but feel encouraged about what we found and the levels of the pollutants,” Carson said, noting MountainTrue has analyzed the results with the help of other water experts. “We continue to find a host of metals in the samples, but for the most part these metals are not above background levels, are metals that are not very problematic to human health or the environment and are at fairly low levels.”
They did find “some pollutants with higher concerns around toxicity, such as trichloroethene (TCE), pyrene, and diesel range organics (a type of petroleum hydrocarbon).
“Trichloroethene, or TCE, was found in the sediment at Charles D. Owen Park along the Swannanoa River in Swannanoa,” Carson said. “TCE is volatile, meaning it readily evaporates into the air at room temperature, where people can sometimes smell it.”
TCE is a solvent used to strip paint, remove grease from metal and spots from clothing.
“The results found in our sample were 7.19 micrograms per kilogram, which is much lower than most state regulatory limits,” Carson said.
Carson said pyrene, a natural component of coal tar, crude oil and fossil fuels, was found at 286 micrograms per kilogram in the Woodfin sediment sample along the French Broad River.
“The health effects of brief exposures to pyrene are unknown,” Carson said. “Longer-term animal studies show that pyrene can cause nephropathy (kidney disease) and decreased kidney weight. Based on the regulatory levels we studied, this level does not appear to be an alarming level.”
MountainTrue also found acetone in several samples, including from the Nolichucky downstream of Erwin, Swannanoa sediment at Charles D. Owen Park and Biltmore Village, and sediment samples from the French Broad in Marshall and Woodfin.
“Because of the low level of acetone found and toxicity of acetone, we aren’t terribly concerned about the exposure this pollutant presents,” Carson said.
MountainTrue also tested for the impact of any fuel remaining in flood waters or sediment.
“None of the samples we tested showed gasoline range organics, but five samples were present for diesel range organics,” Carson said, noting they were all in sediment samples.
They were from these locations: the North Toe at Penland (5.7 milligrams per kilogram, or mg/kg), French Broad River at Woodfin (37.4 mg/kg), French Broad River in Marshall (16.9 mg/kg), the Swannanoa River at Charles D. Owen Park (69.7 mg/kg) and Biltmore Village (74 mg/kg).
“According to an N.C. State Extension article about diesel range organics in soil for gardening, these levels would be classified as low or moderate,” Carson said.
Question: If Asheville City water has been deemed potable since Nov. 18, why as of late November/early December were Mission Hospital and the VA Medical Center still bringing in water in tanker trucks? Is there something that the hospitals know that the city hasn’t shared with everyone else?
My answer: I suspect the lead in the water was messing with the X-ray machines.
Real answer: Mission Hospital spokesperson Nancy Lindell explained the hospital’s decisions surrounding this issue.
After Helene damaged Asheville’s water supply and system, Mission Hospital brought in tankers to provide potable water to its patients and staff. // Watchdog photo by Keith Campbell
“After the City of Asheville lifted the boil water advisory, our team began the process of transitioning back to municipal water,” Lindell said in early December. “While we have continued to rely on the wells HCA Healthcare drilled in the storm’s aftermath and water brought in via tanker trucks, Mission Health conducted independent testing of the water at our sites within the City.”
Lindell said then that its test results “concur with the City of Asheville that the water is potable,” Lindell said.
“As the tankers that have been supplying water for the past two months move out and municipal water is turned back on, there should be no noticeable effects for our patients, visitors or colleagues,” Lindell said. Mission resumed using city water the first week of December.
At the Charles George VA Medical Center, spokesperson Kathie Ramos said the facility went back on city water Dec. 16, as the VA received water quality testing results Dec. 13.
The VA had been using water tankers before that.
“Before the storm, our Facilities Management Services disconnected the campus’s 200,000-gallon water tank from the city water system as a precautionary measure,” Ramos said. “After Hurricane Helene, the municipal water system suffered severe damage, preventing the medical center from using city water immediately. Since our water system remained uncontaminated, we continued the water tanker operation to provide a safe and reliable water supply to our customers.”
Ramos said the VA prioritizes “meeting all federal water standards” before it transitioned back to municipal water.
“After the city declared the water safe for consumption, we implemented our plan to return to the municipal system, which includes flushing and testing the water,” Ramos said, noting that the hospital had sent out samples for water quality testing. “As a healthcare facility, we must follow this deliberate approach to safeguard the well-being of all our patients, staff, and visitors.”
Question: In front of the Shell station in Swannanoa, at the corner of Patton Cove Road and U.S. 70, a guy has been standing out there all day waving a cowboy hat and giving drivers a thumbs up. Who is this guy? And why is he doing this?
My answer: Clearly, his horse broke down and he needs help.
Real answer: This would be Cowboy Dave, whose full name is Dave Graham. He hails from Newark, Ohio, and travels the country offering support and a friendly wave of his white cowboy hat after natural disasters and other traumatic events.
Graham, 65, told me he’s been at this for more than 20 years, and he just wants to offer people a pleasant distraction and a kind word, whether they’re a truck driver, a volunteer or just a hardworking person with a tough job who’s on their way home.
“They deserve to be honored, so show honor where honor’s due,” Graham said. “So everybody gets a look in the eyes, right? And I let them know that they’re flipping important, because they are. How important is that?”
“Cowboy Dave” Graham talks with Hunter Preston, the chaplain at Givens Highland Farms Senior Community in Black Mountain, in front of the Shell station on U.S. 70. Cowboy Dave has taken up residence there following Helene, waving his cowboy hat as passersby and offering words of encouragement. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
As I talked with Cowboy Dave last Tuesday evening, he gave just about every motorist a friendly wave of his hat, a thumbs up and maybe some encouraging words. Many responded with horn honks and thumbs ups of their own.
Initially after the storm, he said motorists were a little frosty, maybe suspecting he was up to something or looking for money. He’s not — Graham and his wife actually operate a nonprofit, heartshurt.com, that offers support to those in need, and locally he’s been coordinating assistance for people hit by the storm, delivering fuel to campers and inviting people to share fellowship near his camper.
Now the reactions are much more positive.
“To get somebody to toot the horn or or do something other than wave, something audible — say, ‘Hello cowboy,’ or whatever — that was about one out of 60, and I count in all the directions,” Graham said. “Now it’s about one out of 20.”
As we were talking, Hunter Preston, the chaplain at Givens Highlands Farms in Black Mountain, stopped by to thank Cowboy Dave for praying with him that morning. The area has a real need for people who can work on donated trailers and campers to make sure they’re operational this winter, and Preston told Cowboy that after they prayed he got a solid lead on workers who can help.
“This is Christmas,” Preston said about what Cowboy Dave is doing. “Absolutely, this is Christmas.”
Preston said Graham’s work is not affiliated with a particular denomination or organization, and Graham’s not looking for glory.
“All the credit is going to the glory of God, because that’s the word of the Gospel. The Lord shows up for the most needy, the hurting, in the most broken places, for the woundedness,” Preston said. “And this is the kind of love that just continues to come into this area.”
He noted that Cowboy Dave plans to host folks under a nearby illuminated tree by the Shell station on Christmas Eve for a Bible reading.
Graham lit up like the tree at the mention of this.
“Christmas Eve day at noon, Cowboy will have the PA system out,” Graham said with a laugh. “People can pull in in their car, and it will be the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke.”
He’ll be doing that every two hours throughout the day, into 2 a.m. Christmas.
“And I’ve got 20 people committed to 2 a.m. Christmas morning who are gonna be here,” Graham said.
I might miss that one, Cowboy Dave, but Merry Christmas!
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/.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 08:16:00
(The Center Square) – Taxpayers in North Carolina will face an average tax increase of $2,382 if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of the year, says the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
Results of analysis were released Thursday morning by the nonprofit organization billing itself a “nonpartisan research and educational affiliate of the National Taxpayers Union.” Its four state neighbors were similar, with South Carolina lower ($2,319) and higher averages in Virginia ($2,787), Georgia ($2,680) and Tennessee ($2,660).
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of eight years ago was a significant update to individual and business taxes in the federal tax code. According to the Tax Foundation, it was considered pro-growth reform with an estimate to reduce federal revenue by $1.47 trillion over a decade.
Should no action be taken before Jan. 1 and the act expire, the federal standard deduction would be halved; the federal child tax credit would decrease; higher federal tax brackets would return; the federal estate tax threshold will be lower; and some business tax benefits will be gone.
The foundation, in summarizing the impact on North Carolina business expensing, says the state conforms to Section 168(k). This means “only 60% expensing for business investments this year and less in future years. State policymakers could adopt 100% full expensing, particularly since the state conforms to the Section 163(j) limit on interest expense and the two provisions were meant to work together.”
The foundation says business net operation loss treatment policies in the state “are less generous than the federal government and impose compliance costs due to lack of synchronization with the federal code and are uncompetitive with most other states.”
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation also says lawmakers “should at least be conscious of any retroactive provisions when selecting their date of fixed conformity.” North Carolina is among 21 states conforming to the federal income tax base “only as of a certain date” rather than automatically matching federal tax code changes – meaning definitions, calculations or rules.
The foundation said nationally the average filer will see taxes raised $2,955. It estimates an increase for 62% of Americans. The biggest average increases by state are in Massachusetts ($4,848), Washington ($4,567) and Wyoming ($4,493) and the lowest are in West Virginia ($1,423), Mississippi ($1,570) and Kentucky ($1,715).
Individual wages, nationally, are expected to go down 0.5%, reducing economic growth by 1.1% over 10 years.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content primarily reports on the potential impact of the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relying heavily on analysis from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization but is known to advocate for lower taxes and limited government intervention, positions typically aligned with center-right economic policies. The article uses neutral language in presenting facts and data and does not explicitly advocate for a particular political viewpoint; however, the emphasis on tax increases and business expensing challenges following the expiration suggests a subtle alignment with pro-tax-cut, business-friendly perspectives associated with center-right ideology. Thus, while the article largely reports rather than overtly promotes an ideological stance, the framing and source choice reflect a center-right leaning.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 21:25:00
(The Center Square) – Authorization of sports agents to sign North Carolina’s collegiate athletes for “name, image, and likeness” contracts used in product endorsements is in legislation approved Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate.
Authorize NIL Agency Contracts, known also as Senate Bill 229, is headed to the Rules Committee after gaining favor in the Judiciary Committee. It would likely next get a full floor vote.
Last year the NCAA approved NIL contracts for players.
Sen. Amy S. Galey, R-Alamance
NCLeg.gov
“Athletes can benefit from NIL by endorsing products, signing sponsorship deals, engaging in commercial opportunities and monetizing their social media presence, among other avenues,” the NCAA says on its website. “The NCAA fully supports these opportunities for student-athletes across all three divisions.”
SB229 spells out the information that the agent’s contract with the athlete must include, and requires a warning to the athlete that they could lose their eligibility if they do not notify the school’s athletic director within 72 hours of signing the contract.
“Consult with your institution of higher education prior to entering into any NIL contract,” the says the warning that would be required by the legislation. “Entering into an NIL contract that conflicts with state law or your institution’s policies may have negative consequences such as loss of athletic eligibility. You may cancel this NIL agency contract with 14 days after signing it.”
The legislation also exempts the NIL contracts from being disclosed under the state’s Open Records Act when public universities review them. The state’s two ACC members from the UNC System, Carolina and N.C. State, requested the exemption.
“They are concerned about disclosure of the student-athlete contracts when private universities don’t have to disclose the student-athlete contracts,” Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, told the committee. “I feel very strongly that a state university should not be put at a disadvantage at recruitment or in program management because they have disclosure requirements through state law.”
Duke and Wake Forest are the other ACC members, each a private institution.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on the legislative development regarding NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts for collegiate athletes in North Carolina. It presents facts about the bill, committee actions, and includes statements from a state senator without using loaded or emotionally charged language. The piece neutrally covers the issue by explaining both the bill’s purpose and the concerns it addresses, such as eligibility warnings and disclosure exemptions. Overall, the article maintains a factual and informative tone without advocating for or against the legislation, reflecting a centrist, unbiased approach.
SUMMARY: Donald van der Vaart, a former North Carolina environmental secretary and climate skeptic, has been appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Republican Treasurer Brad Briner. Van der Vaart, who previously supported offshore drilling and fracking, would oversee the state’s transition to renewable energy while regulating utility services. His appointment, which requires approval from the state House and Senate, has drawn opposition from environmental groups. Critics argue that his views contradict clean energy progress. The appointment follows a controversial bill passed by the legislature, granting the treasurer appointment power to the commission.
