In its first appearance at a Tropical Storm Helene briefing since before Christmas, the Asheville Water Resources Department delivered more good news for customers regarding lead testing results and improving turbidity at North Fork Reservoir.
Spokesperson Clay Chandler said the water system has returned to full corrosion control protection, if it was ever fully lost. Corrosion control helps prevent lead from leaching from private plumbing into tap water.
Chandler said Wednesday the water department has posted 1,200 results for lead testing, and they show 24 tests came back with detectable levels of lead on the first draw of water, and nine of those exceeded the EPA-established action limit of .015 parts per billion.
Of 1,175 “flush samples,” taken after letting the water run, five had detectable levels of lead, three of which were “right at the detection limit,” Chandler said. Two surpassed the EPA-established action level limit.
He said the city identified a couple of issues with those customers, and remediation steps have been taken. The city has said previously that it has no lead in its distribution line piping, but lead can enter taps from private plumbing, particularly in homes built in or before 1988, when lead solder and pipes was banned.
The city announced Nov. 14 that lead had been detected in seven schools after lead mitigation treatments had been suspended 19 days, resuming Oct. 30. The announcement resulted in thousands of customers – about 7,000 total – requesting lead testing kits. No students drank the water during that time frame.
The city restored potable water Nov. 18 and has insisted it is safe to drink.
Health officials emphasize that no level of lead, which can cause development problems in children and has other healthy impacts, is safe.
The lead “detects” in the city system continue to share a commonality, Chandler said, which is that the customers’ water systems “have all been sitting dormant for an extended period.” The city still recommends customers let the water run for 30 seconds before using, or until they notice a temperature change, typically to cooler water.
The city also conducted a resampling of its existing lead and copper sampling pool, sites that are tested every three years as part of compliance with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s lead awareness program. Of those 51 sampled sites in December, three had a detectable level of lead on the first draw and one was over the action level.
The city sampled the same sites in July, before Helene, and got the same results.
“So that is very good news, because we have comparative sampling data on that sampling pool from over the years, and essentially nothing has changed,” Chandler said. “That’s pretty strong evidence that if corrosion control was ever lost — and there’s not a whole lot of evidence that it was — that it is all the way back. We are obviously very, very happy with that.”
The city of Asheville reinstated its lead mitigation program Oct. 30 after suspending it for 19 days. It takes 30 to 90 days to reform the protective coating to prevent lead from leaching into pipes in older homes — those built in 1988 or before. // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego
The city previously noted that the lead mitigation program was reinstated Oct. 30 and would take 30 to 90 days to reform the protective coating to prevent lead from leaching into pipes in older homes.
The lead results put the city “still well within the 90th percentile” target required by the EPA and the DEQ. That means at least 90 percent of the first draw samples, if they have detectable lead, must be under the action limit.
“I think we’re actually at like 98.9 percent,” Chandler said.
In early December, two outside experts raised concerns about the lead in city water and recommended more testing.
Chandler said the city has given out about 7,000 test kits and will continue running tests, although he doesn’t expect all of those kits handed out will be tested.
“We don’t think every single one of those is going to come back,” Chandler said. “For example, we’ve had a lot of people ask us to take them off the list as we post results on the website.”
Chandler said lead test kit pickup and drop-off continues to be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at Asheville City Hall, and at three local libraries from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Those branches are the North Asheville Library at 1030 Merrimon Avenue, the East Asheville Library at 3 Avon Road and the West Asheville Library at 942 Haywood Road.
The last day to pick up a test kit from the libraries is Jan. 28, and the last day to drop off at the libraries is Friday, Jan. 31.
“Water Resources strongly encourages our customers who want to lead test kits to pick one up and drop it off before Jan. 31,” Chandler said. “Then our capacity to get test kits to the lab and the results back to the customers is going to be significantly decreased as we return to normal operations.”
Turbidity continues to improve
Chandler also said turbidity continues to improve at North Fork Reservoir, which provides 80 percent of the city’s drinking water, and an Army Corps of Engineers mobile treatment project is operational.
Helene essentially turned North Fork upside down, and turbidity surged in the 350-acre lake. Measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs), turbidity initially stood at 79 NTUs after the storm, resulting in water one city official compared to chocolate milk.
The city restored mostly untreated water to most customers by mid-October, but it had a strong chlorine odor and was discolored, as it was essentially lake water. Clean, potable water returned a month later.
Still, reservoir turbidity remained stubbornly high through much of the fall. As of Dec. 18, it stood at 10.2. On Wednesday, Chandler said it’s down to about 7.
After treatment, turbidity at customers’ taps is extremely low.
“Once that water passes through our filters and our treatment systems, turbidity is around .08, .09, right around there,” Chandler said.
Pre-Helene, turbidity in the raw water at North Fork typically stood around .5, and the city would like to get it back to that level.
“Again, I just don’t think that’s possible with the level of damage that we have in the watershed,” Chandler said, referring to downed trees and muddy washouts.
The city has found that its system can handle higher turbidity than previously thought, but it does require more backwashing and is not a good long-term solution.
The Army Corps of Engineers portable filtration system, which treats higher turbidity water, has helped the city meet demand, which actually has increased since the storm. The Corps contracted the six-month, $39 million project to a private firm.
While tourism has been down drastically since the storm, water usage is up, Chandler said.
“Our average daily demand is right at 25 million gallons a day,” Chandler said. “Before Helene, that number was between 18 and 20 (MGD).”
Chandler did not know what’s driving the increase, although he said some recent breaks of 6- and 8-inch lines due to extreme cold could be a contributing factor.
The city has the capacity to meet demand. North Fork can push out 31 million gallons of treated water a day, and the city’s treatment facility on the Mills River in northern Henderson County another 7 million gallons daily.
“If we had a demand of like 38 million gallons, we could meet it, but we would be redlining our operations,” Chandler said.
Asheville Watchdog 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. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis 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 – ) 2025-09-05 09:01:00
State Sen. Bobby Hanig announced his Republican primary candidacy for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, aiming to challenge Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson and incumbent Democrat Rep. Don Davis. Hanig filed with the Federal Elections Commission, while Roberson plans to run. Hanig emphasizes conservative leadership aligned with the America First agenda. The district, covering 22 northeastern counties, was highly competitive in 2024, with Davis narrowly winning. Hanig, an Army veteran and former state representative, chairs key legislative committees and runs two Outer Banks businesses. He supports tax cuts, border control, pro-life policies, and Second Amendment rights, aligning with former President Trump’s agenda.
(The Center Square) – State Sen. Bobby Hanig will enter the Republican primary for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, hoping to defeat Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson and eventually second-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis.
Rep. Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck
Michael Lewis via NCLeg.gov
Filing with the State Board of Elections is in December. Hanig has filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission. Roberson said he would run in April.
“I’m running because northeastern North Carolina deserves true conservative leadership that will fight for our community and the America first agenda,” he said in a release.
The seat was the most competitive between Democrats and Republicans in 2024 and figures to again be so in the 2026 midterms. Davis outlasted Republican Laurie Buckhout 49.52%-47.84%, winning by 6,307 votes of more than 376,000 cast.
Twenty-two counties are touched in the northeastern part of the state.
Hanig, R-Currituck, is a veteran of the Army. He has served the Board of Commissioners in Currituck County, and was in the state House of Representatives for two terms. By trade, he began as “the pool guy” and operates two businesses serving nearly 400 properties across the Outer Banks.
He’s chairman of the State and Local Government Committee, and serves as chairman within the Committee on Appropriations for General Government and Information Technology. He’s vice chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Local Government.
Four other assignments are Agriculture, Energy and Environment; Education/Higher Education; Regulatory Reform; and Transportation.
“I believe in President Trump’s America First Agenda and my record in the Legislature backs it up,” Hanig said. “I’ve cut taxes for North Carolina families, toughened border control in the state, stood up for life, and defended our Second Amendment rights.”
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 article largely reports factual information about the candidates entering the North Carolina 1st Congressional District race, including their backgrounds, election filing status, and statements of political positions. It mainly quotes Sen. Bobby Hanig’s own words and campaign messaging, especially his alignment with “America First” and conservative values. The coverage uses neutral language without editorializing or explicitly endorsing any viewpoint. However, the focus on Hanig’s quoted statements about tax cuts, border control, pro-life stance, and Second Amendment rights, along with an absence of equivalent direct quotes from the Democratic incumbent or the other Republican candidate, subtly frames the narrative from a conservative perspective. This leads to a slight center-right tilt, as the piece highlights Hanig’s positions without presenting counterpoints or Democratic viewpoints in comparable detail. Overall, it functions as informational content about the race rather than overt advocacy, but the emphasis on conservative policy references indicates a modest center-right leaning.
SUMMARY: Laura Leslie, a veteran North Carolina political reporter with 21 years of experience, will become the new editor of NC Newsline on September 29. Leslie, currently WRAL’s capitol bureau chief, led the innovative NCCapitol project covering state politics across multiple platforms. Previously, she was capitol bureau chief at WUNC public radio and authored the award-winning blog “Isaac Hunter’s Tavern.” An Emmy winner recognized nationally, Leslie replaces Rob Schofield, who retired in August. She expressed gratitude to WRAL and enthusiasm for joining NC Newsline, part of the expanding States Newsroom nonprofit network. Leslie’s last day at WRAL is September 5.
North Carolina’s 2025 crop season shows promise with healthy corn, soybeans, cotton, and apples, a major improvement from 2024’s drought and storm damage. However, challenges remain: Tropical Depression Chantal caused flooding, wet conditions hurt tobacco, and relief payments from last year’s disasters are delayed. Farmers face financial stress due to low crop prices, rising input costs, trade tariffs impacting exports, and labor shortages exacerbated by strict immigration policies and higher wages. The USDA relocating operations to Raleigh raises hopes for better local support. Despite struggles, a bountiful harvest is expected, supporting the state’s agricultural resilience and fall agritourism.
by Jane Winik Sartwell, Carolina Public Press September 4, 2025
The news about crops out of North Carolina farms is good this year: the corn is tall, the soybeans leafy, the cotton fluffy and the apples ripe.
Compared to last year’s disastrous summer, when it seemed flooding was the only relief from extreme drought, this summer has left farmers feeling hopeful. In Wayne County, extension agent Daryl Anderson says this is the best corn crop the county has seen in 50 years.
That’s a major turnaround from last year, when dry conditions decimated cornfields from the coast to the mountains.
Still, no year in the fields is free of struggle. Rainy weather, delayed relief payments, market conditions and dramatic federal policy shifts have kept farmers on their toes.
Crops lie ruined in fields in Person County after Tropical Depression Chantal, which passed through the area on July 6, 2025. Provided / Person County Cooperative Extension
It’s been a wet year — at times, too wet. Tropical Depression Chantal flooded fields in Central North Carolina in early July. Unusually wet conditions all summer hurt the tobacco crop across the state.
Plus, state relief money for the tribulations of 2024 is coming slow. The legislature just approved an additional $124 million to address last year’s agricultural disasters, but farmers still haven’t received the money originally allocated to the Ag Disaster Crop Loss Program in March.
For Henderson County extension director Terry Kelley, the money is an urgent matter. In Kelley’s neck of the woods, apple farmers are still recovering from the devastation Helene wrought on their orchards. Finances are starting to spiral out of control for many.
“Our farmers are really anxious to get that money,” Kelley told Carolina Public Press.
Rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Helene create a massive washout in a Mills River tomato field in Henderson County in 2024. Provided / Terry Kelley / Henderson County Extension
“They’ve got bills due from last year. They’ve used their credit up to their limit and beyond. We need that money. It’s been a long summer of waiting.”
Though Helene upped the ante in the West, Kelley’s anxieties are felt across North Carolina. In Bladen County, where many 2024 crops were devastated by Tropical Storm Debbie, extension agent Matthew Strickland says there’s been a dearth of information about how the program works.
“We are not sure when those payments will be issued and exactly how they will be calculated,” Strickland said. “We were told they’d go out mid-summer. There’s been no update. Who knows when they’ll go out? Nobody really knows.”
The financial pressure extends beyond those delayed relief payments. North Carolina farmers find themselves at the whim of unexpected shifts in both the market and federal policies.
Though both quality and yield are high for field crops this year, the price of those crops at market is low. Meanwhile, input costs continue to rise. This makes for an unsettling financial equation for farmers.
Plus, President Donald Trump’s tariffs have made American crops less desirable overseas, according to Strickland. Before recent tariff hikes, lots of North Carolina corn, soybeans and tobacco made its way to China. Now, not as much.
“With the political trade wars, we’re really worried when it comes to our soybeans and tobacco,” Surry County extension agent Ryan Coe told CPP. “A lot of farmers are still waiting to see what’s going to happen. We don’t have a crystal ball.”
The tariffs haven’t been all bad, though. While some crops suffer, others have found opportunities. Kelley says the lack of Mexican tomatoes on the market has created a higher demand for local Henderson County tomatoes, for example.
Labor, too, is giving farmers pause. Many rely on legal migrant workers, but the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies have tightened the market.
“It’s more difficult now to get labor, even with legal workers,” Kelley said. “It’s not available as it once was, and it’s terribly expensive.”
That’s because wages for migrant workers on legal H-2A visas continue to rise. In North Carolina, farmers must now pay migrant workers $16.16 per hour. This number is called an Adverse Effect Wage Rate, and it’s designed to ensure that wages for American workers don’t fall.
A cornfield at Trask Family Farms outside Wilmington on Aug. 29. Jane Winik Sartwell / Carolina Public Press
There’s a chance, however, that going forward, North Carolina farmers may have a bigger say in American agricultural policies.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is moving major operations to Raleigh, in an effort to bring the department closer to the nation’s farming hubs. Some North Carolina farmers are excited about it.
“Having the USDA in this area will be good for all farmers in North Carolina,” said Mikayla Berryhill, an extension agent in Person County, where farms were flooded by Chantal’s heavy rains. “We will be able to show them what specific problems we have here in North Carolina and get help with those.”
In the meantime, it looks like it will be a bountiful harvest of crops here in North Carolina. This fall’s agritourism attractions, from corn mazes and county fairs to hay rides and apple markets, should reflect that agricultural resilience.
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 content presents a balanced and factual overview of agricultural conditions in North Carolina, highlighting both challenges and positive developments without evident partisan framing. It discusses impacts of federal policies, including tariffs and immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, in a straightforward manner without overt criticism or praise. The article focuses on practical issues affecting farmers, such as weather, market conditions, and government relief efforts, maintaining a neutral tone throughout.
