Asheville Water Resources has restored running water to almost all of the city, but three weeks after Tropical Storm Helene, workers are still playing catch up with breaking or difficult-to-access areas, as well as water purity.
“We’ve gotten service to 90-ish percent of our system, probably pushing 95 by now,” Asheville Water Resources spokesperson Clay Chandler said at the Oct. 18 Buncombe County Helene recovery briefing. “We understand that there are still pockets that don’t have service. We understand that that’s frustrating for the residents. It’s frustrating for us, too.”
Those areas include the Bee Tree area, which has a line needing backfilling and stabilization before it can be pressurized; Reynold’s Mountain, which has a higher elevation and is therefore more difficult to restore; and parts of Candler.
“There’s going to be pockets that get water service after others, and that’s due to a couple of factors,” Chandler said. “The primary factor being elevation. I don’t think that applies to Candler, but, you know, we found some leaks and some breaks that we would find only once pipes were pressurized.”
Officials have predicted these breaks since they started fixing the system and may see more in the coming days.
“We’re working as quickly as we can to get those fixed,” Chandler said. “There’s a leak somewhere (in the Bee Tree area) that our staff is trying to find.”
The city’s latest map shows the status of water restoration. The entire system remains under a boil water notice. // Credit: City of Asheville
There’s no exact timetable for restoration at Bee Tree, where 40 homes are waiting for water. There’s better news on Eastmoor Road, west of Asheville, where 75 homes are waiting for water.
Water should be there by Friday night, Chandler said.
As the city tries to stamp out smaller issues across the system, bigger ones regarding water purity remain.
A boil water notice remains in effect for everyone on the system. Getting rid of particles in the water after Helene whipped it up into a chocolate milk-like soup of sediments is key to removing the notice and making the water safe to drink again.
Up at the North Fork Reservoir, the city is treating the water with a mix of aluminum sulfate and caustic soda. Workers have used a boat to dump tote bags full of chemicals into the reservoir in an effort to purify the water.
Aluminum sulfate is a “salt-ish” mineral the department uses to regularly treat the reservoir, as it makes clay particles coagulate and sink, leading to clearer water for filtering and treatment.
The water department also will treat the water with additional caustic soda – another chemical it regularly uses – which regulates the water’s pH level so the aluminum sulfate can work most effectively.
More rounds of treatment are on the way, and Chandler said he didn’t know how many would be needed.
He said that the city is treating the lake with 10 parts aluminum sulfate and caustic soda per million.
“We generally treat between three and four parts per million,” Chandler said. “Now, I know that sounds like an astonishing increase, but for a little context, the reservoir in Mississippi, where I moved here from, routinely is treated with this same process at 15 to 20 parts per million. Some drinking water reservoirs that are especially turbid can be treated between 50 and 60 parts per million.”
The city plans to install curtains to help sift the water to remove particulates.
Asked about the timeline for installing these, Chandler said, “Unknown.”
A boil water notice, according to the city’s official guidance, means any water intended for consumption — drinking, cooking, brushing teeth — should be boiled for at least one minute beforehand. Water out of the tap is safe for handwashing (unless hands are being cleaned for food preparation), showering (be careful not to swallow water while showering) and laundry. The water is safe for washing dishes, as long as a dishwasher’s temperature reaches a minimum of 170 degrees, which typically happens when the “sanitize” setting is activated.
“Our plan now is to lift the boil water notice when the entire system has potable water,” Chandler said.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@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/.
SUMMARY: Jim Jenkins, a North Carolina baseball trailblazer and Negro Leagues player, exemplified resilience and excellence both on and off the field. His sons recall his superior skills—hitting, running, and catching—and how he faced challenges due to his skin color. Beyond baseball, Jenkins was a community father, teaching youths fundamentals and helping those in need. He shared a friendship with legend Hank Aaron, often attending Braves games with his family. His legacy endures through his children, who honor not just his athletic achievements but his kindness and humanity, inspiring future generations to carry on his impact.
James “Jim” Jenkins had a profound impact on the game of baseball as a trailblazer known in the Carolinas.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
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 presents a straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
