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Water outage in Asheville: What you need to know

The North Fork Reservoir after Hurricane Helene
City of Asheville
The North Fork Reservoir after Hurricane Helene

The damage from Hurricane Helene wrecked the City of Asheville's water system. On Saturday, October 12, Assistant City Manager Ben Woody and Water Resources Public Information Officer Clay Chandler answered common questions about the current water status.

Household FAQ

I have water back. Can I drink it?
No, not straight from the tap. Anyone served by Asheville City Water should boil their water vigorously for at least one minute before ingesting it. Chandler suggested that if you have access to bottled water, use it for drinking, brushing teeth or other consumption.

What is the difference in a boil water notice and a boil water advisory?
"The practical effect for the customers is exactly the same," Chandler said. Before consuming water, you need to boil it vigorously for at least one minute.

A boil water notice means there are known elevated levels of bacteria in the water. Under a boil water adivsory, conditions are conducive for elevated levels of bacteria, but its presence is not confirmed, Chandler said.

If you are served by North Fork, you are under a boil water notice. If you are served by Mills River, you are under a boil water advisory. More information here.

What should I do in my home?
Turn the breaker off and close the valve for your hot water heater.

Shut down your icemaker.

Close the water valves on your kitchen sink, bathroom sink and toilet (when not in use).

Can pets drink the water from the tap?
Water should be boiled before pets consume it.

Can I use the tap water for laundry?
Yes.

Can I wash dishes with the water?
Yes.

Can I bathe/shower in the tap water?
Yes. Parents/guardians should be cautious when bathing children to make sure they don't get water in their mouths. Infants should be sponge bathed.

When will the water come back on?
There is no set timeline for water restoration.

When will the boil water advisory end?
There is no timeline for the end of the boil water advisory. Testing will be ongoing.

So if I am served by the Mills River facility, and I have water back, do I need to worry about boiling it?
Yes. All City of Asheville customers should boil their water at this time.

Mills River serves Biltmore Forest, Shiloh, Oakley and areas south, according to Woody. Residents in those areas right now may not see the sediment that might be visible to residents served primarily by North Fork, but they should still boil water for consumption, Woody said.

The infrastructure challenge

Where does the water come from?
The majority of the city's water (about 80%) comes from the North Fork reservoir. Much of the remainder (about 20%) comes from the Mills River facility. These two systems run simultaneously, and the water will mix, Woody said.

A small portion of the water comes from the William DeBruhl facility, commonly referred to as Bee Tree.

The water in the North Fork reservoir is extremely turbid.

After the bypass line was connected, water began to flow from the reservoir to the line, bypassing the treatment facility.

Completion of installation of the North Fork bypass line.
City of Asheville
Completion of installation of the North Fork bypass line.

What happened at North Fork?
The top priority was to get a 36-inch bypass line in place to replace the damaged pipe. Homes closest to the North Fork facility will be the first to see water return. Once the line was placed, officials could begin putting water into the lines. Having the system pressurized allows staff to see where lines in the system are damaged or missing. Staff is now working to pressurize, move lines, and make repairs.

Are there toxic substances in the reservoir water now?
"That reservoir is surrounded by 22,000 acres of national forest land, so it is one of the most protected and cleanest sources of water in the United States," Woody said. "It has sediment, and it is muddy, but we are not like Jordan Lake in the Triangle. We don't get runoff from developed areas. While it is murky, the starting point is pristine and clean."

"There is no development whatsoever in that watershed," Chandler added.

What substance is being put in the water? Is it toxic?
Water staff will be using a coagulant called alum (aluminum sulfate), a common treatment component in water purification. This process has been around for at least 60 years, Chandler said.

The staff will use a boat to apply the alum to the surface of the water, and it will clump the particles together and make them heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the reservoir.

The process will get the water to a state where it can then be put through the filtration system.

Asheville water service areas.
City of Asheville
Asheville water service areas.

Why don't we have a house-by-house breakdown of who has water?
Water is not like power, Woody said. Household water will be restored on an individual basis, unlike power where an entire neighborhood may get electricity back at the same time.

There are about 155,000 to 160,000 customers systemwide, Chandler said. Mills River is serving approximately 25% of customers, so Chandler estimated about 110,000 to 115,000 customers are without water.

There is no ability to remotely detect water service, and the system cannot target specific customers to restore water service, Chandler said.

Laura Lee began her journalism career as a producer and booker at NPR. She returned to her native North Carolina to manage The State of Things, a live daily statewide show on WUNC. After working as a managing editor of an education journalism start-up, she became a writer and editor at a national education publication, Edutopia. She then served as the news editor at Carolina Public Press, a statewide investigative newsroom. In 2022, she worked to build collaborative coverage of elections administration and democracy in North Carolina.

Laura received her master’s in journalism from the University of Maryland and her bachelor’s degree in political science and J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.