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The Department of Environmental Quality is releasing $3 million for debris cleanup in Haywood County. $2 million is going to Haywood Waterways to fund debris cleanup crews on local rivers and streams, and an additional $1 million to a project to help farmers use downed wood to improve soil health.
Preston Jacobsen, the executive director of Haywood Waterways, said this funding is part of a larger flood risk reduction strategy for the region, especially after Haywood County is still learning lessons from Hurricane Fred. It’s also being released at a time when a lot of initial funding for storm recovery is drying up.
“That's awesome to have that guarantee, to have nearly two years of consistent, paid cleanup crews to assist when, at best, even post-Fred, we were only able to do volunteer events when folks couldn't even step up,” Jacobsen said.
Haywood Waterways is hoping to stabilize riverbanks and reduce the risk of future flooding. To do this they’re supplementing the debris removal work with tree plantings and other erosion control work. Helene swept away the sides of waterways and killed a lot of the trees whose deep roots would normally slow down floodwater. Debris cleanup and stream remediation will help Haywood County stay resilient in the face of the projected extreme rain the region is likely to experience as the climate warms, Jacobsen said. Many of these volunteer-supported plantings will happen during the fall, and debris crews will hit the ground running in the spring, Jacobsen said.
Reid Wilson, secretary of the NC DEQ, said the agency’s priority is continuing environmental remediation post-Helene.
“In all sorts of towns across the mountains, there are still remaining huge piles of trees that have been moved to one location, but they're still there,” Wilson said. “There's still a wildfire risk and they're still unsightly and they constantly remind people that recovery is not done yet.”
The $1 million for the biochar facility will turn dead wood from Helene into charcoal for farmers to use as a topsoil enhancement, helping soil retain water and nutrients.
The DEQ grants is in addition to previous funding the agency gave to MountainTrue in July. The nonprofit spent the ensuing months gathering crews of debris-cleanup workers, many from outdoor industries, to grab stubborn debris from the region’s riverbanks.
Wilson said support for storm cleanup is coming from the Environmental Protection Agency. This week it announced $61 million to the state to address waste issues and help communities repair stream banks and recycling facilities. There’s also likely more stream cleanup funds to come. EPA has allocated $685 million to the state for water infrastructure in total.
