Environmental group MountainTrue announced on Tuesday it received a $750,000 grant to expand its regional debris cleanup and river restoration program.
The new funding comes three months after the non-profit received $10 million from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ).
The WNC Recovery and Resiliency Fund grant, which came from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s Truist Foundation, will help the group expand its program into Eastern Tennessee’s French Broad and Nolichucky watersheds, where Hurricane Helene caused significant damage.
“The rivers don't end at the state line,” said John Stamper, MountainTrue’s River Cleanup Coordinator. “A lot of stuff washed out of North Carolina and made its way all the way down into Tennessee. We're really grateful to be able to engage in and take care of that.”
Existing NCDEQ funding has powered the organization’s river debris cleanup program, which employs 79 displaced workers to restore river systems throughout the region, including the Qualla Boundary.
Crews have removed more than 4 million pounds of debris from the Broad, French Broad, Catawba, Green, North Toe, Rocky Broad, South Toe, Swannanoa and Watauga rivers.
The additional funding will help MountainTrue extend its cleanup work for two years and add technical crews that are trained to reach difficult stretches of whitewater.
