For communities along the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, the threat Hurricane Helene made devastatingly real in 2024 remains a fact of life. Now the state is investing more than $1.2 million to help Swannanoa and Rosman fight back.
According to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the funding comes through its Flood Resiliency Blueprint program and will support restoration work along both rivers, led by two local nonprofits-- RiverLink and Conserving Carolina.
"Rebuilding more resiliently in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene continues to be an urgent priority," said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. "These projects will make downstream communities less vulnerable to damage during future floods."
In Swannanoa, RiverLink will receive $822,780 to restore a 4.45-acre parcel along the Swannanoa River that was severely damaged by Helene. The project will create 1.6 million gallons of flood storage and reduce flood risk along Old Highway 70 and in downstream areas. It will also use natural stormwater infrastructure -- including plants that capture and filter polluted runoff -- while stabilizing a tributary stream of the Swannanoa River.
Conserving Carolina will receive $450,000 to restore 30 acres of former agricultural fields near the upper reaches of the French Broad River in the town of Rosman in Transylvania County. The project will create 7.1 million gallons of floodplain storage and protect downstream landmarks including Rosman Community Park and the town's wastewater treatment plant. It will also restore 3,000 feet of tributary streams and three acres of wetlands, improving water quality along the French Broad River.
Both projects will use a technique called flood benching -- creating a shelf alongside the river channel where floodwaters can spread out and slow down, reducing the volume and velocity of water surging downstream.
The Flood Resiliency Blueprint, directed by the N.C. General Assembly in 2021, has now funded 84 projects across six river basins totaling more than $43 million. The program is authorized to invest $96 million total in flood mitigation projects across the state.
