Asheville NC water update: Latest on outage; when will water be restored?

Thousands across Western North Carolina remain without running water days after Tropical Storm Helene destroyed the main lines that supply the area around Asheville.

While relief efforts are under way to provide bottled water and food to those in need, many are wondering when running water will be restored.

Officials in Buncombe County and Asheville have not given a timeline on when full water connectivity can be restored after Helene washed out 24-inch and 36-inch water main lines and transmission lines at the North Fork Water Treatment Plant. Inaccessible roadways and continued flooding created challenges for making the necessary repairs that would allow the area to regain full running water.

"We have made measurable progress toward beginning the process of repairing the water system," Ben Woody, Asheville assistant city manager, said Oct. 2.

One water treatment facility — the Mills River Water Treatment Plant — is functional, but is working at a reduced level.

Woody said personnel have reached a milestone in the recovery of the Mills River plant and that customers being served by that plant should begin to receive water. "We are beginning to ramp up production at that plant," he said.

Repairs are underway at Buncombe's biggest source of water, the North Fork plant.

"Actual repairs are underway to transmission lines and access roads," Woody said. But he cautioned that "damage to the transmission lines is severe."

As for the facility at Bee Tree in Swannanoa, Woody said it won't be accessible until access roads can be rebuilt.Previous reporting from the Citizen Times noted that it would be weeks before full water connection was restored after thousands of feet of water lines were washed away.

Asheville has three water treatment plants: North Fork (located in Black Mountain), William DeBruhl (located in Swannanoa), and Mills River (located near the Asheville Regional airport). The reservoirs are fed by mountain streams.

Those currently needing water can visit these water distribution sites: