DEQ continues to prioritize Helene recovery one year later

For the past 12 months, the top priority of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has been to help communities in western North Carolina recover and rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Staff from almost every division have devoted thousands of hours to the effort. DEQ has secured more than $800 million in federal and state funding, and has awarded nearly $200 million so far in grants and loans to local governments, businesses and nonprofits.

“Hurricane Helene unleashed unprecedented devastation to the natural environment and essential infrastructure in western North Carolina,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “The DEQ team has worked tirelessly to help mountain communities recover and rebuild, and we will continue in the months and years ahead to support debris cleanup, environmental restoration, and the development of resilient water and energy infrastructure.”

DEQ is launching a new Hurricane Helene webpage that highlights funding opportunities, ongoing projects in the region and guidance and resources for the public.

Many of DEQ’s Helene-related efforts in the past year are summarized below.

Emergency Response

• The Division of Marine Fisheries’ Marine Patrol Swift Water Rescue Team deployed 24 officers to western North Carolina in four separate deployments over 16 days to assist with Hurricane Helene search and rescue efforts and delivery of supplies.
• Approximately 180 public drinking water systems were closed, some still without power, in early October. Another 40 systems were on a boil water advisory and awaiting the results of bacteriological sampling results to lift the advisory. Staff provided significant technical assistance to water systems and participated in significant coordination with private, municipal, state and federal partners to provide aid to impacted water systems and help bring them back online.
• In partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency’s mobile labs, DEQ sampled bacteria from 1,558 private wells in Buncombe and Watauga counties.
• Approximately 100 wastewater plants as of early October were closed with significant damage, without power or partially operational. In some cases, collection systems that transport wastewater were also damaged, so minimal flow was reaching the plants. Staff provided technical assistance, including on-site help, to help bring the systems back online.
• DEQ’s dam safety program implemented an automated notification system called DamWatch to evaluate overtopping risks during the storm and alert emergency management of potential red flags before they escalated into catastrophic failures.
• Immediately after the storm, DEQ had boots on the ground inspecting all high hazard dams in the affected areas. Hundreds of dams were damaged to some extent — most of the damage minor. Only one high hazard dam breached: Lake Craig Dam, an in-line dam on the Swannanoa River. The term “high hazard” refers to the extent of potential downstream consequences of damage, not to the condition of a dam.
• Within hours of the storm ending, DEQ began tracking landslide damage, and has identified and mapped 2,579 landslides. Landslides tend to happen near where they have previously occurred because of similar geologic and microclimate conditions. This mapping tells county planners, emergency services and the public where a landslide might start under certain conditions and where it might go.
• DEQ partnered with the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency to deploy 15 temporary air quality monitors and sensors. This data helped staff meteorologists forecast and track the air quality impacts of wildfires in March 2025 and issue Air Quality Action Day alerts. Outside of these wildfire events, DEQ did not observe a degradation in air quality.
• DEQ staff in the Asheville Regional Office began sampling for E. coli in streams in Buncombe County, helping to identify potential sources of contamination. Also, DEQ scientists sampled 11 streams in November and December to determine water quality.
• DEQ employees from multiple divisions helped staff the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center around the clock for multiple weeks to help western North Carolina prepare for the storm and coordinate response activities with emergency officials after the storm.

Supporting a Robust Recovery

• DEQ partnered with state and federal organizations to coordinate debris cleanup activities and published guidance on debris removal for contractors, local governments and nonprofits.
• DEQ worked with EPA to locate and remove hazardous materials, including more than 959 propane tanks, from more than 1,100 target locations. Additionally, staff supported the removal of 2.24 tons of ignitable, corrosive and/or mercury-contaminated waste.
• DEQ activated 166 temporary debris staging and reduction sites to collect and manage storm debris, including approving 133 new sites.
• DEQ will allocate more than $61 million in federal funding from EPA to support hazardous waste cleanup, remove debris and repair recycling infrastructure.
• The Department’s Viable Utility Program is conducting in-person outreach to towns in western North Carolina to determine ongoing water and wastewater needs. The team has provided support including application assistance, staff training, project tracking, funding research and compliance coordination at towns including Bakersville, Black Mountain, Bryson City, Burnsville, Canton, Crossnore, Hot Springs, Lake Lure, Lansing, Marshall, Old Fort and others.

Investing in Resiliency

• DEQ has begun allocating $686 million from EPA to repair and upgrade damaged drinking water, wastewater and septic systems. A key requirement is that each project must strengthen the resilience of the system in the face of future floods. The first 14 drinking water and wastewater projects totaling $86 million were approved in September, and DEQ will accept applications on a rolling basis year-round. To launch the program successfully, DEQ held numerous workshops and assistance sessions with local governments throughout the mountains.
• DEQ awarded a $10 million grant to MountainTrue, an Asheville based nonprofit, to hire 80 staff to clean up debris from 125 miles of streams over the next 18 months.
• DEQ awarded a $2 million grant to the nonprofit Haywood Waterways Association to remove debris and restore streambanks in the Pigeon River Watershed of Haywood County.
• DEQ is administering $75 million in bridge loans to communities to address immediate drinking water and wastewater infrastructure repair needs until additional federal and state funds are available.
• DEQ provided $7 million in technical assistance grants to local governments for engineering assessment and design costs for water infrastructure projects, including for regionalization projects.
• DEQ will prioritize applications for funding from 16 western North Carolina counties during the fall 2025 funding round of the State Reserve Grants. Applicants may qualify for up to $3 million. Staff provided in-person and virtual application training, including western North Carolina-specific information sessions, for local governments and nonprofit water corporations.
• DEQ awarded $10 million from the Home Repair Weatherization Readiness Program to make necessary repairs to affected homes on the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) deferral list. This included $6 million in readiness funding to the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and $4 million to several current WAP service providers. The program’s goal is to repair homes so that weatherization assistance can be provided to more than 575 households.
• Since Oct. 1, 2024, the Weatherization Assistance Program has weatherized 189 homes and replaced 426 heating systems in western North Carolina. The program makes homes more energy efficient, reduces utility bills and strain on the electric grid, and makes homes more resilient to extreme weather events.
• DEQ granted $5 million to the Land of Sky Regional Council of Governments to install mobile and permanent microgrids that will provide accessible power in the wake of future weather disasters. Up to 24 stationary microgrids will be installed across six Helene-affected counties, with two mobile microgrid hubs serving the entire state. The microgrids will serve as community hubs and will strengthen emergency power access, communications and other critical community services.
• Energy Saver North Carolina modified its rollout plan in response to Helene to prioritize energy efficiency projects in western North Carolina. To date, 1,068 applications from western North Carolina homes have been submitted for energy-efficiency rebates, and 360 applications have been approved. Energy Saver North Carolina is designed to reduce household energy demand by using less energy through energy efficient upgrades like insulation and efficient appliances. As families recover, Energy Saver North Carolina makes long-term upgrades more accessible and affordable, leading to lower monthly bills, better indoor air quality, year-round comfort and more resilient homes.
• DEQ awarded a $1 million grant to the Southwestern North Carolina Resource Conservation & Development Council to convert downed trees into biochar to actively remove debris from the ground, lower wildfire risks, and produce a valuable byproduct that enriches agricultural land with essential nutrients.
• DEQ will continue its work mapping landslides using $3 million allocated by the General Assembly. This information can be used to create a landslide early warning system in the future.
• DEQ will distribute $10 million in state funding to dam owners to aid with repairs. This funding opportunity opens this fall with awards to be granted in the coming months.
• DEQ provided $634,136 in bridge loans to test and repair commercial underground storage tank systems. A total of $2 million in loans is available through this program.