ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Water restoration in Buncombe County has reached the 95 percent mark over the weekend, officials said Monday.

That included the Eastmoor and Bee Tree areas. But there are still some problem areas, including Town Mountain Road and Webb Cove Road, where water restoration is more complicated because of a 3-inch line that washed out in a landslide, officials said.

“So we’ve had to do a little bit of coordinating with NCDOT as far as road repair before we can restore service there,” Asheville Water Department Public Information Officer Clay Chandler said. “Our contractors are going to work on a temporary solution that we hope will be in place Wednesday or Thursday.”

Chandler said the surface water at the city’s North Fork Reservoir has not cleared. He said water there was expected to clear from the top down.

“What has happened, and which is almost completely opposite of what we expected to happen, is water at the deeper portions, 40 to 50 feet, have shown fairly significant improvement as far as clearing turbidity,” Chandler said.

Crews treated the reservoir with aluminum sulfate last week and plan another treatment next week.

Crews will also be working this week to anchor curtains around the reservoir’s intake to try to filter the sediment from the water.

“Still no timeline, or at least an accurate one that we can provide, as far as when that lake will clear up and we can treat the water and push it through our filters,” Chandler said.

“The water going through our system right now is not a perfect solution. And if we had our way, we would, we would be delivering our normally pristine water to all of our customers. We’re certainly working around the clock to reach that point.”

Fire Department of New York

The Fire Department of New York has been on the ground in Buncombe County for 19 days providing coordination and allocation of resources. But crews are beginning a new phase of recovery where local services take the lead, county officials said.

Because of the improving situation, FDNY is beginning its de-mobilization plan. Some areas will continue to receive critical mutual aid including Reynolds, Riceville, Fairview, Swannanoa, and Black Mountain.

FDNY teams will continue to monitor the situation closely, they will be ready to respond if a new situation arises.

FDNY Deputy Incident Commander Ryan Traina said the decision was not made lightly and was based on the progress made in the area.

Local emergency response resources have been replenished and assistance has been coming in from state resources, which has helped stabilize most critical needs post-storm. As time has passed, emergency calls have decreased and immediate threats such as rescue missions, medical emergencies and hazardous conditions have been addressed.

The region’s infrastructure has seen notable improvements with many roadways cleared, power coming back on and critical services coming back online.

“As time has passed, the volume of emergency calls has significantly decreased. The majority of immediate threats, such as rescue missions, medical emergencies and hazardous conditions has been addressed. This allows us to scale back the outside assistance without compromising safety,” Traina said.

Keeping large numbers of external resources in place for prolonged periods can strain logistical support systems, he said.

“By reducing our footprint now we ensure that the remaining teams can operate more efficiently and sustainably, allowing us to focus on specific areas that still need attention,” Traina said.

“Our team will continue to monitor the situation closely, rest assured. I want to stress that this reduction does not mean that help is disappearing. Let me stress that. We are entering a new phase of recovery where local services take the lead with our ongoing support.”

Buncombe County operations

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Buncombe County will reopen to the public with regular business hours with the exception of most parks and two libraries. Only North Buncombe Fields and Hominy Valley Park will open; all other parks remain closed. All libraries will open with the exception of Oakley Library and Swannanoa Library. Mobile parks and library programming will be announced in the coming days as plans are finalized to bring these services to communities.

Community Care Stations

Community Care Stations with showers, laundry, food, and in some cases medical care, all available at not cost. The locations for these are:

  • AC Reynolds High School
  • At Home Store (parking lot)
  • Big Lots/Innsbrook Mall
  • Buncombe County Sports Park
  • Bethel United Methodist
  • A.C. Reynolds Middle School
  • Ingles Swannanoa
  • Morgan Hill Baptist Church

Food and water distribution are also continuing at:

  • Sky Lanes Bowling Alley
  • Black Mountain Ingles
  • Fairview Elementary
  • Swannanoa Ingles
  • Leicester Elementary (this location will close on Oct. 21)
  • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
  • Pack Square Park
  • Buncombe County Sports Park
  • A.C. Reynolds Middle School

Early Voting

Early voting continues this week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The ballot, wait maps, and other voting information can be viewed at www.buncombecounty.org/vote. Early voting location sites include:

  • Black Mountain Library
  • East Asheville Library
  • Enka-Candler Library
  • Fairview Library
  • Leicester Community Center
  • South Buncombe Library
  • UNCA Health & Counseling Center
  • Weaverville Community Center
  • Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Center
  • West Asheville Library

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation

Following safety evaluations, North Buncombe Fields and Hominy Valley Park reopened today. All other Buncombe County parks remain closed. Updates and reopening plans for specific parks will be provided as they become available.

D-SNAP

Buncombe County residents can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) now, with a deadline on Thursday. Individuals and households not currently receiving Food and Nutrition Services benefits who were impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for D-SNAP. People can apply in person at Buncombe County Health and Human Services at 40 Coxe Ave. in Asheville from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The application process can also be started online by pre-registering at epass.nc.gov and then calling the DSNAP Virtual Call Center at 1-844-453-1117.

Solid Waste Updates

This week the landfill will be open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; the Transfer Station will be open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for residential bagged trash and household recycling only. This week’s drop-off locations include (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.):

  • Tuesday: AB Tech Enka
  • Wednesday: Owen Pool
  • Thursday: Ingles Fairview
  • Friday: North Buncombe Pool

Normal routes for trash and recycling will be serviced where accessible.

City of Asheville

City offices will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 23. This does not include all city recreation facilities such as recreation centers. Thirty-two City of Asheville parks have opened. For the most up-to-date list of open parks visit ashevillenc.gov/parks. Two events are taking place:

The Haunted Parking Lot on the Hill Trunk or Treat event will take place this Saturday, Oct. 26, from 4-6 p.m. at Stephens-Lee Community Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave.

The Boo Bash Block Party will take place Sunday, Oct. 27, from 2-4 p.m. at Tanger Outlets on 800 Brevard Road.

Storm debris removal

Temporary debris management sites have been set up, with Enka Commerce Park now serving as the primary location for processing and removing debris. The 65 Ford St.t site and the Municipal Golf Course will be prepped for possible use, but Roger Farmer Park will no longer be used.

The debris removal strategy is flexible, aiming to minimize neighborhood and business disruptions while adhering to safety and environmental regulations. Ongoing communication with affected communities will continue.

“There is and continues to be a sense of urgency about debris removal,” Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell said in a news release. “The longer storm debris remains in our neighborhoods and business areas the longer we are living with fire and safety hazards. We want our neighborhoods to be safe and we want our businesses to be able to reopen as soon as possible.”

The estimated amount of debris in Buncombe County, which includes the City of Asheville, is 10 million cubic yards.