ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — North Carolina will invest $270 million to repair and harden water infrastructure across western counties still recovering from Tropical Storm Helene, Gov. Josh Stein announced Thursday.

The funding — awarded through the state Department of Environmental Quality — will support 58 water, wastewater and septic projects in 26 mountain counties. North Carolina is the first Helene-impacted state to distribute money from the 2025 State Revolving Fund Supplemental Appropriations for Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the Hawai‘i wildfires.

A key requirement for funding is long-term flood resilience, as Western North Carolina communities continue to confront widespread damage to drinking water systems, sewer networks and septic fields.

“Hurricane Helene laid bare North Carolina’s need to upgrade its water infrastructure,” Stein said in a statement. “Making these investments today makes us more resilient in the face of future disasters.”

DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson said the awards will help stabilize systems that serve mountain towns where drinking water supplies were knocked offline and septic failures surged.

Among the largest awards:

  • Chimney Rock Village (Rutherford County): more than $11.8 million for drinking water upgrades, a new wastewater treatment plant and sewer line extensions to replace failing septic systems.
  • Old Fort (McDowell County): $15 million for drinking water and sewer resiliency improvements.
  • Western Piedmont Council of Governments: $7.6 million to repair roughly 300 Helene-damaged septic systems in 11 counties, including Ashe, Avery, Watauga, Yancey and Wilkes.
  • Burnsville (Yancey County): more than $13 million for drinking water supply upgrades and sewer line improvements.
  • Clyde (Haywood County): $9.3 million for a drinking-water interconnection with Canton and Waynesville and wastewater resiliency projects.
  • Crossnore (Avery County): more than $10.3 million for drinking water and wastewater upgrades.

Applications for Helene-related SRF funding remain open until March 2, 2026, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. DEQ has already awarded $86 million from applications received by Aug. 1 and another $270 million from applications submitted by Nov. 3. Upcoming application deadlines will be considered at the Authority’s meetings in February and April 2026.

Funding is available as zero-interest loans and principal-forgiveness assistance. Applicants must document Helene-related damage and demonstrate how proposed projects will reduce future flood risk.

In addition to the Helene awards, the State Water Infrastructure Authority approved $9 million for lead service line inventories and $750,000 for septic repair projects under a Clean Water SRF pilot program.

DEQ has held multiple information sessions and trainings across the mountains — in Asheville, Boone, Hickory, Rutherfordton and Clyde — to help local governments and nonprofits prepare applications.

A full list of approved projects is available on the DEQ website.