Officials in Asheville are working to restore clean drinking water after Hurricane Helene caused damage to the North Fork Reservoir, which supplies more than 70% of the city’s water. The reservoir is currently filled with sediment, making the water murky and unsafe to drink. State and federal officials are working to treat the water directly in order to speed up the restoration process.
Water distribution sites have been set up in the region, providing bottled water to residents. Thousands of people are still without power in Asheville, and the clean water restoration process could take weeks or even months without direct treatment. The chemical treatment being used, aluminum sulfate, helps settle out clay particles from the water.
Governor Roy Cooper emphasized the need to not only rebuild damaged water infrastructure but to also improve it to withstand future disasters like Helene. The Asheville Water Resources Department and Department of Public Works are working to find leaks and broken lines in the city.
Residents with private wells can contact their local health agency to get free water testing through the EPA’s mobile testing lab. As many as 20,000 private wells in the region may have been affected by the hurricane, and testing the water can provide assurance of its safety for residents. The priority remains getting clean, quality drinking water to everyone in need in Asheville.
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