Post-Helene Asheville, North Carolina Reaches A Clean Milestone

Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Asheville, North
Carolina and cut off its water supply. As of this week
the water is on, and doesn't require boiling before use.
Although sections of the city remain devastated, the
majority of this tourist town is open and 
looking for visitors to return. 

On Monday, for the first time in 53 days, Asheville, North Carolina residents could put a glass under their kitchen tap, fill it, and gulp down a refreshing slug of water.  

Without boiling it first. 

That simple task had been impossible since Hurricane Helene devastated the region on September 27.

Among a million other things, the extreme hurricane and flood trashed water treatment plants in the region cutting off water supplies for most of the 94,000 or so residents of Asheville.

Water service returned to Asheville in the middle of October, but that water was still unsafe to drink.  The reservoir that provides most of the water for Asheville was a muddy, turbid mess. Treatment plants couldn't purify the water enough. 

But, things slowly got better. Last weekend, the city tested 120 water samples. They all came back good. So the boil water order is finally gone. 

Residents are being told to not use huge amounts of water, because that could still introduce dirt and muck into the system. So, no filling swimming pools, no watering the lawn for hours on end, no half hour long luxurious showers. 

I'm sure that's a good trade off. Better than always having to boil water. 

The return of potable water is a relief not just because it's a pain in the butt to boil water. Asheville is a big tourist town, so the lack of good water was one of many reasons tourists understandably stayed away.

After Helene the road network in the region was pretty much destroyed. Since then, many roads have reopened. 

Much of Asheville's River Arts District was obliterated by Helene's flooding. It'll take years for some of these areas to recover

But huge swaths of the city were not touched by actual floodwaters. Hotels, brew pubs, shops and attractions, including the famous Biltmore Estate.

Tourists were understandably discouraged from visiting Asheville and the rest of western North Carolina in the immediate, chaotic, tragic aftermath of Helene.  But now, parts of the region, including the city of Asheville, and much of Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, are open for business, and could use your tourist dollars.

Per the Asheville Citizen Times:

"Buncombe County could experience a 70 percent decline in tourism over the last there months of the year, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority told the Citizen Times in an email - translating to more than $584 in last revenue.

The travel and hospitality industries generate $3 billion in local spending, representing 20 percent of the local economy, the agency says."

I was in Asheville as a tourist years ago. It is a lovely city, and it's worth the trip. 

The city is moving ahead with its annual Christmas celebrations, which is an obvious move. People really need that distraction.