Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated swaths of the southeastern US by bringing too much water. Now, communities are struggling with the opposite problem: too little of it.
The North Fork Water Treatment Plant supplies most of the drinking water to Asheville, North Carolina, and some surrounding mountain towns. Built in the 1970s, it was known for its clear water, which flows into the plant from a large reservoir.
Then Hurricane Helene barreled in late last month, dumping almost 14 inches of rain.
Engineers at the plant saw that water was rushing out of the facility at more than double the normal rate, which could only mean one thing: the 36-inch pipeline connecting the plant to Asheville’s network of 1,800 miles of pipes below must have ruptured. A backup line also was destroyed.
“Water from the plant was just blasting out, creating a 50-foot-deep crater,” said Brendan Kelley, the water plant supervisor on duty during the storm.
There was no choice but to shut the plant down, leaving almost no water for a system that serves 160,000 people. The city’s other big treatment