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Commissioners praise river cleanup work; rights-of-entry permits and roadside debris remain active issues
Summary
Commissioners and a speaker reported substantial cleanup of river debris near Clyde and Thickety Road, with large piles removed. The board discussed right-of-entry/encroachment permits for Richland Creek and noted some roadside debris remains to be collected.
Members of the public and commissioners on May 5 reported progress removing storm debris from waterways in Haywood County, but county leaders said tasks remain, including roadside piles and follow-up cleanup in additional watersheds.
A speaker told commissioners they had sent photos showing cleanup near Clyde off Thickety Road and described large piles — “probably 15 or 20 feet tall” — being removed from the riverbank. The board noted the piles included wood, metal, appliances and vehicles in some places.
Commissioners also discussed encroachment or right-of-entry permits for Richland Creek; a board member said SDR had sent encroachment/right-of-entry paperwork to allow cleanup crews to enter the water. Staff identified initial cleanup focus on Crusoe and the West Fork watersheds and said work on other watersheds had not yet started in any meaningful way.
Several commissioners cautioned that roadside debris piles left after river cleanup still need collection. One commissioner and the county manager said they were concerned that mowing over small roadside piles could scatter debris and that those smaller piles require separate attention after the river work.
On reimbursement and funding, staff said FEMA reimbursements require completed project workbooks and that counties that have submitted completed workbooks are receiving reimbursements, but overall processing has slowed and partial advances that once arrived quickly are now taking 45–60 days.
No formal board action was taken on cleanup at the May 5 meeting; commissioners thanked crews and private contractors and asked staff to continue coordinating cleanup efforts and FEMA project paperwork.
