RiverLink told Buncombe County meeting attendees that a county-funded Clean Water Fund grant helped the nonprofit distribute 133 rain barrels, disconnect roughly 123 rooftop downspouts and install two rain gardens in targeted impaired watersheds.

Renee Porter, RiverLink’s director of programs, said the project targeted streams listed as impaired on the state’s 2022 303(d) list and focused outreach on neighborhoods draining to Smithville Creek, the Upper Swannanoa and two streams identified in the presentation as part of the Central Asheville watershed. “We distributed 133 rain barrels to residents in those impaired watersheds,” Porter said.

RiverLink said the county provided $25,000 from a Clean Water Fund award and the project received a $50,000 match from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to fund a public-awareness campaign and the rain‑barrel program. Organizers mailed 500 postcards to residents in targeted areas, offered free barrels to low‑income households and a 50% cost share to others (the presentation stated that participants paid about $35 for a barrel with retail value of about $125).

Porter described the program steps: interested residents completed an online form, staff conducted site visits to confirm gutters and whether a downspout discharged to a hard surface or storm drain, and RiverLink staff offered installation help. The presentation said the team’s target of 100 rooftop disconnections was exceeded.

Why it matters: County watershed action plans cited in RiverLink’s presentation identify stormwater runoff from rooftops, streets and parking lots as a major source of pollutant loads — including sediment and bacteria — to streams in Buncombe County. RiverLink estimated that rooftops contribute millions of gallons of runoff in Buncombe County annually and presented the rain‑barrel work as a low‑barrier approach to reduce that volume where residents are willing and able to participate.

RiverLink also described outreach and logistics: eligibility used a county community‑index map to prioritize low‑income census tracts within the targeted watersheds; residents were encouraged to disconnect barrels for winter to avoid freezing damage; the vendor replaced a pallet of barrels that was lost in a storm; and the nonprofit referred residents outside the target area to other local sellers and partners.

Porter said the grant work wrapped in June 2025 and that the program distributed 133 rain barrels, installed two rain gardens, and completed about 123 rooftop disconnections. She thanked the county for funding and invited future consideration of similar grant requests.

Ending — next steps and questions: County members asked about seasonal maintenance and geographic distribution of participating homes; Porter said RiverLink planned to break out participation by watershed and could report more detailed site data in a subsequent presentation. The county did not take formal action on the item during this meeting.