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Emergency Watershed Protection approved for $26.3M so far; county seeks roughly $5M to cover engineering shortfall
Summary
Buncombe County reported federal EWP approvals totaling about $26.33 million for stream-bank and waterway debris repairs and said it faces an estimated $4.96 million shortfall for engineering and administrative (TA) costs unless state/local matches are found; county staff said best-case construction could begin late spring/early summer next year.
Buncombe County staff provided an Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) update in which they said federal approvals total about $26.33 million to date for stream-bank repairs and waterway debris removal, and that a funding shortfall remains for engineering and administration costs.
"So far, we have received word back on a hundred and 86 of those. And, as in moving them to the next, phase, we have only had 7 of all, of our submissions denied," said Jennifer Harrison, reporting on EWP submittals. She said the county has submitted damage-survey reports and is awaiting federal contracting and RFQ processes for engineering firms.
Harrison said EWP is funded in two buckets: construction (FA) and technical assistance/engineering (TA). For Helene, the federal government waived the typical local match for construction, funding 100% of construction costs. The TA bucket remains an issue: engineering and administrative costs are commonly around 20% of construction budgets, and the county estimates a TA shortfall of about $4.96 million it will need to cover to progress contracting and design work unless state support is provided.
County staff said best-case work could begin in late spring or early summer of 2026 if contracting with the federal government proceeds on the expected timeline. Staff said they are pursuing state-level support and referenced a legislative ask for additional funding tied to engineering/administration needs across Western North Carolina; county staff estimated a broader EWP regional ask of about $10 million, roughly half of which would be Buncombe County—s portion.
Why it matters: EWP-funded repairs address stream-bank stability and waterway debris that can cause repeated flooding and downstream hazards. The construction funds approved so far are significant, but the TA funding gap must be filled for the county to move to engineering, design and construction contracting.
What to watch: Whether state or other sources will provide the estimated $4.96 million for TA and administrative costs and whether the federal contracting timeline allows planned spring 2026 starts for field repairs.
