Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stream Repair Recovery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Buncombe County reports millions in federal stream-repair approvals; shifts suburban sites to state STRAP program
Summary
County staff said Emergency Watershed Protection applications and site visits have yielded nearly $25 million in federal approvals for infrastructure‑threatening stream repairs; staff are steering other damaged streams toward a state STRAP program for additional funding.
Buncombe County agricultural and land‑resources staff told the Land Conservation Advisory Board they have led a large, multi‑partner response to post‑hurricane stream and bank damage and are directing eligible work through federal and state programs.
Staff said the county’s Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) work identified hundreds of sites, with more than 550 site visits performed and almost $25 million in federal approvals to assist owners of properties where erosion threatens infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities.
Recognizing that many stream issues do not meet EWP’s infrastructure‑threat threshold, staff said they are collecting additional sites and applicants to apply to a North Carolina program the presenters referred to as STRAP (streamflow/stream rehabilitation program administered through the state Division of Soil and Water). Staff described STRAP as a fit for projects that do not qualify for EWP and said they are assisting applicants in preparing state grant requests while state funding is constrained.
To reduce duplication and improve coordination, staff said they convene monthly partner meetings with river and stream organizations and Land of Sky Regional Council to map ongoing work and available funding so partners can divide coverage along river stretches rather than overlapping efforts.
Staff framed the mapping effort as a tool to match approved federal projects to nearby neighborhoods and partner efforts, for example noting where EWP funds already cover a stretch so other groups can focus elsewhere. They said the coordination is intended to make recovery funds and volunteer labor more effective across the Swannanoa watershed and other affected areas.
Staff closed by emphasizing the scale of the effort and encouraging partners and landowners to use the county’s application and coordination process for both federal and state programs.
