ASHEVILLE, NC – It has taken more than seven weeks, but the City of Asheville has lifted the boil water advisory put in place after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of western North Carolina.
Helene made landfall in Asheville on September 27, 2024. The storm brought record rainfall and widespread flooding that damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure.
Asheville’s Water Resources Department says lab tests from sampling conducted Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 confirm that the water supply is free from contaminants.
Clay Chandler, a spokesman for the city of Asheville’s Water Resources Department, said at a briefing Monday that water tests “were all clear” and a boil-water notice was lifted.
Flooding from Helene tore through the city’s water system in late September, destroying so much infrastructure that officials at the time said repairs could take weeks.
Asheville restored running water to most of its users by the end of October. But the city instituted the boil-water notice as workers brought the system back online, cleared sediment from reservoirs and ran tests.
“All told, more than 1,000 samples have been taken throughout the distribution system in the last couple of weeks,” Chandler said. “And it literally took an army of people to pull that off.”
The city is asking people to conserve water because officials expect an increase in demand right away.
Explore Asheville announced last week that the city is open and welcoming visitors back now and through the holidays.
The group says large portions of the Asheville area, including major attractions and holiday events, are open and eager to welcome guests.
Hurricane Helene killed more than 200 people in multiple states and hit western North Carolina particularly hard.
