Southeast Rivers 6 Months After Hurricane Helene
It’s been a busy and often hard time in Western North Carolina in the six months since Hurricane Helene. While many rivers in the region were unaffected by the storm, American Whitewater and many other groups and individuals have been working hard on the more impacted rivers. Here is a quick run-down of some of what we’ve been up to and where things stand.
Pigeon Dries
American Whitewater is going to work hard to secure releases in the Pigeon Dries through the upcoming dam relicensing process. We want to be sure that the river is in good shape to become a new recreational staple for the east Tennessee and Western North Carolina paddling communities when releases start in 2034. Hurricane Helene reshaped many of the upper rapids in the Dries, which are still very fun. The lower three miles however is buried under a thick layer of blasted rock that was deposited in the river when I-40 washed away in several locations. Rebuilding I-40 is going to include the construction of a temporary two-lane haul road in the river, signifiant channel modifications, and significant blasted-rock removal. American Whitewater is communicating with NCDOT to help this expensive and time-sensitive 3-year-long construction project leave the river in good condition, with an emphasis on protecting rapids in the upper portion of the Dries and restoring rapids in the lower portion. We’ve shared specific design and process suggestions, and are cautiously optimistic about the fate of the Dries.
Pigeon Gorge
Helene damaged the powerhouse that provides the popular Pigeon River releases, as well as the put in and take out for the run. The powerhouse is back online as of April 1, and should follow the standard release schedule. Duke Energy will be working to restore the recreational value of the first rapid on the run, which was damaged by the storm and Duke’s excavations that were needed to lower water levels at their plant. A new temporary put in has been built at the bridge, while the typical put in a mile or so upstream is being repaired, along with the road along the river to the put in. The run itself is greatly altered, reportedly a bit trickier, while lacking some of the fun waves and holes of the pre-Helene run. DOT is also working along and in some cases in this section of the Pigeon, and there could be significant changes to the river wrought by this work.
French Broad
Section 9 of the French Broad is largely unchanged by the storm in terms of its rapids, but the access and trash situation is another matter. Props to the Forest Service and Mountain True for working to get Stackhouse access opened in March (Pictured), to Madison County for reopening Barnard, and to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for opening the Hot Springs access. Mountain True is also following up on the hard work of Blue Heron Whitewater to remove the mountains of debris and trash from the river. American Whitewater has been involved and helpful in these efforts when possible. Enjoy Section 9! Elsewhere on the French Broad, Army Corps of Engineers contractors are scraping streambanks and removing standing and down trees at a scale and intensity that is causing ecological harm and that is attracting push-back.
Green River
The iconic rapids of the Green River Narrows were extremely altered by Helene, the powerhouse that provides dam releases was severely damaged, and almost the entire gorge also just burned in a wildfire. On the lower Green it is common to see Army Corps of Engineers dump trucks and excavators driving up the river scraping banks and removing down or leaning trees from the banks and floodplain. The Green is a work in progress, with the Green Riverkeeper focusing on the Lower Green recovery. A recent update from the hydropower project owner indicated they are exploring but not committed to rebuilding the hydropower generation infrastructure. The hydro project is essentially unregulated and has no reporting requirements.
Nolichucky
American Whitewater has spent a great deal of time on the Nolichucky’s recovery because it is a protected river that came through the storm great but has been under threat from CSX’s heavy-handed efforts to rebuild their railroad. CSX damaged the lower couple miles of the Noli Gorge, but so far our efforts have stopped the worst of their planned impacts in the core gorge. We have filed countless comments to the seven agencies overseeing the construction, mobilized public involvement, participated in hearings, and litigated the issue with American Rivers and our counsel the Southern Environmental Law Center. Right now the Pisgah National Forest is blocking public access to the put in for the gorge so CSX can use it as a work site, but the Cherokee National Forest is actively working to reopen the take out at Chestoa (which is closed but usable). A group of us are working on access solutions. Sometime in the next few months the footprint of the new railroad will be completed and we’ll have a clear picture of what the “Newli” will be like for the foreseeable future. So far its still a great run, and without question its better than it would have been had an amazing group of paddlers and local citizens not stood up for it.
Wilson Creek
Wilson Creek fared pretty well in Helene, with just a few changes and minor damage. Still, a NCDOT project to widen the road along the river, and perhaps some hurricane clean up, is leading to the USFS closing the river at least through the summer.
Other Rivers
American Whitewater is engaging elsewhere too, trying to have recreation considered as rivers are altered to allow roads and other infrastructure to be rebuilt. The Rocky Broad is going to be wildly different in this regard, as is the Swannanoa, as are the Toe and Cane rivers that form the Nolichucky. Other rivers like the Watauga and Linville that lack roads experienced lots of changes but held up well. The Hepco run on the Pigeon is also similar and good after the storm. And its worth adding that there are lots of rivers here in WNC that were not impacted by the path of the storm, and there is still lots of paddling to be had. Lots of people and groups are doing amazing work to help WNC’s rivers and communities along them. We still have a ways to go, but progress is happening.