Black Mountain Secures Nearly Five Million for Water Resilience

The Town of Black Mountain announced on December 10 that it had been awarded $4,999,632 by the State Water Infrastructure Authority to finance a suite of drinking water improvements prompted by damage from Tropical Storm Helene. The package, described by town officials as one of the largest investments in decades for the community, is intended to advance the town's long term resiliency strategy.

Key components of the project include installation of two new supply wells, relocation of distribution lines out of the floodway, replacement and hardening of 14 creek crossings, transmission line and electrical upgrades, installation of backup generators for supply wells, SCADA upgrades, and hardened wellheads. Together these measures aim to reduce the risk of service interruptions during extreme weather, protect critical infrastructure from future floods, and modernize the town's water operations.

For local residents this funding carries practical significance. Households dependent on municipal water can expect greater reliability during storms and emergencies, and businesses that serve visitors and the surrounding community stand to benefit from fewer disruptions. Moving distribution lines out of the floodway and fortifying creek crossings will reduce the likelihood of contamination and service outages that can complicate recovery efforts and increase costs for residents.

The award is part of a broader trend of state and local governments directing infrastructure dollars toward resilience after severe weather events. Black Mountain's project combines immediate recovery work with longer term upgrades to monitoring and power redundancy, aligning capital repairs with systems that support continuity of service. Upgraded SCADA systems and backup generation, for example, will help operators manage supply remotely and maintain operations when grid power fails.

Construction and upgrade work will require coordination between town staff, contractors, and utility crews, and could produce temporary traffic and service adjustments as components are installed. Town leaders have framed the funding as foundational to protecting public health and sustaining community life in the face of changing weather patterns. As work moves forward, the improvements should bolster water security for Black Mountain and contribute to regional resilience across Buncombe County.