RALEIGH — Hurricane Helene’s impact on western North Carolina’s infrastructure included widespread electricity outages, and it also shut down water processing and treatment facilities.
Boil water notices were in place following the storm, and institutions like the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) closed down to students due to a lack of water available on campus. While the campus reopened in late October when access to water was restored, students, faculty, and staff were still not cleared to drink the water, resorting instead to bottled water for drinking and everyday use, such as brushing teeth.
Potable water is now flowing around campus thanks to an innovative solution from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Task Force Water contractors.
“The installation of this water treatment system is a key step in our process of restoring safe, running water to UNC Asheville’s campus. I’m optimistic that this project will allow the safe return of our Bulldogs, which has been our top priority,” UNCA Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said in a press release. “We are extremely grateful to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to our staff who have helped us overcome this challenge.”
The Army engineers installed a state-of-the-art portable purification facility on the UNCA campus called a Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (RO). The unit was set up Oct. 22 and was done so at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is coordinating some of the Helene recovery efforts in the state.
The RO is a temporary emergency facility that takes municipal water from the City of Asheville and puts it through an advanced, multistep filtration system and reverse osmosis process that eventually produces safe drinking water for the campus population.
The water produced is “too pure” to drink, and minerals are added back in to make the water potable, according to a U.S. Army statement.
“We have to add back in all the necessary minerals and treatments to get the water to the optimal drinking quality, just without all the bad stuff,” said New Orleans District Civil Engineer and TF-Water Project Manager Tyler Baggett in the statement. “It’s a very neat process and I’m glad that a little bit of science can get students back on campus and help restore some normalcy back to the community.”
According to UNCA, the temporary water treatment facility can treat up to 200 gallons per minute, or approximately 288,000 gallons per day. That capacity will serve around 800 students on campus, including a dining hall.
After facilities on the campus get what they need to operate, UNCA will have upward of 244,000 gallons of potable water available for use daily.
Only two sites on campus remain under a boil water notice: 118 W.T. Weaver and STEAM Studio.
While the temporary system provides essential services to main campus buildings, several outlying facilities remain dependent on alternative water sources. University officials indicate they will continue coordinating with local authorities regarding those areas.
Until full water capabilities are restored, UNCA officials will be monitoring water usage, and campus residents will have to follow strict usage guidelines, which include modified personal hygiene routines such as taking shorter showers, turning off the water when brushing their teeth or shaving, and laundering fewer and larger loads of laundry.
Should additional usage conservation guidelines be necessary, the university will use the Bulldog Alert System to notify students and staff.
Per a UNC Asheville press release, bottled water will be available at the dining hall throughout the day and during mealtimes, and employees should bring their own water for their personal use when coming to campus.
Any questions or concerns about water usage on campus can be directed to a special email address: [email protected].
On Monday, the City of Asheville ended its boil water advisory, restoring drinking water to more than 100,000 citizens.
