RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants last Monday from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint aimed at strengthening flood risk reduction in the French Broad River basin.
Stein made the announcement while in Woodfin, listing eight projects that will create new floodwater storage, restore and reconnect floodplains, relocate facilities and infrastructure from flood-prone areas, and enhance water quality.
“Rebuilding western North Carolina after Helene means rebuilding stronger and smarter to prepare for future storms,” Stein said. “These grants not only rebuild and restore the French Broad River Basin but also help protect the surrounding communities so generations of North Carolinians can live in safety.”
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint project is described as the largest such mitigation endeavor in state history and as a “comprehensive, science-based, and stakeholder-driven initiative for flood resilience.”
To date, the Blueprint has funded 81 projects totaling more than $40 million, including $3.16 million for eight projects in the French Broad River basin in 2024 and 2025.
DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson made a similar statement, noting the increasing intensity and frequency of storms in the state as well as praising the General Assembly’s support for the blueprint.
Directed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2021, the blueprint program received an initial $20 million allocation to DEQ’s Division of Mitigation Services for development, plus an additional $96 million to fund priority projects across six river basins: Cape Fear, French Broad, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and White Oak.
The blueprint includes an online decision-support tool to help municipalities and partners evaluate, prioritize and implement actions like floodplain restoration, stream debris removal, utility elevation, stormwater controls and policy changes.
The largest grants went to Black Mountain’s Veterans Park Floodplain, Wetland and Green Infrastructure Complex ($1.650 million) and Haywood County Schools’ relocation effort in Canton ($2 million).
Other projects announced by Stein included:
- Town of Woodfin Riverside Park Flood Mitigation and Stormwater Improvements ($284,000)
- Town of Clyde Downtown Floodable Riverfront Park ($401,226)
- Canton’s Park Street River Access and Stormwater Improvements ($450,000)
- Town of Canton Chestnut Mountain Floodplain Restoration ($470,000)
- Hendersonville’s Lower Mud Creek Floodplain Restoration Phase I ($100,000)
- Hendersonville Municipal Stormwater Infrastructure Improvements ($356,000)
Additional details on the projects can be found in the related press release on the governor’s official website.
