HENDERSONVILLE - Two years after Helene, disaster money approved under President Joe Biden is still helping Western North Carolina rebuild its water systems.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy
Administrator David Fotouhi and Southeast Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber visited Hendersonville Sept. 25 for a roundtable with representatives of towns from across the region. Fotouhi said he heard from them about their recovery efforts and “some of the work that still needs to be done to complete the job.”
They discussed drinking water, wastewater and septic projects funded through the American Relief Act of 2025, signed by Biden in December 2024. The law kept the federal government funded through March 2025 and included $3 billion nationwide for drinking water and wastewater projects, plus separate funding for septic systems and water emergencies.
North Carolina received about $686 million for Helene-related water projects. By April, the state had awarded that allocation through four rounds of funding. Recipients include Black Mountain, which was awarded nearly $4.9 million for drinking water improvements, and Marshall, which received $4 million to relocate its wastewater treatment plant. Canton, in Haywood County, received $3.5 million for a new wastewater plant and regionalization project.
Fotouhi said local utility administrators described using the federal funding for low-interest loans, bridge loans and other assistance as they recovered from Helene.
After the roundtable, which was not open to the press, Fotouhi put the EPA’s total water assistance to North Carolina at $706 million. That figure appears to include a separate $21 million emergency water-system allocation the agency announced last year.
EPA staff, Fotouhi said, are working with water systems on emergency plans, staffing and technical problems, including protection of the nation’s water systems from cyber attacks. Utilities also described difficulty recruiting the next generation of water system workers, he said.
Fotouhi told the Citizen Times that the EPA deployed more than 70 employees shortly after Helene. Representatives at the roundtable reiterated the difficulty in communicating with first responders and government agencies immediately after the storm, he said. Some systems have since adjusted their radio communications, but the EPA wants operators to have contacts and plans in place before another emergency.
“Communications were down, and when we hit the ground, we were there to point them in the right direction,” Fotouhi said.
More work than money
The Biden-era appropriation remainscentral to the recovery, but it has not covered every project communities requested. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality said in April that it had received $1.3 billion in applications for water infrastructure needs following Helene, leaving $655 million in requested critical projects unfunded.
McOmber said his office works regularly with North Carolina officials and that the state has drawn on money beyond the Helene-specific EPA water allocation.
“They had told me that they’ve actually awarded over a billion dollars at this point in time to help with the recovery,” McOmber said.
The state said in April that it had awarded $861 million in federal and state funds for water systems damaged by Helene. That total includes the EPA disaster funding and other sources. Awards establish funding for projects; they do not show how much has been spent on completed work.
Asked how much of the EPA water allocation had actually been drawn down, Fotouhi did not provide a figure. He said the state determines which projects receive funds and when they move ahead.
The remaining requests raise a question the Hendersonville visit could not settle — whether Congress will provide more Helene-specific water funding. Fotouhi pointed to regular state revolving funds and an EPA low-interest loan program as possible sources for additional projects.
“North Carolina has access to additional revolving funds that, as they become available, can be used for these types of projects,” he said.
Asked directly whether he expected another Helene appropriation, Fotouhi said, “I don’t have a way to know that one way or the other. What I can say from EPA’s perspective is, if there is another appropriation to EPA to provide that support, we will administer it carefully, and we will be sure that that funding hits the target in terms of providing that relief that’s still needed.”
For communities still repairing their systems, the December 2024 law remains a source of help. How many of the unfunded projects can proceed will depend on what money becomes available next.
Cory Vaillancourt is the Helene Recovery/Investigations Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Find him on X at @The_CoryV or on Signal, via email at cvaillancourt@citizentimes.com or at 912-508-5640.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: EPA says $706M has been awarded, but Helene water project needs remain
