Originally Posted: January 3rd 2025
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Dozens of flood-reduction projects are set to begin in 2025 as part of a statewide program to remove stream debris and sediment, restore eroding stream banks, and repair dams and other flood-control structures.
In a Jan. 3 news release, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) said this is the second round of funding for the Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program (StRAP). The N.C. General Assembly allocated nearly $19.5 million to the NCDA&CS Division of Soil and Water Conservation to oversee the program, with an additional $4.7 million in funding coming from the Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint.
“This fall, we awarded grants to 111 local governments, Soil and Water Conservation districts and nonprofits for these projects, and I know these communities will be better for it,” Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler said in a written statement. “Some of them were awarded funding for multiple projects, which brought the total planned projects to around 280. Work on 25 projects is already complete, and our Soil and Water Conservation Division is currently in the process of finalizing the remaining contracts so we can help the local entities move forward with engineering and stream work in the coming year.”
NCDA&CS said projects completed from the first round have been beneficial, with reports of improved drainage and less flooding from Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby in areas where StRAP projects were completed.
“No amount of preparation would have prevented Helene’s catastrophic impact,” Mark Byrd, the director of the Mitchell Soil and Water Conservation District, said in a written statement. “However, stream debris removal completed through StRAP had a positive impact during this event. The district is now moving forward with StRAP funding to further remove debris located in other streams and floodways of Mitchell County.”
The planned projects for 2025 will take place in 72 of the state’s 100 counties and 15 of the state’s 17 river basins. Seventeen projects are slated for counties in Western North Carolina.
See a complete list of projects at ncagr.gov.