When Hurricane Helene barrelled through the southeastern US in September, it dumped an estimated 40 trillion gallons of water on the region. That resulted in immense flooding that destroyed roads, buildings, power lines, and other infrastructure.
And it also impacted the region’s potable water supply. For weeks, residents in Asheville, North Carolina, didn’t have access to clean drinking water because the extensive flooding washed large amounts of sediment into the local reservoir. As of Monday, limited access to potable water was restored, marking the first time in 53 days that local residents didn’t have to boil tap water to drink it.
Before that access was restored, we heard from listeners Sarah and Alison in Asheville who had their own questions about the water quality in their city. Here’s part of their message:
The city of Asheville Water Resources Department worked 24/7 to fix [water distribution lines from the reservoir] to get us non-potable running water.
But now that those lines are mainly functional, we are still waiting on potable water because the reservoir turbidity levels are so high that they cannot run the sediment-filled water through our treatment plant.
We’d like to know more about the science behind the turbidity issue and why, even though it has been dry for weeks after the storm, the sediment won’t settle. …. And also we’d like to say thanks to all the water resource department employees and outside helpers that have been working tirelessly on this issue on behalf of the city of Asheville.
Guest host and SciFri producer Kathleen Davis is joined by Dr. Sarah Ledford, associate professor of geosciences at Georgia State University, to figure out why it can take so long for cities to clean their potable water after a storm like this and what other regions expect from the aftermath of future extreme weather.
Further Reading
- Hear reporting from other communities in North Caroline still don’t have clean water or sewer service via WNNO.
Donate To Science Friday
Invest in quality science journalism by making a donation to Science Friday.
Segment Guests
Sarah H. Ledford
Dr. Sarah H. Ledford is an associate professor of Geosciences at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available within one week after the show airs.
Meet the Producers and Host
About D Peterschmidt
@dpeterschmidtD Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.
About Kathleen Davis
@katjacquelineKathleen Davis is a producer and fill-in host at Science Friday, which means she spends her weeks researching, writing, editing, and sometimes talking into a microphone. She’s always eager to talk about freshwater lakes and Coney Island diners.