Bell County
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BUILDING STRONG®
AUTHORIZATION: Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948, as amended.
TYPE OF PROJECT: Flood Risk Management
LOCATION: The Swannanoa River Watershed lies entirely within Buncombe County, NC. The main damage centers are the City of Asheville (including Biltmore Village) and the Town of Black Mountain.
CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: McHenry (NC-10), Hagan (NC), Burr (NC)
NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR: The City of Asheville, NC
BACKGROUND: The City of Asheville has partnered with the Corps of Engineers to complete a detailed feasibility study that will recommend flood risk management alternatives for the watershed. The Corps is evaluating nine potential measures. The City is assisting in evaluation of the Lake Craig Dam and Beneficial-use Landfill potential measure.
IMPORTANCE: Western North Carolina experienced millions of dollars in damages from the remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan in Sept 2004. The storms caused 11 fatalities, over $54M in damages to public facilities alone, and environmental damages. These events brought to the forefront the need to perform comprehensive watershed management planning in the French Broad Watershed, specifically in the Swannanoa watershed. The study will identify the best alternatives for reduction of flood-related damages.
STATUS: Corps of Engineers and City of Asheville is performing detailed feasibility, working towards the Detailed Project Report/Environmental Assessment (DPR/EA).
BUDGET ($): Estimated feasibility costs are shown below.
Total Estimated Cost
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$3,680,000
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Federal Cost Estimate
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1,930,000
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Non-Federal Cost Estimate
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1,750,000
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|
|
Federal Funds Data
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|
Allocation thru FY 2014
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$1,910,000
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Allocation for FY 2015
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0
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Balance to Complete
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20,000
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President’s Budget for FY 2014
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0
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Note – Feasibility is cost-shared 50-50 with non-federal sponsor. Nearly all the sponsor share is in the form of in-kind contributions.
SCHEDULE:
FY2014 Completed Work: The City and Corps have developed existing and future conditions, identified flood risk management measures, and combined the measures into alternative plans.
FY2015 Scheduled Work: Select an alternative for recommendation. Prepare the draft DPR/EA.
FY2016 Scheduled Work: Approval of the DPR/EA.
Completion: It is estimated that the Corps will complete the DPR/EA in 2016.
For more information regarding the Swannanoa River Flood Risk Management project, contact Loren Vidnovic, CELRN-PM-P, phone: (615) 736-7858, email: loren.vidnovic@usace.army.mil