DEQ Flood Resiliency Blueprint to hold public open houses in French Broad River Basin
RALEIGH – The NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint will hold three in-person public open houses in the French Broad River Basin to gather community feedback on flood resilience approaches, community preferences and regional priorities.
The feedback will inform the French Broad River Basin Action Strategy, which will identify and prioritize locally driven actions, including projects and policies, to reduce long-term flood risk across the basin. The action strategy is also being guided by scientific data and long-term sustainability objectives, ensuring the strategy is both effective and responsive to the basin’s evolving needs.
The French Broad River Basin Action Strategy will be presented to the NC General Assembly (NCGA) in 2027. In 2021, the NCGA directed DEQ to develop the Flood Resiliency Blueprint, which now supports the planning, evaluation and implementation of flood resilience strategies. It is the largest proactive statewide flood mitigation investment in North Carolina history, equipping local governments, the state and supporting organizations with data, tools and processes to better understand flood risk, identify community needs and guide strategic investments to reduce flood risk and strengthen resilience.
Members of the public and program partners, including municipal officials and organizations interested in flood resilience, are encouraged to attend and share their input.
Meeting dates and locations are as follows:
Event: Pigeon River Sub-Basin Regional Strategy Review and Feedback Open House
When: Monday, Oct. 26, 4-7 p.m.
Where: Haywood County Center, 589 Raccoon Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786
Event: Nolichucky River Sub-Basin Regional Strategy Review and Feedback Open House
When: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 4-7 p.m.
Where: Town Center, 6 S Main St., Burnsville, NC 28714
Event: French Broad River Sub-Basin Regional Strategy Review and Feedback Open House
When: Thursday, Nov. 5, 4-7 p.m.
Where: Council Chambers, 124 Town Center Dr., Mills River, NC 28759
In 2021, the NC General Assembly directed the NC Department of Environmental Quality to develop a statewide Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The Blueprint serves as the backbone of North Carolina’s flood resiliency planning and is based on the best available science, stakeholder engagement and sound decision-making to develop actionable projects. At the heart of the Blueprint is an online decision support tool to help local governments, agencies and nongovernmental partners develop, evaluate and prioritize resilience actions as well as plan and marshal funding to implement those priorities. The Blueprint is currently funded and authorized to work in six of North Carolina’s 17 river basins. River Basin Action Strategies are being developed for the six initial basins. The Blueprint will make North Carolina more resilient to flooding by funding projects that limit flood extent and severity, allowing communities to recover more quickly and limit future risk as storms become more frequent and severe. DEQ has awarded funding to 85 Blueprint projects in six river basins totaling more than $43.3 million.
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