Two years later, flood debris cleanup to begin
Sep. 6—The long-awaited stream cleanup from Tropical Storm Fred — a massive flood that tore through Haywood in August 2021 — is almost ready to start.
Bids were opened Aug. 31 on clearing out stream debris in the vicinities of Cold Creek Road and Hungry Creek Road, and it's possible two miles of stream between Bethel and Canton will be cleaned up by March. One hurdle to be cleared was clarification regarding two endangered species in that area, the Appalachia elktoe mussel and the long-eared bat.
Landowners along the Pigeon River — where many described a "wall of water" that moved with such force that it altered stream channels and swept away all in its path, including homes, vehicles and massive trees — worry every time a heavy storm is predicted.
Those who have spoken out at community meetings express frustration about the massive amounts of debris still clogging the river, as well as the forever changed path of the river bed, which they fear pose increased threats to their homes and property.
Assistant County Manager Kris Boyd expects the winning bids in the Cruso area to be awarded by the county commissioners at the mid-September meeting after project coordinator McGill Associates compiles the information and makes a recommendation.
Duane Vanhook, director of the Haywood County Soil & Water Conservation District, has worked closely with the debris cleanup process and brings a lot of experience to the job. When he first started with the county, one of his first tasks was helping with the bureaucratic-laden debris removal process following back-to-back floods in 2004.
He predicts that the projects awarded this month can be completed fairly quickly. The debris clean-up rules changed significantly in the 17 years between the major Haywood floods of '04, and federal rules are even more complicated now, he said.
Phase one of the process — one that was broken into smaller projects so local contractors would have a better opportunity to compete — includes the simpler jobs that don't require site engineering. The bid documents allow removal of vegetative debris such as trees, stumps, brush, felling of damaged trees, and man-made debris, but specifically exclude removal of soil, cobble and boulders.
Cleanup of these sites with nonvegetative debris are in the engineering phase and will be included in the next phase of the project.
"The biggest point is, there is a whole lot that goes into this that takes a lot of time," Vanhook said. "There's been a lot of interest from folks, so we're hoping we get a lot of good bids. I'm optimistic we're going to get this done."
Endangered species
An additional layer of permitting is required in the Bethel-Canton area of the Pigeon River because of two known endangered species — the Appalachian elktoe mussel and a bat species known to be susceptible to white-nose syndrome.
The syndrome has killed 90% of certain bat populations in North America in a decade, including the northern long-eared bat found in Haywood and the region.
Vanhook said trees greater than 3 inches in diameter can't be cut during times when the bats are nesting, and before work in the stream bed can be done a survey must be conducted to determine whether any elktoe mussels are present.
"We want to be respectful and cognizant of endangered species," Vanhook said. "But we're trying not to survey places where there won't be equipment because that will really increase the cost."
Following a meeting with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Vanhook was optimistic the cleanup work could be done in the next six months adhering to federal rules and without undue cost.
"If we provide additional information on each construction site along with a mitigation plan that will cut the risk to the mussel, we might not have to survey the whole area," Vanhook said.
As for the northern long-eared bat, there's a window between October and March when the bats are not nesting and when trees can be cut to allow access to the stream.
"We'll try to get as much of this done during that window as possible," he said.
