MountainTrue, a conservation organization in western North Carolina, is collaborating with the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to initiate a River Debris Cleanup Program. This initiative aims to tackle debris issues caused by Tropical Storm Helene. The program will be supported by $10 million in state funding provided through the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, which has been allocated to NCDEQ for Helene recovery efforts.
The new program will complement existing federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which focuses on immediate threats to public health and safety. While FEMA and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have prioritized major rivers, smaller streams remain affected by debris that threatens local tourism and recreation industries.
Over the next 18 months, MountainTrue plans to deploy cleanup crews across western North Carolina. Since Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue’s staff and volunteers have removed nearly 3 million pounds of trash from heavily impacted counties. They intend to expand this effort to over 150 miles of river throughout Western NC, working alongside their volunteer programs on rivers such as the French Broad, Green, Broad, and Watauga.
“We’re committed to helping western North Carolina recover and rebuild,” said Reid Wilson, Secretary of the NC Department of Environmental Quality. “This initiative represents a critical opportunity to restore our waterways.”
Hartwell Carson from MountainTrue emphasized the community aspect: “This is more than a cleanup—it’s a recovery effort that puts people back to work.”
Targeted areas include several counties such as Alexander, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson among others.
MountainTrue will manage all aspects including site selection for cleanups and crew training. For further details or participation inquiries visit MountainTrue’s website or NCDEQ’s official site.
