The River Arts District Watershed Restoration Plan will investigate and find solutions to water quality issues within three streams that originate near downtown Asheville and flow through the River Arts District. The streams —Town Branch, Bacoate Branch, and an unnamed tributary—all empty into a section of the French Broad River in Asheville that is a common recreation destination.
The year-long study will result in a nine-element watershed restoration plan that RiverLink and partners can use to guide work to improve water quality in the French Broad River and its tributaries.
The project is funded by generous grants from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the Pigeon River Fund. RiverLink is partnering with the City of Asheville on the project, and has hired a consultant team led by Blue Earth Planning, Engineering & Design with staff from Wildlands Engineering, Penrose Environmental, Ecosystem Services, Headwater Environmental, Sitework Studios and FrontWater geo Planning + Design.
A watershed is a land area where all of the water that reaches the ground flows to the same location. All of the water in this watershed, eventually reaches a stream that flows through the River Arts District and into the French Broad River.
We all live in a watershed! While the streams of this watershed are most visible as they flow through the River Arts District, there are many other neighborhoods that call this watershed home.
For more information and an interactive map of the watershed and neighborhoods in it, go to riverlink.org. Contact Water Resources Manager Renee Fortner at renee@riverlink.org or (828) 252-8474 x14.