On Saturday, Oct. 25, Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO) will host an easy half-day paddle trip on the French Broad River to admire the beautiful fall foliage. The trip will start and end at the Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard.
Canoes will be provided but you’re welcome to bring your own.
Cost is $20/per person and spaces are limited. Please join us for a leisurely day on the French Broad River as we admire the beautiful fall colors!”
Call the ECO office for details and to reserve your space:
(828) 692-0385.
On Sept. 26, 2014, Duke Energy submitted draft plans for the assessment of groundwater at its 14 coal-fired power stations located in North Carolina.
The plans include proposed site assessment activities and a schedule for implementation, completion and submission of a comprehensive site assessment report for each of the facilities. The reports are required to provide information concerning:
- the source and cause of contamination; any imminent hazards to public health and safety and actions taken to mitigate them;
- the location of drinking water wells and other significant receptors where people could be exposed to groundwater contamination;
- the horizontal and vertical extent of soil and groundwater contamination and significant factors that affect how the pollution moves;
- and geological and hydrogeological features that affect the movement, chemical and physical character of the contaminants.
The staff with the N.C. Division of Water Resources will review the plans and approve them or provide Duke Energy with a deadline to correct any deficiencies.
For each approved plan, the utility will have 180 days to provide the state with a report describing all exceedances of groundwater quality standards associated with each coal ash storage pond including the information described above.
Draft Plans – include the groundwater assessment plan and any accompanying map figures
Allen Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Asheville Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)
Belews Creek Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Buck Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Cape Fear Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)
Cliffside Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Dan River Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Lee Steam Electric Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 5); Map (Fig. 6)
Marshall Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Mayo Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)
Riverbend Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)
Roxboro Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)
Sutton Steam Electric Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)
Weatherspoon Steam Electric Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)
VIP EVENT CANCELED!
Those who bought VIP tickets will be refunded. (The concert will go on as scheduled) If you have questions please email Sara@WNCA.org.
The French Broad Riverkeeper’s best friend, June Bug, keeps watch on the water.
WNCA is looking for a volunteer with graphic design experience to help create a State of the River Report for Henderson County.
You’ll work directly with French Broad Riverkeeper to distill data from current reports into a simple, attractive and easy to understand information graphic for the general public to consume.
Examples of previous reports will be provided.
If you’re interested, please email Hartwell@WNCA.org with the subject line: State of the River Report.
Western North Carolina Alliance is pleased to announce the launch of the French Broad River Paddle Trail App, sponsored by our friends at Oskar Blues Brewery.
To download it today, text “paddle” to “77000” to view a map featuring campsites, access points, outfitters, restaurants and more.
The French Broad River Paddle Trail App will keep you up to date on French Broad events, send river reports, and help you make a reservation on the French Broad River PaddleTrail, a series of campsites and access points that link more than 140 miles of the French Broad River from Rosman, N.C., to Douglas Lake, Tenn.
We’ll celebrate the launch of the app and our partnership with Oskar Blues Brewery from 5:30-8 p.m., July 30 at the brewery’s facility in Brevard (342 Mountain Industrial Drive).
There will be live music, a food truck, Oskar Blues’ craft beer, and WNCA staff members who can share more information about the world-class French Broad River PaddleTrail, which officially opened in 2012.
Those who download the app can enter a raffle at the party to win a watershed dry bag and a waterproof Paddle Trail map.
The Oskar Blues trolley will be available from Asheville, leaving from the Aloft Hotel (51 Biltmore Ave.) at 5:30 p.m., and returning to the Aloft around 9 p.m. The trolley is free, but you must RSVP for a seat to Hartwell@WNCA.org.
The French Broad River Paddle Trail project was born out of the public’s desire to explore the entire French Broad River by boat and WNCA made that possible, as the entiretrail is composed of paddle-in-only campsites.
Learn more about the French Broad River Paddle Trail at www.wnca.org/paddle.
Learn more about Oskar Blues Brewery at http://brew.oskarblues.com/
Download the French Broad River Paddle Trail App here:
For Android phones:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avlradio.paddletrail
For iPhones:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/french-broad-paddle-trail/id893265682?mt=8
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For more than 30 years, the Western North Carolina Alliance has been a trusted community partner, marshaling grassroots support to keep our forests healthy, our air and water clean, and our communities vibrant. Utilizing a combination of policy advocacy, scientific research, and community collaboration, the Alliance and its chapters throughout Western North Carolina unleash the power of citizens’ voices to protect the natural heritage of our region so that people and the environment can thrive. For more information, please visit www.WNCA.org.
About Oskar Blues Brewery
Founded as a brewpub by Dale Katechis in 1997, Oskar Blues Brewery launched the craft beer-in-a-can apocalypse in 2002 using a tabletop machine that sealed one can at a time. In 2008, the makers of the top-selling pale ale in ColoRADo, Dale’s Pale Ale, moved into a 35,000-square-foot facility in Longmont, ColoRADo. The brewery has since experienced explosive growth—packaging 59,000 barrels of beer in 2011 and 86,750 barrels in 2012. In December of 2012, Oskar Blues opened the doors to an additional brewery in Brevard, North Carolina. Together, the breweries packaged 119,000 barrels of beer in 2013, and now distribute their trailblazing craft brews to 35 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.
