Building Resilient Communities Through Interconnections
In March of 2025, we published an article about how waterline interconnections benefit rural communities. In the fall of 2024, Hurricane Helene damaged water systems throughout Western North Carolina. The Town of Weaverville was one of the impacted towns, and its water treatment plant was flooded with eight feet of water. Fortunately, Weaverville’s water system was connected to the water system in neighboring Mars Hill via a waterline interconnection, which allowed both municipalities to maintain their drinking water supply. To read more about the interconnection between Weaverville and Mars Hill, read this article.
Investing in Interconnections
In the wake of major storms such as Tropical Storm Fred and Hurricane Helene, both of which brought damaging floods to Western North Carolina, other communities, such as the Towns of Clyde, Canton, and Waynesville, became interested in investing in waterline interconnections. While the Town of Clyde has a bulk water purchase agreement in place with the Town of Canton, the interconnection between the two systems was severed during Hurricane Helene in September of 2024; subsequently, Canton contacted the Town of Waynesville to evaluate the feasibility of an additional interconnection between their respective systems.
The intention is that the interconnections would be used for emergencies such as flooding, fire, drought, major waterline breaks, or treatment plant operational malfunctions. The plan to connect the three municipalities via waterline interconnections was first discussed back in 2016 when the region was experiencing extreme drought, bringing the concept of redundant waterline interconnections to the attention of the respective Town’s elected officials.
Lessons from Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene was horrific for Western North Carolina, but its damage has taught some powerful lessons and shown communities what preparations need to be made for large storms in the future. By adding an interconnection with Waynesville and making improvements to the existing interconnection between Clyde and Canton, all three towns stand to be more prepared for the next disaster, if and when it comes.
Information about the Interconnection
The interconnection concept was included in a 2021 regional study commissioned by Haywood County, funded by the North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure’s Merger Regionalization Feasibility program. Subsequently, the Towns of Clyde, Canton, and Waynesville jointly commissioned a preliminary engineering report for the project in 2022, which provided a more detailed evaluation of the interconnection between the three systems. More recently, the Towns applied and were approved for State Revolving Fund (SRF) Helene Funding Awards authorized by the State Water Infrastructure Authority to fund the interconnection projects.
Clyde’s interconnection with the Town of Waynesville proposes approximately 37,200 lineal feet of 12-inch waterline along Ratcliff Cove Road, two booster pump stations, and a 750,000-gallon water storage tank at Clyde Gap on Ratcliff Cove Road. Also included in the project is an additional waterline interconnection between the Towns of Canton and Clyde. This interconnection would involve 23,100 lineal feet of 12-inch waterline along Stamey Cove Road and NC 215, two booster pump stations, and a 750,000-gallon water storage tank at Stamey Cove Gap.
Shaping Communities
McGill has been shaping communities for 42 years, and we are proud of our infrastructure work with numerous communities across Western North Carolina, especially following Hurricane Helene. Our engineers, grant administrators, and other technical staff are passionate about finding solutions that help our clients build toward a better future.
Learn More
To read more about our flood recovery work, read our article about projects that helped communities rebuild after Hurricane Helene. Our funding services team supported the applications for this project. To learn more about our funding services team, reach out to Christyn Fertenbaugh, the Funding Services Manager, at christyn.fertenbaugh@mcgillassociates.com. To learn more about our water / wastewater services, check out our website or reach out to Mike Dowd, the Water / Wastewater Practice Area Leader, at mike.dowd@mcgillassociates.com.
