Stream debris removal is key to future flood prevention

Aug. 12—As Haywood approaches the one-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Fred's destruction, the East Fork of the Pigeon River is still clogged with debris, setting the stage for even worse flooding should another major storm come this way.

Luckily, a $5 million emergency watershed protection grant will help clean out the most troublesome areas of the East Fork of the Pigeon River and several other trouble spots in the county.

Duane Vanhook, director of the Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District, has been at the forefront of the effort.

To be eligible for the federal program, applications have to demonstrate that not removing the debris will create an imminent threat to life and property, Vanhook said, and property is defined as a manmade structure, not field or yard. Proving the need was made obvious by the river water diversions such as trees, homes, bridges and vehicles that remain in the streams.

The flooding, especially along the East Fork, not only caused massive flooding, but happened with such a ferocity that it altered the stream channels in multiple areas.

Vanhook started a new job at the conservation district in 2005, just in time to be part of stream cleanup efforts following similar destruction from Tropical Storm Ivan and Frances in 2004. Back then, the work included restoring the river basin in areas where it was changed by flooding.

This go around, that won't be possible. Due to changed philosophies and rules, no work can be done outside the stream banks, he said, something that will be a great disappointment to many who have seen their property transformed by a nearby stream's new path.

"But debris removal will make a big difference," Vanhook said. "We would love to go back and put the river where it was, but getting debris out of the channel is probably one of the most important things we can do for safety."

Bill Yarborough, chairman of Haywood's soil conservation district, compared a debris-clogged river channel to a clogged gutter.

"It doesn't matter what shape your roof is in. If the gutter is clogged, it will do damage," he said. "We can build new bridges and roads, but if we don't get the debris, we won't have accomplished much."

Part of the funds available through the federal Emergency Watershed Protection program can also be used to repair stream banks and plant vegetation to help prevent soil erosion.

Most of the trouble spots are along the East Fork of the Pigeon River, but other sites set for debris removal/repair include those along major tributaries of the East Fork, as well as Hominy Creek and the Pigeon River between Bethel and Canton, especially at the confluence of the east and west forks of the river.

"We visited every single stream above the town of Canton we could get to on public right of way looking for damage after Tropical Storm Fred," Vanhook said. "Once we knew where it was, we divided it into sub-watersheds and ended up with 83 reports."

Those reports will be turned into project areas where work can start hopefully yet this year.

Stream cleanup

The next step will be to retain an engineer to map out the work and then hire contractors. Vanhook is hopeful debris work can begin this fall, with stabilization efforts starting in the spring of 2023.

"Once the engineering is done, we'll have a better idea of how much this will cost and how far the money will go," Vanhook said.

Meanwhile landowners adjacent to the proposed sites are being contacted to sign a permission form allowing contractors to access the stream through their property.

All debris removed must to be hauled to a permitted disposal site. In 2004, a tub grinder was set up and some of the vegetative debris was ground into mulch, something that is easier and cheaper to haul than large limbs and trees, Vanhook said.

How Fred was differentYarborough vividly remembers the devastation caused by back-to-back tropical storms in Haywood the fall of 2004 when Haywood was pounded with steady rain over several days before the rivers left their banks.

Last August's storm happened more quickly than any thought possible.

"This was a geological event," Yarborough said of the 2021 storm and flooding. "You almost have to think of it as an avalanche inside a stream channel because it was carrying so many things other than water."

The mountainous area above Cruso, Clyde and Canton received near-record levels of rain in a relatively short period of time, Yarborough said. With that much rain falling on 64,000 acres of federal land filled with dead trees, rocks and other debris, it was inevitable that some would be thrust into the river.

"At that point, there's not much you can do," he said.

Many who lived along the Haywood streams reported seeing a "wall of water" took out everything in its path as it hurled down the stream — bridges, vehicles, campers and even houses.

Yarborough was part of the team that inspected the flood areas and concluded there were likely several "walls of water" during the flooding event.

"You'd see areas where everything got picked up and moved, areas of deposits and then it started again," Yarborough said. "There were multiple occurrences of blockage, deposits, blockage deposits. Any bridge and culvert that is now gone was a blockage."

Vanhook explained the same thing was happening on the smaller tributaries that contributed to the flood damage.

Looking forwardThe first step to controlling flooding in Haywood is to get as much debris out of the stream beds as possible, Vanhook and Yarborough agreed. The massive effort to do that after flooding in 2004 lasted 17 years and likely prevented serious flooding during that time.

Another step is to preserve farmlands.

"The thing we have to do is protect our floodplains," Yarborough said. "We are in an area with steep slopes all around us. If we continually develop them, you will see more and more impacts when we have these kinds of events. Farming is the best thing you can do. Floodplains have a public benefit to all downstream."

"We understand people need housing," Vanhook added, "and we understand why houses were where they were, but that doesn't change the science behind events."

Secondly, bridges and culverts need to be designed differently so they can better withstand violently rushing water, Yarborough said.

There were 93 bridges damage or destroyed in Haywood during Tropical Storm Fred, and that doesn't count culverts, Vanhook said. Those structures, along with a massive landslide and other trees, vehicles and homes, are what backed water up and released the torrential wall of water when the river broke through.

Finally, debris removal is something that needs to be an ongoing process.

"We will continue to keep trying to find funding for that," Vanhook said.