5 March 2008

Stormwater runoff alarms Asheville neighborhood

Asheville, N.C. -- Heavy rainstorms sent muddy water rushing down Beaucatcher Mountain Tuesday afternoon (March 4), prompting residents of the Kenilworth neighborhood to demand action from city council.

Stormwater run-off from Beaucatcher Heights ran from the development, under Kenilworth Road, and ultimately into Kenilworth Lake. Photo by Peter Loewer.

The stream of sediment-filled water originated at the controversial Beaucatcher Heights construction site, continued under Kenilworth Road, and spilled into Kenilworth Lake.

"I have lived on Kenilworth Lake since 1990, but today at this moment (2:26 PM), the most mud I've ever seen is clouding the lake water and moving slowly down to the dam," said Peter Loewer, secretary for the Kenilworth Lake Commission, in an email to city council and staff.

According to Asheville City Manager Gary Jackson, an enforcement team visited the site yesterday and an incident report will be obtained.

This is not the first time neighbors have called on city council to enforce regulations concerning storm water run-off problems with that development. In August 2007, the city of Asheville issued a Notice of Violation due to rivers of mud that charged down Beaucatcher Mountain into the nearby lake.

Residents have been uneasy since the Beaucatcher Heights development project was first proposed more than two years ago. The project will be a sub-division of single-family homes, located on a 65 acre wooded site off Kenilworth Road.

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