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Flood damage to the main water line at the North Fork Reservoir might cause thousands of Asheville residents to go without water service for at least 24 hours. The widespread regional flooding comes in the aftermath of torrential rains as Hurricane Frances, downgraded to a tropical low, slowly churned her way through the Southeast. Top photo is of the Swannanoa River where it crosses Biltmore Avenue in Biltmore Village late Wednesday afternoon. The flood waters are slowly receeding back to the banks of the Swannanoa and French Broad Rivers, but still remain past flood stage as of Thursday morning. Asheville Mayor Charles Worley announced that Asheville Regional Water Authority customers who live and work in Asheville�s north, east, west, and central districts might see a disruption in service for at least the next 24 hours. He also noted that areas south of Biltmore Village, whose water source is the Mills River plant in Henderson County, remain unaffected. The Mills River plant has sustained no damage from the flood. Asheville residents and workplaces were encouraged to refrain from all water usage except that which is absolutely necessary. The Mission Hospital System has cancelled all elective surgeries for Thursday. Many area restaurants are expected to be closed during the disruption in service. Second photo below is of the French Broad River as viewed from the Smokey Park Bridge looking south.
Increased traffic at area grocery stores was very much in evidence on Wednesday afternoon as residents bought case after case of bottled water in preparation for the potential outage. Mayor Charles Worley explained that the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson Counties lost use of all water transmission lines from the North Fork Water Treatment Facility as a result of damage from extensive rainfall, severe flooding, erosion and downed trees. Water customers are advised to suspend use of water except under emergency circumstances. East, West, North and Central Asheville may experience low water pressure to complete water loss. Transmission line repairs are expected to take at least 24 hours and may require more time depending on when floodwaters recede as well as the nature and extent of repairs. Third photo on right is of the Swannanoa River flooding across Biltmore Avenue with the Biltmore Exxon in the background late Wednesday afternoon.
Residents who must use water are advised to rigorously boil water for three to five minutes prior to use. Residents are also encouraged to check on their neighbors and the elderly. For more information about flood preparedness, visit http://www.redcross.org. Biltmore Village remains one of the hardest hit areas of town, with floodwaters pouring over the banks of the Swannanoa River, many feet above flood stage. Biltmore Avenue was perhaps four to five feet under water as of Wednesday afternoon. Compare currrent flood to pictures from the flood of 1916, Click Here Addtional photos of Biltmore Village and the French Broad River can be found below.
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The North Fork Reservoir serves areas north, east, and west of Biltmore Village. The Mills River plant serves south Buncombe County, Fletcher, Mills River, Hendersonville, Saluda, Etowah, Laurel Park, and Edneyville.
All water customers are advised to rigorously conserve water to preserve residual water in the system. Residual water is needed for fire protection and to stabilize pressure within water lines to minimize the risk of further line breaks. Residents in need of water may fill their own containers at the Skyland Fire Department/Asheville Fire Station No. 4 on Miller Road and Fire Station No. 5 on Hendersonville Road at Carribou Road in Asheville. 
