Chair Names and Contacts

Tracy Davids: tdavids@defenders.org 

Mike Huffman: mhuffman@hvlnc.gov 

Current Work Group Focus

• Cane Creek Watershed Action Plan
  • Completing Current Conditions and Roles & Responsibilities sections of the Cane Creek Watershed Action Plan
  • Cane Creek Subgroup meeting regularly with DEQ to check progress of Watershed Action Plan development and release
• American Public Works Association 2025 Conference
  • Education of attendees about green infrastructure maintenance.
  • Reorganizing Stormwater Subgroup, including new members
  • Submitting an abstract for the session
  • Gathering feedback from attendees via surveys to measure increases in knowledge
• Floodplain Restoration Project
  • Educating Water Quality Workgroup members and others about floodplain restoration project techniques and impacts.
  • Mills River Restoration Field Tour rescheduled after Helene

Work Group Highlights

1. Reduced stormwater impacts from cities and towns by improving streamside buffers and advocating for green infrastructure
   • Partners met with City of Asheville to discuss stormwater issues
   • Established Stormwater Task Force
   • Group received DEQ Watershed Action Plan training for virtual plan development that will enable us to better evaluate stormwater effects. 
2. Developed relationships with agricultural and working lands representatives to help farmers improve practices related to runoff, erosion, and stream impacts, and to preserve land value. 
3. Evaluated the development of new funding sources to support such work 
4. Selected three focal areas to work on: Cane Creek, Richland Creek, and Upper Swannanoa 
5. Held field trainings on how to input “impact” data into DEQ system 
6. Uploaded information to develop a Watershed Action Plan for Cane Creek in Fairview, Richland Creek in Waynesville and the Upper Swannanoa River in Black Mountain and Montreat