The Upper Broad River Watershed is a 94 square mile area that drains areas of Buncombe, Henderson, and Rutherford Counties.  The many tributaries that support the watershed flow through forest, agricultural, urban, residential, and resort lands.  Sedimentation, flooding, and stream bank erosion have increased dramatically in the Upper Broad River Watershed as a result of a growing population and increased land-clearing and development.      

        In 1996, after a large flood devastated the area and caused the Town of Lake Lure to have to spend $1.2 million to remove sediment from the lake, the Upper Broad River Watershed Protection Committee (UBRWPC) was formed.  After preliminary studies conducted by the USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Isothermal Planning and Development Council, local Soil and Water Conservation District personnel, and members of the Town of Lake Lure's Lake Advisory Committee, a meeting was held to examine our watershed stabilization problems.  The newly formed committee was charged with identifying the sources of erosion and finding solutions to the sedimentation problems.  The UBRWPC would be represented by a group  local citizens, representatives of NRCS, officials from the Town of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village, the Environmental Quality Institute of UNC-Asheville, and Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation and Development Council.

        With the help of Mountain Valleys Resource and Development Council, the UBRWPC was able to put together a grant proposal and was awarded a $581,000.00 grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management trust Fund.  This money would be used to launch a pilot project which has come to be known as the Upper Broad River Watershed Protection Program.  This allowed the committee to hire an Erosion Control Specialist who would monitor the entire watershed - providing technical and financial assistance to property owners experiencing off-site sedimentation.  Funds would also be allocated for the protection of riparian areas through conservation easements and stream bank stabilization.  Over the course of this grant period, a total of 114 conservation plans were written, 57 of which were implemented.  Best Management Practices (BMPs) were installed for these landowners, repairing 52.34 acres of critically eroded land.  Three riparian conservation easements were also purchased during this time, protecting approximately 63 acres of riparian zone.  Some of the grant money was set aside for educational opportunities and materials, allowing the program to produce an educational video entitled Protecting the Upper Broad River Watershed, and an informative handbook for watershed residents, detailing steps that can be taken to protect water quality.

         In 2003, the UBRWPP was awarded another grant of $150,000.00 from the North Carolina Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source grant program to continue the progress that has already been made in the watershed.  Another grant from North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund for $300,000.00 was awarded as well.  Thanks to these grants, to date 132 conservation plans have been written, 60 of which have been implemented, and approximately 100 acres of riparian zone has been protected through permanent conservation easements.

         There is still much work to be done in the Upper Broad River Watershed.  Only through everyone's help can we continue to succeed in our mission to protect and conserve our soil and water resources.  If you have an existing erosion problem, or you know of someone who does, please feel free to give us a call at anytime.