As Henderson County moves forward with drafting the new 2045 Comprehensive Plan that will guide development for the next quarter-century, it is critical to consider what is at stake for our rivers and streams. The outcome of this planning process will influence water quality for decades to come. 

Henderson County is split by the continental divide into two major watersheds. In the north, water flows to the mighty French Broad River, with major tributaries including Mud Creek, Cane Creek, and the Mills River. In the south, it flows to the Green River, with the Big Hungry River as a major tributary, before it drops off the Blue Ridge escarpment into Polk County and eventually the Broad River.

In a tale of two watersheds, the Green River flows through largely rural and lightly developed areas like Tuxedo and Zirconia and drains portions of apple country to the East. Water quality in the Green River watershed is generally excellent, thanks to low-intensity land use and protected areas like the Green River Game Land. The French Broad River Watershed has larger challenges with water quality, including sediment and bacteria pollution resulting from a combination of urban runoff — from population centers like Hendersonville and Fletcher — and agricultural runoff.

Stormwater is the primary cause of poor water quality in our region, and we can expect stormwater quantities to increase with more frequent and intense rainfall due to climate change. Rains glide off impervious surfaces like parking lots, roads, buildings, and other structures and mix with nearby litter and pollutants before flowing into local waterways. Runoff from construction sites and plowed fields pollutes local waterways with sediment. And sewer and septic system overflows and runoff from livestock operations are major culprits of E.coli and other bacteria pollution.

Good land-use planning can help us mitigate and adapt to climate change and its effects on local rivers and streams. Prioritizing land protection and conservation is one of the best ways to protect water quality. Forests, open spaces, parks, and even our rural landscape all provide opportunities for stormwater to infiltrate into groundwater aquifers instead of running off into rivers and streams, increasing flow and velocity and exacerbating erosion. Henderson County’s new Comprehensive Plan should encourage conservation of the county’s rural heritage and character, including floodplains and river buffers. This will help preserve water quality while providing quality of life benefits like recreational opportunities and viewshed protection.

On the flip side, Henderson County’s population is projected to grow by 13,000 new residents between 2020 and 2030, and more development is inevitable. How we accommodate that growth can have profound water quality implications. To protect our rural character and prevent urban sprawl, we should focus on infill development in existing population centers. By building up instead of out, we can mitigate the construction of new impervious surfaces and prioritize other viable strategies that facilitate stormwater capture, treatment, and infiltration — like constructing and maintaining public parks.

Wastewater seriously impacts water quality, and the county should invest wisely in wastewater infrastructure. Henderson County should prioritize development where sewer infrastructure already exists and concentrate the expansion of urban services like water and sewer to encourage growth in population centers and prevent sprawl. Investing in improvements to existing sewer systems to address capacity, inflow, and infiltration can reduce sewer overflows and line failures while accommodating population growth. Similarly, restricting density outside of population centers allows individual septic systems the space they need to function properly without oversaturating surrounding soils and overflowing into nearby streams. 

From rural preservation to wastewater infrastructure, parks, and open space to urban development, at the intersection of all of these issues is the quality of our water that we rely on to drink, enjoy, and use. By making clean water a cornerstone of Henderson County’s 2045 Comprehensive Plan, we can realize a vision that maintains our economic growth, preserves our rural and agricultural character, enhances our quality of life, and respects our natural resources for decades to come.

– Gray Jernigan, Green Riverkeeper, MountainTrue

– Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper, MountainTrue

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Originally Appeared Here