Asheville Residents Celebrate Return to Safe Drinking Water After Lengthy Crisis

Asheville Residents Begin to Reclaim Their Normal Lives After Water Crisis

Asheville, North Carolina – After what felt like an eternity without safe drinking water, residents of Asheville are finally starting to breathe a sigh of relief as potable water has returned to the city. However, many locals remain cautious, taking their time to adjust to this newfound comfort.

Cheers in the Car

The announcement that the boil water notice had been lifted brought cheer to residents like Jessica Johnson, who expressed her excitement upon hearing the news. “I was in line at the Red Cross to get more water,” she shared, “and when I got the news, I kind of cheered in my car. But I’m still getting the water. I’m a little weary of heavy metals and lead contamination; my house was built before 1988, so I’m a bit trepidatious about it.”

Jessica isn’t the only resident feeling apprehensive about returning to regular tap water. Community members are taking cautious approaches as they ease back into their daily routines. Steven Goldstein from East Asheville noted, “If I’m using a dishwasher, it has to be on a sanitized setting. That takes two and a half hours. I still do laundry but check everything once it’s done to see if it looks clean. I’ll trust it when it’s clear and looks good.”

Cautious Schools

Even the local schools are planning to proceed carefully. April Dockery, Chief of Operations for Asheville City Schools, explained, “For us, it just means that we can move up the timeline a little bit faster. We are still going to rely on bottled water for our staff and students until we can ensure that all our lines have been flushed and we can do another round of lead testing; this is especially crucial for our older buildings.”

The schools are continuing to serve grab-n-go meals, following protocols established by Buncombe County’s Health and Human Services. They have enough resources to keep this up for several more weeks. April mentioned, “We’re hoping that we’ll be able to use city water by the time we return from winter break; that’s kind of our initial timeline. If we can do it faster, we certainly will. We want to be slow and ensure the safety of our staff and students.”

Back to Normalcy

For some residents, though, the routine is already getting back to normal. Jeri Krassner, who recently washed her hands for the first time, couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a step missing. “Then I remembered that I don’t have to do that step. I mean, there’s always a part of you that thinks about testing and stuff like that. But I’m just so happy to have it. You forget how easy it was.”

Businesses in downtown Asheville, like the Kimpton Hotel Arras, have also begun transitioning back to the city’s water supply, signaling a comforting return to normalcy. “Fifty-three days without water is something I never want to do again,” Jessica Johnson reflected. “Trying to figure out all these extra steps has been stressful. The simple difference between hitting the tap to feed the dog versus popping open a box of water is just a breath of fresh air.”

A Happy Return

As Asheville residents begin to adjust to this new reality of having potable water, feelings of relief and gratitude are sweeping through the city. “There’s nothing I love more now than having the water just run over my hands,” Jeri said. “Happy days are here again.”

While many folks remain cautious and proactive, the return of potable water marks a significant milestone for Asheville. The community will take it one step at a time, ready to embrace the simple joys of daily life once more.