Stein announces flood resiliency funding in Woodfin | Video
Gov. Josh Stein visits Woodfin to announce $6 million in flood resiliency grants, outlining funding for several Western North Carolina communities on Feb. 16, 2026.
- New state funding includes $100,000 for floodplain restoration and $356,000 for stormwater improvements.
- The Mud Creek project began in October, partly meant to keep water off nearby roadways.
HENDERSONVILLE – Two Hendersonville flood resilience projects will get a boost from $456,000 in new state funding from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, according to a Feb. 16 news release from Gov. Josh Stein’s office.
The Lower Mud Creek Floodplain Restoration project, begun in October 2025, aims to mitigate flooding by storing floodwater and to restore a natural wetland ecosystem on 20 acres of green space south of downtown, the Times-News previously reported.
It’s set to receive $100,000, Hendersonville Stormwater Director and Floodplain Administrator Michael Huffman told the Times-News Feb. 17.
The city’s stormwater infrastructure improvement project will entail replacing, enlarging and relocating storm drains and pipes, some of which will be moved from private property to the public right-of-way, and will receive $356,000, he said.
Stein announced $5.7 million in state money for flood resilience in the French Broad River Valley Feb. 16 during a visit to Woodfin, the Citizen Times reported.
The funding is part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint. The 2021 program represents the largest investment in flood mitigation ever in North Carolina, the Citizen Times reported.
“We know that there will be floods to come in the future, so we’re making smart investments now to limit flood severity,” Stein said.
The Mud Creek project involved redirecting the courses of two parallel waterways, Mud Creek and Johnson’s Ditch, placing them farther from roads and buildings, and constructing berms to contain floodwater, allowing the waterways to safely overflow in heavy rain, the Times-News previously reported.
Just three to four inches of rain was enough to cause shallow flooding on roads around the restoration site, Huffman told the Times-News in October.
The floodwater storage in the Mud Creek project should contain flooding short of a 50-year event and filter rainwater falling on a 400-acre watershed around it, improving water quality and wildlife habitat in the waterways, he said.
First floodplain restoration site close to done
The project encompasses two sites, the Brevard Church Site, between South Grove Street and South Main Street, behind Harris Teeter, and the Wilson Site, between Jonesborough Street and Greenville highway, behind Publix.
Work on the Brevard Church Site is now close to complete, Huffman said.
“For the most part, all the grading work and stream work is done and the wetlands are installed. The major outstanding items there are finishing up the trail components, putting in some bridges and then doing the planting,” likely within the next few weeks, he said.
The city plans to plant more than 50 different species of native plants and build around 3,000 linear feet of trails, the Times-News previously reported.
Crews have started clearing trees and brush at the Wilson Site, he said.
Contractors Shamrock Environmental and Wildlands Engineering are supposed to finish the project by early 2027, he said.
Hendersonville also requested $2 million from NC Emergency Management for the stormwater improvement project and expects to hear a decision within the week, Huffman said.
The NCEM grant is capped at $2 million and the $356,000 covers the rest of the estimated construction cost, he said.
Once all funding for the stormwater improvement project is secured, engineering could be finalized this summer for work to begin in 2027, he said.
The $100,000 from Feb. 16 for the floodplain restoration is in addition to $630,000 the city received from NCDEQ in early 2025, he said.
The restoration project is also funded by grants of $1.9 million from the NC Division of Water Infrastructure, $1.1 million from the NC Land and Water Fund, $200,000 from the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Resource Development Grant program and $250,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation, according to Huffman and previous Times-News reporting.
Citizen Times reporter Will Hofmann contributed to this report.
George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at GFRussell@gannett.com.
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