The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint program, in partnership with the North Carolina Land and Water Fund (NCLWF), has awarded $210,500 for the Pigeon River at Clyde Flood Resiliency Project. This grant is the Western North Carolina component of a $1.1 million statewide investment focused on leveraging natural infrastructure to curb the devastating impacts of flooding.
The Power of Natural Flood Control
The project is being managed by the Haywood Waterways Association and represents a pivotal shift toward sustainable, nature-based flood mitigation. Instead of solely relying on concrete structures, this initiative focuses on giving the river back its natural flood-control mechanism—the floodplain.
Key project details for the community:
Restoration Scope: The project will restore nearly 0.48 mile of stream and 5.3 acres of floodplain along the Pigeon River, all within the Clyde town limits.
Mechanism: The core strategy involves reconnecting the river to its floodplain. When a large storm hits, this allows floodwaters to spread out across a protected area rather than being confined to a narrow channel, which typically forces the water level higher and faster into the community.
Combined Benefits: Beyond flood storage and risk reduction, the project will stabilize eroding banks, improve water quality, and enhance the local ecosystem. This effort complements nearby investments, such as Rivers Edge Park, to create an interconnected, resilient open-space system.
“North Carolina is experiencing stronger and more frequent storms,” DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “DEQ’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint invests in local projects that will help reduce flood risk and make our communities less vulnerable to damaging flooding from events like Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Chantal.”
A Year of Focused Investment in Clyde
The $210,500 grant is the most substantial individual allocation to a natural infrastructure project in Clyde this year, but it reflects a comprehensive strategy to build resilience across the town's watershed. The community has diligently secured multiple, targeted grants in 2025 to address various flood challenges.
Notable flood risk reduction funding received in 2025 includes:
Clyde’s Downtown Building Elevation Project:
Award: $50,000
Source: NC DEQ’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint
Purpose: Funding to support the elevation of vulnerable downtown buildings, closing financial gaps in larger mitigation efforts to physically remove structures from the flood hazard area.
Town of Clyde Resiliency Support:
Award: $27,000
Source: The Pigeon River Fund (administered by the Community Foundation of WNC)
Purpose: Awarded to Haywood Waterways Association to provide technical assistance and support for the town's overall flood planning and community resiliency efforts.
By leveraging these state and local partnerships, Clyde is leading the way in WNC by prioritizing both natural restoration and infrastructure protection to ensure its future is more resilient against the inevitability of future storms.
WNCTimes