MILL SPRING — North Carolina has awarded more than $3.4 million to repair three Hurricane Helene-damaged dams classified as high hazard.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality announced the second round of Dam Safety grants Sept. 16. The money will go to Turner Shoals Dam in Mill Spring, Beech Lake Dam near Hendersonville and Ashe Lake Dam northeast of Boone, according to the agency’s award announcement.
Turner Shoals will receive more than $1.3 million to repair its access road and eroded areas around the hydroelectric station. Beech Lake will receive more than $1.2 million, and Ashe Lake will receive more than $840,000.
DEQ classifies the three dams as high hazard, meaning a failure would likely result in loss of life or significant damage to homes, businesses, major roads or utilities downstream. After Helene, the agency inspected more than 400 dams in western North Carolina and identified about 40 damaged structures, including 36 classified as high hazard.
The new awards follow about $6.6 million issued earlier this year to six other high-hazard dams, bringing the two rounds to roughly $10 million. Carolina Journal reported that the awards complete a $10 million fund created by the General Assembly in 2025 for Helene-damaged dams. It also reported that the 2026 state budget added $20 million for 12 identified dams, with individual awards expected separately.
WLOS independently confirmed the three award amounts and the statewide inspection figures. The announcements establish funding awards; they do not say the three repair projects are complete.
Featured image: State and county officials at Turner Shoals Dam, which received the largest award in the second round. Credit: N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.