These conversations continued over the next week, and it became obvious that many water-centric business partners in the county needed support as their livelihoods were being threatened with trip cancelations, an unnavigable river or a business location no longer viable to continue operations, this fall season or down the line looking into 2025.

At the same time, HWA was coordinating with the EPA to better understand the hazards in the waterways, and the need for expert boaters to navigate the Pigeon became apparent. This need blossomed into an idea to provide a small opportunity to help our local guides.

HWA brokered contracts between the EPA, its consultants and local river guides here in Haywood County to provide trips along the Pigeon, allowing the EPA to conduct its Hazard Assessment Survey unimpeded and in a safe and expedited fashion. These findings are then directly passed along to the Army Corps of Engineers, from which they are able to extract large hazard materials from the river and to date they have removed numerous items from the Pigeon.

This model of partnering local river guides with EPA and their consultants will migrate out of Haywood County and be used in the French Broad River Basin, expanding northward up the Appalachian chain to the northernmost extent of the Helene disaster area.

Locally, Mountain Fly Outfitters in Canton owned/operated by Doug McElvy is conducting the Pigeon River assessment, aided by local guide Thomas Grimes. Mountain Fly Outfitters and EPA officials are currently assessing the French Broad River as of Nov. 4, having completed the Pigeon River assessment the week of Oct. 28 and are expected to hire many more local guides within each watershed, providing a small business opportunity during these unprecedented times.