From Staff Reports

WOODFIN, N.C. — Nearly two years after Tropical Storm Helene ‘sent thousands of pounds of PVC pipe funneling into the French Broad River, questions remain about what is being done to prevent it from happening again,’ Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on June 30.

“The heaps of pipe are linked to the international manufacturer IPEX, as local environmental groups continue working to remove bundles of pipe from the river,” News 13 noted. “The ongoing cleanup has raised questions about accountability and enforcement, as nonprofits say they have spent significant time and taxpayer resources removing debris that washed into the river during the storm.”

In response, IPEX officials said the company has recovered pipes from the area’s rivers and banks, added flood mitigation measures and continues to monitor conditions.

A statement from the manufacturer explains in part:

“IPEX understands the community’s concerns about pipe in the French Broad River following Hurricane Helene. We have recovered pipe from the river and riverbanks and are continuing to evaluate conditions. We remain committed to working with members of the community and sharing what we learn to help inform our next steps.

“IPEX has been in communication with local officials, including the Town of Woodfin, and recognizes the importance of constructive engagement as the community continues to recover. We can confirm that our Asheville facility is compliant with all applicable regulatory requirements. Our operations have been enhanced by extensive mitigation measures designed to protect the Facility and our employees, in order to minimize potential risks in the future. In addition, we have worked closely with Buncombe County, alongside a team of independent engineers to review and approve our Helene recovery plan, confirming we meet all applicable regulations.”

Earlier in June, the environmental nonprofit MountainTrue said it had put in more than 44,000 labor hours picking up PVC pipe from IPEX. The group says it believes thousands of pipes are still stored in the floodplain.

News 13’s “Comment Bubble” following its story included the followed assertions:

• Normal — “IPEX needs to sue every ‘river stewardship’ org because their river stole/destroyed IPEX property.”

• Zxcvbnm1 — “Literally nobody is responsible for the debris that gets washed down river from a natural disaster. The homeowner who had their shed washed down is not responsible for pulling it out of the river, the same as a corporation is not responsible. They were up to code before the disaster, and a 1,000 year flood devastated their operations along with the rest of Riverside and Biltmore. You people are illogical and quick to jump to your virtue signaling.”

• BitingTheHandThatFeeds — “That IPEX statement says basically nothing.  And if you look now all the newly produced pipe is stored outside in the same places as before the storm. SSDD.”

• Correcto — “I always wondered why any business should have the quantity of unsold/unshipped inventory on hand that IPEX seemed to always have.!!  When it all washed away, they lost, no doubt a substantial amount of money.!! Not as much as you may think thanks to the insurance they likely had in place. I suppose they could make new pipe cheaper than collecting the washed away inventory and losing some of the insurance payout.!! (Good business decision?)

“Maybe the insurance compqny should have collected the pipe they paid for and sold it at fire-sale prices to local plumbers and builders.! I bet IPEX would not have appreciated that.! LOL.!!”