Letter: Three cheers for Chandler at water department

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I am 73 years old and have been through a few things in my life. The last two months stand alone, however. And although there are many, many heroes deserving of recognition and acclaim during these weeks, none stand out quite like Clay Chandler and his people at the Water Resources Department. So, to wit:

Chandler’s handling of this crisis has been magnificent throughout. Those sound like words more suited to an ad for the Ice Capades than a civil servant, but I mean every word.

Clay has been so good at his job that it’s difficult to convey such competence to friends. He has delivered on everything he promised. He never pulled his punches as he described our situation. There were hard truths, and he shared them with us. I expect that he has rewritten the book on how civil authorities should handle disaster information release. He told us that it was going to be a long, hard road to recovery. They were working as hard as they could, but there were no guarantees. He made none.

As nothing has ever happened quite like this anywhere, he was in uncharted territory from the get-go. Promises were a fool’s game, and he knew it. He told us each step of the way how and where the restoration of water services was taking place. He told us what the problems they faced were as they arose. He told us what the new innovations were that they were having to try while telling us not only when they worked, but when they didn’t. With a voice that sounded like a dead-on imitation of Al Gore (sorry, Clay, I hope that’s a compliment), Clay brought us through the worst of it to safety. It was a world-class performance by any standard.

Question: How can this city show its appreciation for such a man? I’m not given to hero worship, but Chandler and his people have earned the gratitude and respect of this city a thousand times over. It seems that there ought to be some way to thank him and them appropriately. It would be a crime to not let them enjoy a moment of joy and praise for their incredible work.

— Jim Lynch
Asheville

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3 thoughts on “Letter: Three cheers for Chandler at water department

  1. MV

    The real heroes in this town are the people who continue fighting to protect our natural world against irresponsible development, asphalt plants in the River Arts and coal-burning electrical facilities in Woodfin…

  2. hejost

    On the 27th of September, by the time Fusegate unit No. 1 tipped over, when the pre-set inflow rate was reached, water in theNorth Fork Reservoir had risen to a critical level. Activation of the emergency Fusegate system at NFR prevented a breach of the dam, however the pre-set inflow activation rate for unit No.1 was too high resulting in a flash flood down North Fork Creek. In the aftermath the creek was unrecognisable according to one observer. Downstream from the confluence of the creek with the main Swannanoa River there is a bend in the river, where Beacon Village is situated. The manufacturer of the Fusegate describes a dilemma inherent to the system: “Failing too early would result in frequent replacement of the Fusegates and unnecessary lowering of the reservoir. Failing too late or not failing at all could result in overtopping of the earthen embankments, and ultimately lead to a breach of the dam.” Activation or tipping of Fusegate units occurs when the water level rises above full pool until pre-set inflow rates to the units are reached. The system consists of 8 units in series designed to discharge stepwise one after another (source manufacturers technical details), until the water level recedes, so downstream areas are protected from a flash flood. Why only one Fusegate unit activated can be understood by way of the previously mentioned dilemma inherent to the system, however described in terms of pre-set inflow rates; too high inflow rate risks a flash flood while too low inflow rate risks a dam breach.

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