Why reduce rain runoff? Meet WNC residents and business owners and hear why they are taking action.
People take action for many reasons:
- Increasing their home’s property value
- Showing that their business uses water resources responsibly
- Preventing erosion or flooding in their yard
- Reducing their water bill (especially for watering plants or grass)
Meet the Locals Who Are Making a Difference

Meet Weston
A Black Mountain resident who implemented green infrastructure to address stormwater issues in their yard.

Meet Glenda
An Asheville resident turning her garden into a thriving oasis through a RiverLink rain garden program.

Meet Diana
A Black Mountain resident transforming her home with sustainable water practices.

Meet Ben
An Asheville resident who tackled major water issues on his property with green infrastructure.

Meet Anthony
A 5th generation farmer combating the negative impacts of stormwater runoff.

Meet Maria
The Executive Director of the Mills River Partnership, devoted to preserving water quality in the Mills River.

Meet Tim
A West Asheville resident inspired to create a rainwater harvesting system.

Meet Preston
The Executive Director of Haywood Waterways Association working to restore the Pigeon River.
Meet the Experts Who Are Making a Difference

Meet a Water Quality Expert
Ann Marie Traylor is the Executive Director of the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI), a nonprofit in Black Mountain.

Meet a Wildlife Biology Expert
Meet Luke Etchison, the Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator at the
NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

Meet a Fish Expert
Brian Esque is Chair of the North Carolina Council of Trout Unlimited (NCTU), the national non-profit that works to conserve coldwater fisheries.

Meet a Stormwater Tech
Anne Phillip, Black Mountain’s Stormwater Technician, works to protect the Swannanoa River from stormwater runoff degradation.
Meet the Businesses Who Are Making a Difference

Stormwater in Hendersonville
The City of Hendersonville installed innovative green infrastructure features at Patton Park to protect the local creek (Brittain Creek) from stormwater runoff.

Stormwater at Sunny Point
An Asheville-based restaurant that resolved flooding from roof runoff by redirecting it into rain barrels.

Stormwater at New Belgium
An Asheville-based brewery on the banks of the French Broad using green infrastructure to keep rain runoff on-site.
