Removal of Helene debris from Reedy River begins

USDA-NRCS Grant Funds Helene Debris Removal from Reedy River

$1.4 million will help remove 25,000 cubic yards of fallen trees and other vegetation

Two years after Hurricane Helene, a USDA grant will assist in removing difficult-to-reach debris from the Reedy River.

The $1.4 million USDA-NRCS grant will fund work to remove an estimated 25,000 cubic yards of fallen trees and other vegetative debris from the river between Falls Park and Mauldin Road.

“We were concerned about the debris in the river,” said Ben Carroll, deputy director of Public Works for the City of Greenville.

Carroll said the debris poses an increased flood risk during severe weather and heavy rain.

The work is scheduled to begin Sept. 17 and last approximately five to six weeks. Because the City does not own the specialized equipment needed to remove the debris from remote portions of the river, contractors have been enlisted to do the job.

Work will be done seven days a week, between 7 a.m. and approximately 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the weekends, weather permitting.

Once removed, some of the vegetative debris will be mulched and used at City parks and buildings. The same was done to debris removed in the months that followed Hurricane Helene’s impact. Public Works mulched and moved more than 427,000 cubic yards of debris from streets and thoroughfares around the City, along with 52 hazardous tree stumps. The debris to be removed from the Reedy River represents about 6% of what was cleared following the storm.