Local nonprofit arranges permanent repairs to lingering lower Beacon Village issue
ReGroup WNC enlists local contractor to address drainage in Swannanoa neighborhood
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 15, 2026
Crews from Chonzie, Inc. install a drainage system in lower Beacon Village, Jan. 12, following the fundraising efforts of ReGroup WNC. Photo by Fred McCormick
A persistent drainage issue that has impacted residents in a Swannanoa neighborhood for more than a year after Helene is undergoing long-term repairs, following the intervention of a local nonprofit organization.
ReGroup WNC, a grassroots relief initiative that has assisted more than 100 area families with home repairs, vehicle replacement and other necessities since the natural disaster, hired Fairview-based licensed public utility contractor Chonzie, Inc. to install a modern drainage system to accommodate a spring that has left multiple yards muddy along Edwards Avenue in lower Beacon Village.
The neighborhood, south of U.S. 70, experienced severe flooding during the storm, which caused the Swannanoa River to submerge many of the homes, resulting in the boat rescues of residents trapped on their roofs. While everyone on the normally quiet street survived, many of the homes, originally constructed for employees of Beacon Manufacturing, were destroyed.
At least 10 families have returned to rebuilt and remodeled houses, with the assistance of dozens of nonprofit organizations. Multiple homeowners on the south side of Edwards Avenue, however, had been unable to utilize their backyards since moving back, according to Jon Neumann, one of the founding members of ReGroup WNC.
“After the flood, the water table seemed to shift or change its pattern, and this spring, which is located in one resident’s backyard, had been flooding multiple surrounding yards,” Neumann said. “It caused serious problems, mainly stagnant water and mud, which rendered these yards unusable.”
Prior to the storm, a small pump diverted water from the spring to the road, where it emptied into a nearby drainage basin. That system, Neumann added, was no longer adequate after Helene. Last September, ReGroup WNC contracted Chonzie, Inc. to repair the drain, after standing water in the road caused muddy conditions for a large section of the street.
“That problem was the result of the drain being clogged, so once that water was pumped out there, Edwards Avenue was like a little lake,” Neumann said. “At that time, there were disputes about who was responsible for fixing it, so we hired Chonzie (McMahan) and he connected a pipe to U.S. 70, allowing the water to drain out of the neighborhood.”
ReGroup WNC, which has partnered with area nonprofits, including Eblen Charities, Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders and Valley Strong Disaster Relief to assist with home repairs for storm victims, raised funds to cover the cost of addressing the problem with the spring, according to Neumann, while Asheville-based Fortiline Waterworks donated pipes. Contractors began the project on the week of Jan. 5.
“We’ve always known the spring was a more complicated issue,” Neumann said. “When these mill houses were built, there were drainage systems in that specific community. They’re really old systems, put in almost a century ago, but the general design works.”
Chonzie, Inc. is updating the drainage system in four separate yards, according to Neumann.
“Instead of pumping that water out to the road, they are installing an underground drainage system,” he said. “That will capture the spring water in a newly constructed box, to keep it from seeping out into the yards. That water will be pumped into new storm drain pipes and boxes.”
Updating the aging infrastructure will keep water off the surface of Edwards Avenue.
“The way it is now, that water gets on the road and when it gets really cold, it freezes,” Neumann said. “It has been a complicated fix, but they are nearly finished.”
Sixteen months after Helene, ReGroup WNC continues to receive regular calls for assistance, he added.
“We still get requests weekly,” Neumann said. “We’re still working with several people who need vehicles, after theirs were damaged by the storm. We’re also helping with roof repairs, home furnishings and other needs, on a case-by-case basis.”