Last Updated on November 21, 2018 9:28 am
Update Wednesday 5:28 pm from Town of Beech Mountain:
A State of Emergency has been declared today November 21,2018 at 5pm due to the Level 5 water restrictions.
A drinking water distribution site has been set up at the Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department Station 2 at 513 St. Andrews Rd. Station 2 will be open on November 22, 2018 from 8am to 4pm. One case of water per family at this time.
For more information please call the Police Department at 828-387-2342.
Update – Town of Beech Mountain Press Release on Wednesday 10:42 am :
On Monday, November 19th, the Town of Beech Mountain and a private contractor began performing cleaning and maintenance on the gate release valve and assembly at Buckeye Reservoir. Late Tuesday afternoon a diver returned to complete closure of the valve and his leg was caught. Responders from Avery Sherriff’s Office, Avery EMS, Avery Emergency Management, Beech Mountain Police Department, Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, Beech Mountain Utilities, Carter County Tennessee Water Rescue, Carolina Water Department, Elk Park VFD, Linville VFD, Linville Central Rescue, Red Cross and Watauga Emergency Management worked together to aid the rescue.
Shortly after 10:00 pm the diver was successfully rescued and transported to Watauga Medical Center. The diver is in good condition this morning. The Town of Beech Mountain gratefully thanks all those who helped carry out a successful rescue operation. Because of the malfunction of the valve, the Town is deeply involved in stopping the loss of water from the reservoir. Engineers and Utility staff are reviewing and implementing modifications currently.
The Town is at Level 5 water restriction and is coordinating with Emergency Management for possible emergency water distributions. Please stay tuned to media outlets and the Towns’ web page for more information.
The Town of Beech Mountain is immediately at stage five of water conservation, according to Code Red Alerts sent out by phone Wednesday morning and the Town's website.
“Only the minimum use of water is permitted. Water rationing is required. The Town is working with Emergency Management from both counties for possible water distribution sites tomorrow morning.”, the statement reads,
The statement goes on to say, “Water use by the Resort is from a separate system and does not affect the Town’s water supply. Penalties will be assessed for noncompliance. Water Supply conditions are significantly lower due to a malfunctioning gate release valve at the Buckeye Reservoir. A statement will be released immediately upon being able to lift the restrictions. Call 828-387-2342 (Police) or 828-387-4236 (Town Hall) for further information.”
