Tropical Storm Chantal stalled over the Hillsborough area one year ago, leading to severe property damage in the town. Some repairs continue.

Over 10 inches of rain fell in the Hillsborough area, and flooding impacted the town’s water and sewer service, public works equipment, and public spaces. The town’s financial and physical recovery is in progress, including planning for physical structures to withstand severe weather.

“During and after Chantal, we saw the community band together and help out impacted neighbors,” Assistant Town Manager Matt Efird said. “Our public survey results showed high levels of support for the town staff responding to the event, and throughout the recovery community members emphasized the importance of the town's parks and greenways.

“Almost every employee in town had their work impacted by Chantal over the last year, including some who are still dealing with aspects of the recovery. It may have seemed like a minor storm at the time, but the impacts are going to be with us for some time to come.”

Water and Sewer Fund

What Happened

Floodwaters from the storm impacted all aspects of the town’s water and sewer system early July 7.

Water Treatment Plant — Contaminated water entered a water storage tank overnight, prompting operators to disconnect the plant from the town’s system for distributing water to customers.

West Fork Eno Reservoir — Heavy rain pushed the town’s reservoir past its capacity, damaging the spillway, a dam feature that manages potential overflows.

Wastewater Collection Infrastructure — Floodwaters severely damaged the River Pumping Station near the Wastewater Treatment Plant and washed away an aerial sewer pipe in the Churton Grove neighborhood. The damage accounted for about 6.8 million gallons of discharged sewage into the Eno River from the pumping station and associated manhole overflows and about 14,000 gallons into Strouds Creek from the aerial pipe. The sewage pumping station transports 75% of the town’s wastewater to the treatment plant.

Recovery

Less than a week later, contractors completed repairs to the aerial sewer pipe over Strouds Creek and the Water Treatment Plant returned to service after the ground-level storage tank was cleaned. The City of Durham helped to supply water temporarily to customers.

Sourcing replacement parts and completing repairs for the River Pumping Station took almost six months. During those six months, the town ran three bypass pumps to move sewage from the station into the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Staff expect to spend up to $3 million to complete repairs to the West Fork Eno Reservoir. Design work on the repairs is underway.

The town spent about $1.7 million in the Water and Sewer Fund for storm recovery, not including the future costs of reservoir repairs. It has recovered about $200,000 from its insurance provider and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s public assistance program. The approval process for reimbursement is continuing, and staff believe the town may recover up to $1.5 million in additional insurance coverage or public assistance.

Resilience

Repairs made to the River Pumping Station removed sensitive electronic equipment from the floodplain. Town staff also adjusted renovation plans for the Adron F. Thompson Water/Sewer Facility to harden the facility against future storms, including elevating the bottom floor of the building. The renovation is underway and expected to be complete in 2028.

Before the storm, the town was working on plans to relocate the River Pumping Station farther from the Eno River with assistance from a federal Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant. The federal government’s cancelation of BRIC grants in April 2025 further delayed the relocation as well as another project to improve the connection between the town’s water system and Orange Water and Sewer Authority in the southern part of Orange County. The Starfield Booster Pumping Station project would allow the town to receive water from OWASA in an emergency.

Plans for resumed support of the BRIC program were announced in March following a U.S. district court judge’s ruling that the program was unlawfully ended. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed the town for expended design fees for the two BRIC projects. The state intends to move the two projects to a state program, giving the town more time to complete the projects and to include increased costs.

General Fund

What Happened

Flooding overnight July 6 severely impacted the services of public works and public spaces. 

Public Works Yard — Flooding caused the loss of one-third of the town’s public works vehicles and equipment and the division’s office space.

Public Spaces — Floodwaters severely damaged a number of public spaces, including the playground, restrooms and bee hotel at Gold Park. It demolished sections of the Riverwalk greenway boardwalk. It also washed away the canoe and kayak launch at Kings Highway Park.

Recovery

By September, the town replaced over 20 vehicles totaled by the storm at a cost of nearly $2 million. The division has been temporarily relocated to a rented facility located out of the floodplain to further protect the vehicles from future storms while a permanent replacement facility is under construction.

Repairs to Gold Park and Riverwalk included inspections to ensure the safety of the boardwalks. Repairs to the greenway, park and park restrooms totaled $350,000 and were completed in late September. The canoe and kayak launch and the bee hotel, which was a public art structure, have not been replaced.

The town spent about $2.5 million of its savings in the General Fund on storm recovery. It has recovered $2 million from its insurance provider and FEMA’s public assistance program. The approval process for reimbursement is continuing, and staff believe the town may recover additional funding through insurance coverage or public assistance.

Resilience

The town is renovating and expanding the Highway 86 North Facility to permanently move the Public Works Division and its vehicles out of the floodplain. Construction is expected to be completed this fall.

The town also is collaborating with Orange County, Chapel Hill and Carrboro to develop an improved and coordinated emergency operations plan. The improved plan will enhance emergency response collaboration between the local governments.