Lake Lure expected to reopen in spring 2026

LAKE LURE, N.C. — As cleanup from Hurricane Helene continues in Lake Lure, the town is hopeful it can reopen its lake next spring.

The town announced this week its “goal is to welcome residents and visitors back to a fully restored Lake Lure by late spring 2026.”

The announcement comes as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and AshBritt Environmental continue to remove debris and contaminated sediment from the lake.

“When we first were able to lay eyes on Lake Lure, we could tell there was a lot of debris in the lake,” said George Minges, a debris subject matter expert for the Army Corps of Engineers. “It was just everything that came from upstream and Bat Cave, Hickory Nut Gorge and Chimney Rock.”

Crews have been working on the lake since November, removing pieces of cars, metal appliances and other hazards that flowed into the lake after Helene. 

While most of the large pieces of debris have been removed, the soil and sediment that sat on the lake floor is contaminated. Each day, crews dig up the soil and load it onto hundreds of trucks to be taken to a landfill in South Carolina.

“We remove about 300 to 400 truckloads of soil, sediment and other debris every day,” Minges said. “To date, we’ve removed about 900,000 tons of debris just from the subsurface section of the lake.” 

Minges said the Army Corps of Engineers is 90% done with its work in Lake Lure. He is hopeful they can complete the project by Oct. 31.

“From the beginning of this event, we heard that without Lake Lure, there is no town of Lake Lure,” Minges said. “The work that we’re doing here is essential to the economic recovery and regional recovery of this area.” 

The project has cost more than $200 million, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.