Below are some articles about the Alabama Water Agenda that were published in newspapers across the state during our official launch in January 2007

Going with the flow?

Birmingham News Editorial
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

THE ISSUE Alabama's abundant water resources are in danger, and we need to move consistently in the right direction if we are going to preserve them.
Alabama's waterways are a great natural resource. Sadly, our efforts to keep them in tip-top condition have not been so great.

Our state boasts 77,000 miles of rivers and streams and 14 major river basins that furnish us with drinking water, offer space for many recreational activities and are home to a wide variety of living things.

But a number of these living things are at risk of dying out, forever. In fact, Alabama ranks fourth in the nation for endangered freshwater species. This is clearly not the kind of list we want to lead.

A report from two environmental groups offers some explanations for the problems in Alabama’s waterways as well as some solutions. The report, which was produced by the Southern Environmental Law Center in North Carolina and the Alabama Rivers Alliance, says:

Rainwater is the leading cause of poor water quality in Alabama, because it often washes sediment, pesticides, fertilizers and other contaminants into streams and rivers. As more land is paved over, more rainfall flows into waterways, causing more pollution and also flooding.

Six state agencies share the responsibility for keeping up our waterways; they need better policies and better coordination.

Alabama's spending for environmental protection is among the lowest in the country and should be raised to an adequate level.

The punishment for violating pollution laws is negligible now; it should be substantial enough to serve as a deterrent.

The conclusions in "Alabama Water Agenda" are sound, even obvious. But they needed to be said. Because while there have been some recent signs of progress (the spotting of fragile fish in imperiled waters, for instance) we're actually going backward on some fronts.

A good example is the unraveling of Jefferson County's Storm Water Management Authority. The regional agency, which at one point was made up of 26 cities and the county, keeps an eye on runoff from construction or industrial sites that ends up in rivers and streams.

But thanks to efforts by big business interests and developers, a number of cities and the county have pulled out of the authority. Each jurisdiction still will have to theoretically manage stormwater runoff; it's a federal requirement. But instead of better coordination, there will be less, and our waterways will pay the price.

That's a shame. They've already suffered enough.

Groups say more funds, action needed for Ala. waterways

Article published Jan 23, 2007 in Times Daily
By DESIREE HUNTER
Associated Press Writer

Water-rich Alabama must actively preserve its river system resource by increasing funding and enforcement while reducing suburban sprawl and stormwater runoff, conservation groups said Tuesday as they announced their Alabama Water Agenda.

The agenda is the first edition from Alabama Rivers Alliance and Southern Environmental Law Center and will be distributed to Gov. Bob Riley and his staff, legislators, and various agencies with oversight of the state's water resources.

The glossy 12-page publication focuses on six threats, including agency coordination and enhancement and instream flow, and suggests actions the state should take to make improvements in those areas.

"We see this agenda as a living document," SELC staff attorney Gil Rogers said while standing along the banks of the Alabama River. "This is the effect of citizens throughout the state and watershed groups speaking out about concerns they have about water quality and water quantity in Alabama."

One of the agenda's recommendations is to strengthen water policies at several agencies that are charged with different aspects of water management. The state lacks a single agency that oversees the health and quality of water resources and instead spreads the task over several authorities including the state's surface mining commission, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Department of Industrial Relations.

There is too much confusion among the multiple agencies and better coordination is needed, the groups said.

April Hall, Watershed Protection Specialist for the Alabama Rivers Alliance, said the existing laws of the Clean Water Act need to be fully enforced in the state.

"We definitely need to be taking a proactive stance. We need to look at strengthening our agencies - giving them more money, giving them more power," she said. "They need to be able to enforce the laws they have been given by this great state to protect our waters."

Alabama is home to more than 77,000 miles of rivers and streams and ranks fifth in the nation in plant and animal diversity and first in freshwater species diversity, according to the agenda.

The state's rich environmental diversity should motivate all residents to take part in making sure Alabama's waterways are clean, the conservationists said.

Nelson Brooke, head of the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, said much more could be accomplished with adequate funding so agencies will have enough staff members to do effective enforcement, he said.

"One of the key problems we have is that the state environmental agency, ADEM, is just underfunded by our legislature and they cannot get the job done," Brooke said. "So you have groups like Riverkeeper that are needed by local communities and people are begging us to do the job that ADEM isn't doing, basically."