May 15, 2024 | Victoria Miller (Alabama Rivers Alliance), Kimberly Randall (Lister Hill Center for Health Policy)
Alabama has made headlines in recent years for the difficulties in maintaining and modernizing water infrastructure in the state, particularly through the rural Black Belt areas where poverty and distance between homes exasperate the issue. Researchers at The University of Alabama and UAB have collaborated on trying to understand the public health and engineering impacts and potential solutions, teaming up with a plethora of community partners to help address the issues. The Alabama Rivers Alliance, a Lister Hill Center community partner, is a statewide network of groups working to protect and restore all of Alabama’s water resources through building partnerships, empowering communities, and advocating for sound water policy and enforcement.
One difficult aspect of addressing the water and sanitation crisis in Alabama is the lack of understanding about community and government resources available for residents who lack proper infrastructure. Most government resources have pooled in Lowndes County, Ala., bordering Montgomery, with other organizations reaching into other areas of the Black Belt like Wilox County. However, the complexity of finding and understanding those resources presents a barrier to the residents who most need them.
The Alabama Rivers Alliance’s Wastewater Equity Fellowship has launched a new Alabama water infrastructure resource website, which will help communities address their wastewater needs. As concerns around water and wastewater infrastructure challenges grow in Alabama, and as funding deadlines approach, this new online resource hub is designed to empower citizens, advocates, and policymakers with knowledge and tools to address their community’s needs. This website serves as a vital starting point for communities looking to learn more about solving water-related issues with funding. The team unveiled their new website, and reported on their wastewater equity research, at Alabama Water Rally in March, the annual gathering of clean water advocates.
“This work is one of many in a larger, ongoing effort to strengthen collaborations between institutes of higher education and community-based partners to develop more effective water-related solutions for local communities.” Dr. Jillian Maxcy-Brown, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Alabama who participated in the Alabama Rivers Alliance fellowship, said. “We are also working on installing pilot-systems to test innovative low-cost water treatment technologies, conducting regional wastewater needs studies, and developing resource guides to holistically address historic infrastructure challenges in the Alabama Black Belt. We are planning to expand upon the work begun in this fellowship with more in-depth analyses of infrastructure funding mechanisms across the U.S.”
The Alabama Water Hub website provides opportunities to learn about how water infrastructure is funded in Alabama. From the website, users can learn more about water infrastructure in general, see a list of funding options for water infrastructure projects, learn more about commonly used water funding terms, and find contacts for further assistance with water infrastructure funding.
Also featured on the website are the first maps of the applicants to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s (ADEM’s) State Revolving Fund (SRF). Mapping the SRF applicant information provided by ADEM highlights the primary mechanism being used to issue water funding to communities that need it.
With the recent influx of federal water funding, communities are at a critical time to get informed about how drinking water and wastewater funding is allocated and how to access water funding when your town needs it. For communities that have long suffered with infrastructure issues such as crumbling/aging water pipes, overflowing sewers, contaminated drinking water, and/or degraded water quality, the funding availability is an opportunity to seek relief and get funding to address those issues.
“Water infrastructure is a complex topic, but this website is a space where any Alabamian can learn more about the landscape in our state and find funding resources for water projects,” Madelyn Cantu, Alabama Rivers Alliance wastewater fellow, said. “Water is life, and we want this resource hub to help make water infrastructure more accessible.”
Learn More
Visit the website today to access valuable resources and learn about water infrastructure funding in Alabama.
Want to get involved with environmental justice and policy work? The Lister Hill Center is hosting a Summer Advocacy Training Workshop with ARA on June 5th to give opportunities for individuals to learn more, increase their civics education, and learn how to get started.
