Nelson Brooke | Alabama Public Radio

Alabama Power Releases "What If" Scenarios for Coal Ash Dams

By APR student reporter Allison Mollenkamp • Aug 30, 2017

Alabama Power recently released predictions on what would happen if coal ash dams were fail at their power plants. Coal ash is the waste left over from burning coal. It is mixed with water to form a liquid

slurry which is then pumped into holding pits. Environmentalists suggest that lined land-fills would prevent the waste from seeping into groundwater. The cost of such a change would differ from plant to plant but would likely be significant. Nelson Brooke is the Black Warrior Riverkeeper. He explained the worst case scenario.

Water Protection Groups Release Sewage Map

By Alex AuBuchon & APR Student Reporter Miranda Fulmore • Apr 17, 2017

Several water protection organizations have released an interactive map of the sewage spills that occurred in Alabama last year.

According to the map, over 46 million gallons of sewage were released into community streams and waterways across the state. The map was created by nine different water protection groups across the state to accompany a petition they sent to the Alabama Environmental Management Commission.

Riverkeeper Questions Sewage Spill Response, Stillman to Forgive Returning Student Debt

By Alex AuBuchon • Jul 5, 2016

Fourth of July celebrations in Tuscaloosa and Northport were complicated yesterday as the area continues to address a massive sewage spill.

Northport officials say four pump stations were forced to close Saturday in order to perform emergency repairs on the main sewer pipeline. The pumps overflowed, leaking raw sewage into three area creeks and the Black Warrior River. The city’s initial estimate is 100,000 gallons spilled, but other estimates put the total closer to several million.

Report Highlights Sewage Woes in Lowndes Co., New Law Expands Access to Naloxone

By Alex AuBuchon • Jun 10, 2016

A new report on sanitation and drinking water has singled out Lowndes County, Alabama for its widespread lack of sewage systems for its residents.

According to the report from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, around 80 percent of Lowndes County residents don’t have access to municipal waste treatment and have to install their own septic systems. Those systems can cost up to $30,000 thanks to the type of soil in the area, and the median household income in Lowndes County is just $26,000.