Gordon has led CLEAN for 15 of the program’s 25 years, bringing over 23,700 students and teachers into the River, or the River into their classroom! Many of these youth went on to embrace environmental careers – like our own Environmental Science Educator, La’Tanya Scott. All of them have a greater connection with natural waters
Cahaba River Society, Alabama Rivers Alliance, Greater Birmingham Ministries and SWEET Alabama are partnering to focus #GivingTuesday efforts to help people in the Birmingham metro area directly impacted by water inequality.
Clean, healthy, affordable drinking water is a human right essential to life — and there are people in our communities who are denied access to this right because they can’t afford to pay high water bills. There are families who have had their water shut off or face that threat – a serious health and economic problem at any time, but especially in a pandemic.
We recommend the BWWB be proactive in seeking federal funds to meet system needs, to minimize
rate increases on ratepayers, and to factor in potential federal funding already available or in the
approval process as part of your rate evaluations. We urge the Board to research models for water
rates and system financing that ensure equity and encourage water efficiency.
The scale of the rainfall on October 6 and the swiftness, level and power of the flooding it caused has been called “unprecedented.” Yet flooding and erosive damage to property and infrastructure has been increasing in our region for years, as development replaces forests and outdated stormwater systems prevent groundwater absorption and send more and more runoff gushing into drains and creeks. In fact, we’ve had two flash flood emergencies just in 2021, and multiple other deluge rains this calendar year.
Meet the teams who are frying down to protect and restore the Cahaba River! Catch some fish-cooking tips along the way. These folks are working hard to try and win this year’s competition, so be sure to vote for your favorite.
Read this month’s edition to find out about virtual Cahaba learning, a victory in protecting our headwaters, how you’re helping get the Cahaba safe for swimming, and more.
The Cahaba River Society will host its 12th annual Cahaba River Fry-Down Catfish Cookoff and Festival virtually in 2021. While the nonprofit hoped to bring the community back together in-person this year, the current surge in the pandemic has required a return to the online format that made the 2020 festival the widest-reaching event in the organization’s history.
We’re looking for photos of you, your family, or friends swimming in the Cahaba or its tributaries to show that water quality standards must be upgraded to ensure they are protective of human health. We need to show ADEM that swimming (and other water-contact sports) happen YEAR-ROUND in the Cahaba River.
Learn about what our team has been working on this summer; find out what fish are unsafe to eat; read Cahaba River Society’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion statement; help get lead out of drinking water; join us for the Cahaba River Fry-Down 2021, & more!
Fishing is a popular activity along the Cahaba and its tributaries, and many anglers rely on this food source to supplement their family’s diet. These people deserve to be able to rely on the fact that the fish they are eating are safe. Right now, it is unlikely that consuming fish from the Cahaba River more than one time per month is safe. In some places on the Cahaba, the Alabama Department of Public Health recommend not eating any fish.