January 25, 2023
Cahaba Current: January 2023
Cahaba River Society’s board and staff are thrilled to host our 2023 annual meeting in-person at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia (3775 Crosshaven Drive, Vestavia Hills, AL 35223), on
August 18, 2022
Cahaba Current: Summer 2022
This June, CRS joined environmental and community organizations from across the nation urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the longstanding scope of the Clean Water Act and reject industry attempts to eliminate federal clean water protections that have kept families, communities, and rivers and lakes safe from pollution for decades.
October 14, 2021
Cahaba Current: Flooding spotlights vulnerabilities
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damage to property and infrastructure has been increasing in our region for years, as development replaces forests and outdated stormwater systems prevent groundwater absorption and send more and more runoff gushing into drains and creeks.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.
July 30, 2021
Cahaba Current: July 2021
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!
July 23, 2021
Do you fish in the Cahaba? Here’s what you need to know about where fish is unsafe to eat in 2021.
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.
April 13, 2021
Cahaba Current: Spring 2021
This edition includes: Welcoming Ben Wegleitner, River Sustainability Director ~ A legal action to protect Birmingham Water Works Board lands that preserve our drinking water ~ CLEAN Environmental Education programs available ~ Army Corps commits funding to fish passage study ~ Catherine Coleman Flowers & The Guardian partner on sewage survey ~ Exploring Southeastern Biodiversity with Dr. Scot Duncan, & more!
October 29, 2020
Cahaba Current: October 2020
Protecting drinking water lands, a proposed quarry in Clay, a proposed prison in Brierfield–find out about emerging threats to your River and what Cahaba River Society is doing to protect it.
October 29, 2020
Dams impact crayfish assemblages and genetic structure.
By Zanethia Choice Barnett, PhD Research Fisheries Biologist CBHR Dive Safety Officer Forest Service Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research Southern Research Station Alabama has the most diverse crayfish fauna in
August 27, 2020
Cahaba Current: August 2020
With its amazing biodiversity, the Cahaba River is a top destination for anglers. Its fish have been an important food source for Cahaba communities from the earliest Native American inhabitants to the present day. But are they safe to eat?
August 25, 2020
Do you fish in the Cahaba? Here’s what you need to know about where fish is unsafe to eat in 2020.
Do you fish in the Cahaba? Here’s what you need to know about where fish is unsafe to eat in 2020.
Three of these advisories occurred in the Cahaba River, and all of these advisories were due to mercury, an airborne pollutant caused by the burning of fossil fuels, as is done by coal-fired power plants, and the burning of waste.
Fish consumption advisories for the Cahaba River have increased in recent years. In 2016, none of the Cahaba sampling locations detected mercury problems. In the 2018 and 2019 Fish Consumption Advisories, THREE of FOUR sampling locations detected enough mercury to warrant limitations on consumption.