Groups Ask Court to Permanently Protect Land Held by Birmingham Water Works Board - Cahaba River Society


For Immediate Release: March 8, 2021

 

Contact:

David Butler, Cahaba Riverkeeper, [email protected], 205-874-5623

Beth Stewart, Cahaba River Society, [email protected], 205-532-3080

Emily Driscoll, Southern Environmental Law Center, [email protected], 404-641-8108

 

Birmingham, AL— Cahaba Riverkeeper and Cahaba River Society, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, have filed a challenge in Jefferson County Circuit Court against the Birmingham Water Works Board to enforce a settlement agreement that protects land safeguarding a major source of Birmingham’s drinking water.

Along with local communities and elected officials, the three organizations have long urged the Board to formally record this conservation easement that permanently protects the land, and to refrain from selling the land to development interests.

Some of the last remaining undeveloped tracts of forested land in a rapidly urbanizing area between Highway 280 and I-20, the 6,000 acres surround Lake Purdy, a portion of the Little Cahaba River that brings Lake Purdy water to the main Cahaba River, and the River itself around the drinking water intakes. The land is a natural buffer filtering stormwater runoff, providing clean drinking water for 600,000 people, and recharging the water supply while keeping treatment costs low for all water users.

“Preserving this land in the Cahaba River watershed is the most commonsense, cost-effective way possible to keep our drinking water supply clean,” said David Butler, Cahaba Riverkeeper and staff attorney.

“The Board must keep its promise of protecting this land or we run the risk of opening up this sensitive area and vital waterways to development and harmful amounts of sediment and other pollutants that would result.”

The Board and Attorney General entered into a settlement agreement in 2001 requiring that a conservation easement be established to ensure that this land would be “permanently” protected from harmful development. The agreement also allowed citizens to enforce it. The Board has not yet created an easement that is in accordance with state law, and has in fact already sold a parcel of this land to developers.

The Board recorded a “conservation easement agreement” in 2017 that put some restrictions on the land. The groups bringing suit argue that as drafted, the agreement violates the plain language of the 2001 settlement. This agreement as filed by the Board does not create a permanent easement, for the restrictions would only be valid through 2051; the Board enforces this agreement, rather than having oversight from a public interest third-party; and the terms of the agreement can be amended at any time for any purpose by agreement of the Board and the Attorney General.

“These are public lands that ratepayers have already paid for to protect their drinking water and keep treatment costs affordable for themselves and future generations,” said Beth Stewart of Cahaba River Society. “If Cahaba water is degraded, every Water Board customer has to pay more. We have made every effort at a cooperative approach to help the Board achieve the goal they set of permanently protecting these lands.”

After over three years of discussions and presentations to the Board and seeing no action to file a valid easement plan, the three groups submitted yet another letter on January 21 to reiterate their concerns and request another meeting to discuss suggestions to improve the terms of the easements. The Board has indicated that a resolution must be decided by a court.

“Recording a valid conservation easement would be a win for Birmingham metro communities and businesses that depend on clean, safe drinking water,” said Sarah Stokes, Senior Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “All the groups are asking is that the Birmingham Water Works Board fulfills its obligation under the signed settlement to create a permanent conservation easement for this critically important land.”

Click here for an aerial map of the parcels and photos of the Little Cahaba River within the bounds of the Board’s land taken by Cahaba River Society.

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About Cahaba Riverkeeper: Cahaba Riverkeeper was founded to defend the ecological integrity of the Cahaba River and its watershed, to ensure clean water and a healthy aquatic environment, and to preserve the recreational and aesthetic values of the river basin. Cahaba Riverkeeper is dedicated to the scientific study of the Cahaba and to ensuring that evidence-based data are readily available to the public, and to educating all citizens about the importance of clean water and how they can participate. www.CahabaRiverkeeper.org

About Cahaba River Society: Cahaba River Society leads our community to restore and protect the Cahaba River watershed and its rich diversity of life. The Cahaba is a major source of our region’s drinking water. The diverse lives depending on the Cahaba include the people of the Birmingham metro area and Alabama’s Black Belt as well as the River’s globally significant biodiversity of freshwater life. CRS is an educator, expert resource, and collaborative partner for science-based, practical solutions. We inspire river stewardship by connecting people with the Cahaba for education, recreation, arts and volunteerism, and have served over 39,000 youth with education in the river. We restore the river by promoting green Infrastructure and advocating for better policies and practices for clean water, natural flows, and diverse, healthy wildlife and people. Learn more at www.cahabariversociety.org

About Southern Environmental Law Center: For more than 30 years, the Southern Environmental Law Center has used the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. With more than 80 attorneys and nine offices across the region, SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect our natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region. www.SouthernEnvironment.org