Alabama Facing a Water Crisis
Nearly the entire state of Alabama is under the grip of a severe drought and Alabama is facing a water crisis. To date there’s no statewide mandate regarding water usage. However, some public water systems, including the Birmingham Water Works, have begun implementing their own drought conservation plans.
Beginning November 19th, in order to continue supplying and meeting demands, the Birmingham Water Works will start charging residential customers and businesses an additional surcharge for excessive water use.
Local garden designer and landscaper Gloria Clemmensen is losing work and being hit hard, “We’re at a standstill as far as any new installations until we start getting rain. And Fall typically is a time for planting perennials, trees and shrubs. So it effects my income because I’m doing a lot less of what I would normally do in the autumn.”
Dan Jones, owner of University Coin Laundry, tells WBHM he has not yet been impacted, but knows how he will handle the uptick, “If they hit me with a surcharge, certainly I don’t want that to happen, but it will have to drift down to the customers-cause that’s obviously who’s using the water, not me personally.”
Jones says he cares a lot about the water situation but can’t simply close on a weekday and risk losing business in order to save water.
As for Clemmensen, in order to supplement her income, she’s considering other seasonal work.
With little or no rain predicted anytime soon, drought officials say conditions are expected to worsen. Potential ramifications aren’t quite clear, but clearly have business owners thinking about their bottom line.
Earlier versions of this story referred to Gloria Clemmons. The correct spelling is Gloria Clemmensen. We regret the error.
Trump says he’s fighting crime. Illinois Gov. Pritzker sees a power grab before 2026
Steve Inskeep speaks with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker about President Trump's threats to send National Guard troops to Chicago and the future of the Democratic Party.
Who is Lachlan Murdoch, the anointed media tycoon?
His position in leading News Corp. and Fox is now secure, as his father ends a dramatic succession battle. Lachlan grew up in New York City but has lived in Australia for much of his adult life.
Trump’s control of the D.C. police is due to expire tonight. Then what?
Trump needs an extension from Congress to control D.C. police for more than 30 days. Some Republican lawmakers are focused on pursuing legislation that would exert power over D.C. in other ways.
33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check
Tens of millions of voters have had their information run through the tool — a striking portion of the U.S. public, considering little has been made public about the tool's accuracy or data security.
You’re more likely to reach for that soda when it’s hot outside
People drink more sugary beverages when it's hot, researchers found, significantly increasing their sugar intake. That impact could grow as climate change raises the world's temperatures.
Poland says it shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace
Poland said Wednesday that it and its NATO allies had shot down Russian drones that violated Polish airspace in what it called an "act of aggression" as Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine.
