Conservation Groups Push For Faster Alerts on Sewage Spills

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2018/05/AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-scaled.jpeg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:6:{s:5:"width";i:2560;s:6:"height";i:2008;s:4:"file";s:49:"2018/05/AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-scaled.jpeg";s:5:"sizes";a:14:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-336x264.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:264;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-771x605.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:605;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-768x602.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:602;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:44:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-1536x1205.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1205;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"2048x2048";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:44:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-2048x1607.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:2048;s:6:"height";i:1607;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:40:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-80x80.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-600x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-396x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:396;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-338x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:338;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-600x400.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}s:14:"original_image";s:34:"AndersonFamily-e1527258488683.jpeg";}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Mary Scott Hodgin
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:10:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:5184;s:6:"height";i:3456;s:4:"file";s:19:"AndersonFamily.jpeg";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-336x224.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:224;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-771x514.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:514;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"wbhm-icon-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:25:"AndersonFamily-80x80.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-600x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-300x300.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-467x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:467;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-398x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:398;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"AndersonFamily-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}
        )

)
1637578026 
1527241520

As the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, Nelson Brooke keeps a record of all known sewage spills in his watershed. “See all these SSO notifications? That’s just this week,” he says, as he goes through his email.

SSO’s are Sewage Spill Overflows from public or private sewer operators. In 2016, Alabama conservation groups found that the state had more than 1,200 reported SSO’s that year. One spill can release up to hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage. According to Brooke, people out swimming or fishing in state waterways might not know when that water is contaminated.

Current law says sewer operators must report any leak to state regulators within 24 hours. If the spill could endanger human health, they also must notify the public. Brooke says this language is problematic. “It’s worded in a fairly vague way, that’s not effectively enforceable,” he says. Brooke argues that people recreating in the water are not notified on time, if at all. “So basically what we have is some operators notifying ADEM within 24 hours, a lot of them still not even accomplishing that, not being held accountable for that by ADEM, not being fined.”

A spokeswoman for ADEM, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, declined an interview, but said in an email the agency addresses noncompliance, though consequences range from a warning phone call to litigation.

 

A Petition for Change

Last year, nine water conservation groups petitioned the agency that oversees ADEM to change the requirements for public notification. Specifically they sought to require operators notify ADEM of a spill within 12 hours rather than 24, offer opt-in email and phone alerts for the public, and require signs be posted about the contamination. The petition was denied. ADEM described the requests as “logistically burdensome and resource intensive.” However, the agency did start an opt-in email notification system for residents last year.

 

A caution sign warns the public at an area with frequent sewage overflows in Jefferson County.

Nelson Brooke,Black Warrior Riverkeeper
A sign warns the public at an area with frequent sewage overflows in Jefferson County.

For residents like Ayanna Anderson, email alerts about water contamination may not be of all that much use. “No I’m old fashioned. I don’t fool with email, Gmail, none of the above,” Anderson says. On a recent afternoon, she and her family spent the day fishing along Valley Creek in Bessemer. Their fishing hole is downstream of a frequent overspill site, and Anderson says she wants physical notification when there could be sewage contamination, explaining, “A big ole’ sign right here when I get out my car. Warning! Danger!”

Reaching the Public

The director of environmental services for Jefferson County, David Denard, says it can be a complicated task to post signs at local recreation sites when there is potential contamination. “It’s a challenge when you have a 3,500 mile system,” Denard says. “Our staff can’t always know every neighborhood and it’s really a challenge in knowing where to get those notifications and put those signs out.”

When a significant spill threatens local waterways, Denard stresses that the county notifies ADEM and local media. Yet, he also says some overflows have no impact on the public, like when a cracked pipe releases barely any sewage. In these cases, Denard says too much notification can backfire. “You’re going to overwhelm the public with information,” he says,”and when you really need to get the notification out, you want (to) get the attention you need.”

According to Denard, Jefferson County has reduced the number of sewage spills by more than half in recent years. Though, when there is a spill, conservation groups stress that people need to know about it before potentially recreating in contaminated water.

 

United Nations nuclear agency again condemns Iran for failing to fully cooperate

The resolution comes after the agency said Iran has defied demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Alabama carries out nation’s 3rd nitrogen gas execution

An Alabama man convicted in the 1994 killing of a hitchhiker cursed at the prison warden shortly before he was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's third execution using nitrogen gas.

Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general

After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.

Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth

The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.

Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes

Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.

In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence

As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.

More Front Page Coverage