More than a cool drink: Teamwork on water policy
There's more to formulating a statewide water policy than figuring out a way to provide residents a safe, clean, adequate supply of drinking water — though that is certainly at the top of the list of things to accomplish.
However, last week came a reminder of just how many different interests were involved in the process when the Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy met in Selma, on the banks of the Alabama River, to hear the concerns of representatives from industry, agriculture and navigation.
Industry reps said during the recent extreme drought the state's rivers at times fell so low that several large paper mills and other water-using industries almost had to shut down.
Navigation representatives told of how the water flow from the north had not been sufficient to raise the river, which contributed to a marked decline in barge traffic on the Alabama. That happened despite dredging by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
But it was when a representative from agriculture spoke that the needs of all three — industry, navigation and agriculture — came together.
Dixie Pellets Co. takes trees and wood waste and turns them into pellets, which are shipped abroad, where they are used to replace coal in power generation and home heating. The pellets are loaded into barges and floated down the Alabama River to Mobile.
Trees (agriculture) to pellets (industry) to Mobile (shipping).
But when the river is low because not enough water is coming down from the north, Dixie Pellet can only send half-full barges to Mobile. The company could use trucks, but it takes 60 trucks to carry what one full barge will hold. And with the price of gas and diesel fuel ...
So it follows that these three important interests want to be sure their views are heard and their needs are met when a new policy is crafted.
They are not alone.
This week, the Joint Legislative Committee is holding an open forum in Montgomery, where other concerns will be expressed. And in the weeks and months to come they will hear from tourism, environmental and recreational interests.
The task of putting together a statewide policy has been complicated by the fact that powerful legislators have fought to protect the water in their part of the state, even at the expense of others. For example, legislators representing lake counties often oppose releasing more water for folks downstream.
This is a time when regional interests, like economic interests, need to be set aside. If Alabama's water problems are to be addressed and if the state is to have a statewide water policy, everyone must work together.
