PELL CITY — Officials from across the area gathered at Jefferson State Community College Thursday to attend the St. Clair County Drought Conference. “It’s been three or four years since we’ve had a meeting with representation of all the water systems,” said St. Clair County Commissioner Paul Manning, who also serves as the chairman for the Coosa Valley Water Authority.
The St. Clair County Commission funded the program organized by the St. Clair County Economic Development Council and Jefferson State Community College.
Manning said the drought conference helps bring everyone together for better regional cooperation.
“It helps to bring all the representatives from all the systems together,” he said.
That was one of the goals of the one-day conference, officials say.
St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon said he was pleased with Thursday’s turnout.
“This conference is going to tell us where we all are,” Batemon said. “Hopefully this will stimulate discussion to get us all on the same sheet of music.”
The recent drought brought the topic of water resources to the forefront for city, county, state and multi-state government officials.
“There was a lot of interest when there was a drought, but we get a few rains, and it’s not of interest anymore,” Batemon said. “We have to get it out there and make sure this is an issue. Water is important, and we aren’t saying it loud enough.”
Those in attendance at Thursday’s conference included a variety of stakeholders, engineers, water system managers and department heads, state officials, elected officials, media and even a representative from a local environmental group.
“I think the biggest thing was getting key leaders who supply our water started in dialogue,” said Ed Gardner Jr., executive director for the St. Clair County Economic Development Council.
Gardner said it’s important everyone is working together, so good reliable water is available throughout the county.
He noted that St. Clair County is the fastest growing county in the state and saw a 4.1-percent jump in population from 2006-2007.
He said at the rate St. Clair County is growing, the county’s population could increase by 30,000 people in the next 10 years.
“I think we have to be prepared to add 30,000 new residents to this county, and that’s a lot of water,” Gardner said.
The program brought experts in water resources, including speakers from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Office of Water Resources, and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.
Charles Lay, the utilities manager for the Shelby County Water Authority, was also a guest speaker.
And Rodney Tart, president of the National Rural Water Association, who lives in North Carolina, spoke at the conference about the importance of having clean, safe, reliable and affordable water.
“I applaud you for your vision here,” Tart told those in attendance.
There is currently a regional effort to build a new 6 mgd (million gallons a day) surface water treatment plant near Ragland to help meet the growing needs of water in St. Clair and northern Talladega counties.
The Coosa Valley Water Authority was formed to help build the estimated $15 million treatment plant. Members of the newly established water authority include the St. Clair County Commission, Pell City, Lincoln, Springville and Odenville. The authority will sell water wholesale to cities, and member cities have committed to purchasing a certain amount of water per day from the surface water treatment plant.
Officials say the actual construction of the new water treatment facility could begin within months. The entire project, which includes the installation of a large water line extending underneath Logan Martin Lake from Riverside to Lincoln, is estimated to cost about $30 million.
