Alabama Rivers Alliance

06/19/2026

Do you live near Patton Creek in Vestavia / Hoover? Cahaba River Coalition could use your help!

ALERT: We are investigating a substantial fish kill along Patton Creek in Vestavia and Hoover, likely resulting from a structure fire last night. If you live along the creek and see dead fish, please photograph and send location to [email protected]

The state is investigating as well. Updates to follow.

06/10/2026

“Charles Miller, policy director for the Alabama Rivers Alliance, commended the council for considering the ordinance and including water-use requirements, while calling for the reinstatement of special exceptions for hyperscale centers.

“We do agree with the majority of the people who have spoken here today that the special exception requirement that gives citizens a voice in this process is incredibly, incredibly important. I know that this council and the planning department has worked diligently on this ordinance, and I know that we’re kind of running up against the clock when it comes to the moratorium. But I believe that if we want to see a durable ordinance, it has to include some element of public participation, and I believe that our city can do that.” ~ Charles Miller”

Residents packed the city council chamber urging revisions, while councillors said delaying action may allow existing facilities to expand unchecked.

06/10/2026

TONIGHT in Tuskegee! ARA and our partners at Rising Gardens will be at the Jesse Upshaw Commission Chambers for a public meeting about the proposed pipeline expansion happening across 10 counties in Alabama. Learn more about the proposed project, see up to date maps of exactly where the new pipeline expansion would go, and learn about concerns that may impact your property and your community.

Food provided by Rawsoulicious Sunflower Well and The Goodness Co!

06/10/2026

Creating good public policy is complicated and sometimes messy and there is no better example of that than yesterday's vote in Birmingham on a data center ordinance.

There are many positive aspects to the ordinance that was passed yesterday, including the requirement for hyperscale data centers to
submit water conservation plans, and a requirement for all data centers to use closed loop cooling systems, which decrease water use.

Unfortunately removing a formal process for public participation in future data center development leaves a very important part of good public policy on the table. We are grateful that the city council has taken these steps to regulate data center development, but we remain committed to continuing to hold data centers and elected officials accountable for protecting our communities and our environment from the harmful impacts of data centers.

The city council voted 6-3 to pass the data center ordinance after a nearly five-hour meeting on Tuesday.

06/05/2026

MACON COUNTY! We'll be in Tuskegee with our friends at SELC, Rising Gardens and BlackBelt Women Rising on Wednesday, June 10 to talk about the proposed SSE4 pipeline cutting straight across Macon County. Make plans now to join us there, see up to date maps of the path of the pipeline expansion, ask questions and more!

06/05/2026

"We want to bring Alabama's water law into the 21st century. We're kind of stuck in this late 17th- and 18th-century framework that we inherited when we became an independent country. And obviously, that's not a framework that works for a 21st-century economy. And large-scale water users like data centers are actually problematic within the existing legal framework that we have." - Charles Miller, ARA's Policy Director

Over a year into the planned development of a large-scale data center in Bessemer, residents and activists continue to struggle for transparency and…

06/01/2026

WE ARE HIRING! The Alabama Rivers Alliance is excited to announce we are hiring a Director of Community Partnerships.

The Director of Community Partnerships plays an essential role in supporting and collaborating with our vast network of community partners and individual community leaders across Alabama and beyond. The person in this role ensures the Alabama Rivers Alliance’s policy advocacy work is grounded in the needs of our community and watershed partners and that our partners are informed and engaged in our broader statewide initiatives.

The Director of Community Partnerships is responsible for uniting and providing leadership to Alabama’s network of local river and water-focused organizations, as well community groups with common interests, in order to maintain a strong statewide movement to protect rivers and to support the Alabama Rivers Alliance state policy work.

https://alabamarivers.org/dcp/

05/29/2026

BIG NEWS from the Alabama Rivers Alliance!

Martha Hunter, our Director of Community Partnerships, has officially retired, as of today!

Martha has dedicated countless hours (and miles!) over the past ten years at ARA strengthening our river protection movement, while making connections all across the state. Her endless energy and her passion for getting to know people and getting them connected to other Alabamians who are working so hard to defend and protect our rivers throughout the state is unprecedented!

"I remember when we interviewed Martha for the job 10 years ago, our policy director at the time asked if I had given her all the answers ahead of time. She has always understood the importance of having a strong and networked alliance of partners across the state to achieve our mission of protecting healthy rivers and clean water for all!" - Cindy Lowry, ARA’s executive director

Make plans now to join us on August 18 at Rojo to celebrate Martha! Take a scroll through some photos of her time with our AWESOME alliance partners and members all over the state and send her out into her next chapter with some love in the comments below!

PS. She has definitely earned her time of rest but don’t worry - she won’t be disappearing. Between goat rearin’ and golf cart drivin’, she has agreed to continue to help out on some of her ongoing projects and to help onboard whoever may fill this important position for our organization. Stay tuned for a job announcement coming next week!

05/25/2026

On this Memorial Day, we invite you to hear from Rowell, Jake, Ronnie, Kristie, Steve, Johnny Sr and Johnny Jr, Harry and Andre as they share the special places on the Tallapoosa River that brings them peace, while they remember the brave men and women who didn't make it home. Directed by Patrick Kirby

05/22/2026

What an awesome series from Bham Now - Birmingham’s modern media in time for World Fish Migration Day!

🐟 🌎 Move over migrating birds, butterflies and salmon. Alabama's got some pretty cool migrating fish too! Read why they matter. Celebrate World Fish Migration Day with us!