Black Warrior Riverkeeper

Black Warrior Riverkeeper Our mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. We are a proud member of Waterkeeper Alliance.
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Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. We are a citizen-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting clean water for the sake of public health, recreation, and wildlife habitat throughout our patrol area, the Black Warrior River watershed. This vital river basin is entirely contained within Alabama, America’s leading state

for freshwater biodiversity. Patrolling waterways, educating the public, and holding polluters accountable has made us an important proponent of clean water throughout the basin. Our staff identifies and addresses pollution problems while increasing public awareness. Please contact us to report pollution and to inquire about volunteer projects, donations, educational presentations, or public events: [email protected]

The Black Warrior River drains parts of 17 Alabama counties. The area the river drains, its watershed, covers 6,276 square miles in Alabama and measures roughly 300 miles from top to bottom. The Black Warrior River watershed is home to over 1 million residents and contains 16,145.89 miles of mapped streams. Its headwaters consist of the Sipsey, Mulberry, and Locust Forks. Once these rivers merge west of Birmingham, the Black Warrior River proper forms the border of Jefferson and Walker counties. Near Tuscaloosa, the river flows out of the rocky Cumberland Plateau and enters the sandy East Gulf Coastal Plain, forming the border of Greene and Hale counties in the Black Belt. At Demopolis the Black Warrior flows into the Tombigbee River towards Mobile Bay.

06/18/2026

Now Streaming!

In this episode of Equity In Every Drop, legendary activist Diane Wilson—San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper , fourth-generation fisherwoman, author, and 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize winner—shares her remarkable 38-year fight against massive petrochemical plants on the Texas Gulf Coast.

She discusses how her relentless persistence led to the largest citizen-led Clean Water Act recovery in U.S. history, and why unwavering determination is key to environmental justice.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://tr.ee/nzy9wZtAd6

06/18/2026
Alabama Power and other titans have asked the federal government to weaken protections against   pollution. Tell our lea...
06/17/2026

Alabama Power and other titans have asked the federal government to weaken protections against pollution. Tell our leaders to listen to people, not polluters: https://act.selc.org/page/96680/-/1

Lynn Phillips, an engineer on our Advisory Council, recently sent EPA an amazing letter. Your comments do NOT have to be this good or long, but there is very useful information here:https://blackwarriorriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/HLP-CCR-Legacy-Impoundment-Comments-6-12-26.pdf

06/17/2026

You shouldn’t have to think about toxic chemicals before feeding your family the fish you caught.

But here we are again.

Newly released fish consumption advisories warn people to limit eating certain fish species from waterways across the state, including waterways in Mobile and Baldwin counties; Alabama's testing of fish has found toxic contaminants tied to cancer, developmental problems in children, and other serious health risks.

Every new advisory is evidence of pollution making its way into our rivers, our bay, and our coastal waters.

And instead of giving Alabama stronger tools to respond to local contamination issues, lawmakers passed SB71, a law that restricts state agencies from adopting protections stronger than federal minimum standards in most cases.

Federal rules are often slow to catch up. Our communities are the ones left dealing with the consequences.

This should make people angry.

We should expect better than this. We should expect leaders to protect public health. And we should stop treating fish consumption advisories like they are just part of living on the Gulf Coast.

See the new advisories and learn more here: https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/tox/fish-advisories.html

Our UA Department of Advertising and Public Relations / UA College of Communication and Information Sciences intern Ella...
06/17/2026

Our UA Department of Advertising and Public Relations / UA College of Communication and Information Sciences intern Ella Kate Baker enjoyed delivering Alabama Rivers Alliance's Southern Exposure Film Fellowship DVD to the Public Library near Moundville Archaeological Park and Museum on the ! Learn more about these environmental documentaries: southernexposurefilms.org

Rest in Peace, Dr. Ken Marion, a longtime member of our Advisory Council.
06/16/2026

Rest in Peace, Dr. Ken Marion, a longtime member of our Advisory Council.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Ken Marion who has been a pillar of the Alabama h**petological community for the past 5 decades and a long-time member of the ALAPARC steering committee. Ken and his wife, Vicki, were the founders and key organizers of the monthly Birmingham Herpetological Society meetings which highlighted research and formed the fabric of the h**petological community in Alabama for decades, many of whose members went on to form ALAPARC.

As a professor at UAB, Ken had a love for reptile and amphibian research and education. He was especially passionate about turtles and was involved in some of the foundational natural history research into flattened musk turtles and diamond-backed terrapins in Alabama. Ken was a regular at h**p education events and his legacy lives on through the thousands of young people he taught about the wonder of Alabama’s wildlife and wild places. He will be dearly missed.

06/16/2026

Address

712 37th Street S
Birmingham, AL
35222

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12054580095

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