Chilton County Soil & Water Conservation District

06/12/2026

Photo dump from the Alabama Conservation District Employees Association annual workshop at the beautiful Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. We learned lots of new things and had many laughs and fun while doing so. 🌱💙🎣💚

06/04/2026

Valves can be used on the outlet of a sediment basin; however, they must be properly used. A valve can be used to store turbid runoff until the water is clean enough for discharge. A properly used flocculant will reduce the storage time for the basin by quickly reducing turbidity. Always check for upcoming runoff events and make sure the basin has storage available. So, the take home is that a valve on the outlet of a sediment basin requires proper manual operation.



Perry L Oakes, PE

Alabama’s Erosion and Sediment Control Program Manager

06/04/2026

Alabama farmers are encouraged to be vigilant when checking livestock following the first reported case of New World screwworm (NWS) in the U.S.

NWS is a live animal health concern and is not a food safety or quality issue.

Farmers will need to begin working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries and veterinarians to control the issue.

Read more ⬇️
alfafarmers.org/new-world-screwworm-detected-in-u-s/

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

🎉 HEY ALABAMA! 🌊
Clear water isn’t just a dream… it’s a process — and that process starts NOW!

✅ Registration is officially OPEN for Clear Water Alabama! September 23-24 | Northport, AL

🔗Link in Comments!

05/29/2026

On Friday May 8th the Chilton County Soil and Water Conservation District along with Chilton Natural Resources Council held its 12th annual Groundwater Festival at Chilton Research and Extension Center with Verbena, Isabella, and Maplesville schools attending. Students rotated through several hands on stations consisting of making a Water Cycle Bracelet, an Edible Aquifer, and Fantastic Filtration. Students also go to see an Enviroscape table that shows a hands-on visual similuation of how watershed, stormwater runoff, and pollution work in real life. They also go to go on a tour of the Research Station. All students and teachers wore a T-Shirt from our overall Water Fest T-Shirt Design winner, Kirby Huff from Clanton Intermediate. Thorsby Highschool and Clanton Intermediate were not able to visit the Station as planned on Thursday May 7th due to weather.

On Thursday May 14th several of us went to Thorsby School and were able to do the Water Cycle Bracelets, Edible Aquifer, and recognize their Overall T-Shirt Contest Winners.

On Monday May 18th we went to Clanton Intermediate and were able to recognize the Winning Design student and their Overall Winners as well.

This would not be possible without all the Volunteers and Sponsors that help make this happen. A huge "Thank You" again to everyone involved.👏
Thank you again also to This-N-That Vinyl LLC for printing the shirts for us.👏
Thank you again to Pop Your Party for the always awesome, Water Cycle Ballon arch.👏
Also a big Thank you to the Schools and Teachers who participated.👏

Organizations that Volunteerd or Sponsored are as follows: Chilton Natural Resources Council, Chilton County Alabama Extension, Chilton County Master Gardeners Association, Alabama Forestry Commission, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service, ADEM and Chilton Research and Extension Center.
💙🌿💧💚

05/19/2026

Calling all Ag teachers! 🌱
Ready to bring a new hands-on opportunity to your students? Join us for the Alabama Association of Conservation Districts Land Judging Teacher Training on September 2–3, 2026 in Prattville, Alabama!

This two-day training event is designed for teachers who want to learn about soil health and quality, how to coach a team, and incorporate soil and land evaluation into their program.

📍 Prattville, AL
📅 September 2–3, 2026
📝 Registration deadline: June 30, 2026
Follow the link below or scan the QR code to register!

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/nZ3n1BQZqu

Don’t miss this chance to grow your program and gain valuable resources for your classroom and FFA chapter!

05/12/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. So remember, even on the roughest days, stay focused on the good things ahead.

05/12/2026

Here’s a picture of a silt fence that serves no purpose. My guess, it was probably installed where identified in the project plans.



If a silt fence is not ponding water, it can’t capture coarse soil particles in the runoff. A silt fence requires proper design to contain its drainage area design storm runoff, proper location on the job site, proper off-set installation, and routine maintenance to be effective in capturing coarse sediment.



Perry L Oakes, PE

Alabama’s Erosion and Sediment Control Program Manager

(cell) 334-703-6365

(desk) 334-887-4547

05/07/2026

Enrollment for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is open! Our working lands conservation program allows participants to conserve grasslands while continuing most grazing and haying practices. Submit your offer by May 29, 2026.