 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The
Cahaba River. ©Beth Maynor Young
Multiple governments, environmentalists, citizens and business representatives are working together on an Upper Cahaba Watershed Study to improve planning, design and management of development to better protect the river as the region grows and prospers.
The river basin covers portions of 20 Alabama cities and three counties. A Consortium of 20 governments is funding the stud.
A citizens advisory committee, made up of environmentalists, developers and area residents, was formed in 2003 to hear and consider all public concerns and plan public involvement in the process.
Several public meetings have been held, allowing stakeholders to express their concerns and desired outcomes for the Watershed. The consulting team for the first phase was lead by Limno-Tech, Inc., of Ann Arbor, MI. The team, hired by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC), consists of experts in watershed assessment and modeling, land use planning and public involvement.
In Oct. 2003, a third public meeting on the plan was held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The discussion centered on four scenarios for growth, revitalization and river protection.
Phase two kicked off in November 2004 with a public meeting at the McWane Center. At the meeting, Atlanta-based consultants Edaw Inc. explained the process of a Greenprint Plan. The proposed Greenprint Plan would identify important open space and natural lands around the Cahaba and its tributaries, and provide a framework for land conservation decisions.
Region 2020 is on the technical advisory committee, and helped identify members of the citizen advisory committee, working with the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, the RPC and Jefferson County Commissioner Bettye Fine Collins, the consortium chair.
The Consortium, which initiated the study in 2002, is made up of the following participants: Jefferson and Shelby Counties, Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Trussville, Leeds, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Pelham, Irondale, and the Birmingham Water Works and Sewer Board. Completion date for the study is Spring 2005.
Why protect the Cahaba?
The Cahaba provides a wide variety of important resources for the region. The Rivers is a primary source of drinking water, and is widely recognized for its biodiversity, including a number of threatened and endangered species, many of which are unique to the Cahaba.
The recreational and educational opportunities provided by the river also are exceptional.
Links:
- Cahaba River Society
-
Alabama Rivers Alliance
-
Cahaba River Coalition
