Birmingham opposes coal mine near drinking water source (al.com)

Posted Mar 30, 6:01 AM

By Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com

The Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Water Works Board both spoke out this week against a proposed coal mine on the Black Warrior River, about five miles away from a drinking water intake that provides water for about 200,000 people.

The Water Works said in a news release that it has filed comments this week with the Alabama Surface Mining Commission opposing the renewal of a permit for Mays Mining to operate a surface coal mine (Mays Mine No. 5), on the banks of the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River, upstream of the Water Works’ Mulberry Intake.

“Birmingham Water Works has been a long-standing opponent of coal mining near our water sources as it opens the possibility of contamination into the drinking water for many families we serve,” the utility said in a news release. “The opposition with this particular mine dates back almost a decade.”

The Water Works also noted that a Jefferson County judge ordered the permit remanded back to the Surface Mining Commission twice due to concerns over contamination left behind from a plywood facility that used to operate on the proposed mine site. According to court documents, a plywood production facility operated on the site from approximately 1969 to 1980 and likely used chemicals such as phenolic formaldehyde resin glue that could adversely impact the source water.

There is also a federally protected species, the flattened musk turtle, living in the area.
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more: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/03/birmingham-opposes-coal-mine-near-drinking-water-source.html