Alabama Rivers Alliance to host public comments workshop on Chandler Mountain Pumped Storage Project on Tuesday
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is considering a controversial proposal by the Alabama Power Company to build a pumped storage facility along Little Canoe Creek, the northern branch along the border of St. Clair and Etowah Counties. The deadline for submitting public comments on the Chandler Mountain Pumped Storage proposal is Saturday, August 12. With this deadline fast approaching, the Alabama Rivers Alliance announced that it is hosting a “comment writing workshop” event on Tuesday, August 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Steele Community Center. Computers will be available to help the community members submit comments if they like. The Alabama Rivers Alliance is concerned that if this project moves forward, residents could be displaced by the new reservoirs. This would mean that ancestral lands – including family farms, cultural artifacts, and roads could be flooded. They also have concerns that the hydrology of the area could be affected, including stream flows in local creeks, and there may be negative impacts to water quality. According to APC’s preliminary designs filed with FERC, the project would include building five new dams. One reservoir would be roughly 526 acres, while the larger lower reservoir would be roughly 1,090 acres. The project would be used for large-scale energy storage, and the upper and lower reservoir levels would fluctuate significantly (27-63 feet). According to Alabama Power’s website to promote the project, “The unconstructed Chandler Mountain Project would be a pumped storage hydroelectric generating facility, which is anticipated to provide 1,600 megawatts (MW) and would involve the construction of new water storage, water conveyance, and generation facilities at locations where such facilities do not exist at this time. The proposed Chandler Mountain Project would be located on Little Canoe Creek East in Etowah and St. Clair Counties near the town of Steele, Alabama.” APC has already acquired 2,500 acres in the area but will need thousands of acres more to complete the project. A group of farmers and residents from St. Clair County recently spoke to U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) about their concerns about the project during one of his farmer’s town halls in Boaz. “Our office has been very engaged with Alabama Power,” Tuberville’s agriculture aide Emma Johnson said. “As of now, the study proposals are due later this year. Actual construction would not begin until 2031. They will discover through the study process how many people are impacted.” For more information about Tuesday’s comment workshop writing event in Steele, contact Kelly Marshall with the Alabama Rivers Alliance at 205-540-7385 or kmarshall@alabamarivers.org. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Cahaba Beach Road project causing contention between ALDOT and environmental groups
Environmental groups in the Birmingham area have joined together to keep ALDOT‘s Cahaba Beach Road project from being built. The new road would stretch across the Little Cahaba River from U.S. 280, allowing over 8,000 cars a day to travel across an environmentally sensitive area, and cost anywhere from $10 million to $20 million WBHM reported. According to Save the Cahaba, the river is vital for the areas drinking water as the Little Cahaba River is the connection between the Lake Purdy reservoir and the main Cahaba River. “The road would bring Highway 280 cut-through traffic across our drinking water source and is intended to open this sensitive area to private development,” Save the Cahaba said. “This would increase risks from construction, urban runoff, forest loss, heavy traffic, and a direct spill into the drinking water for the Birmingham area.” But ALDOT and other civil engineers say the road will cut down on travel time, improve access to roads on both sides of the river, and improve connectivity between U.S. 280 and the Liberty Park area. According to ALDOT’s “next steps” listed on the project’s website; they will be conducting several different environmental analysis before proceeding with the project. ALDOT is considering several alternatives, including not building the road at all. On Tuesday, ALDOT is conducting a public involvement meeting which several groups, including The Cahaba River Society, Cahaba Riverkeeper, Alabama Rivers Alliance and Southern Environmental Law Center have committed to attend. During the meeting ALDOT representatives are expected to update the attendees on plans for the road, and answer any questions. According to WBHM, anyone interested in the project may comment and indicate whether or not they would like the new road to be built.
