Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
Legal Complaint Claims Alabama Discriminates When Distributing Sewage Infrastructure Funds
Alabama has a revolving fund for improving water infrastructure across the state, but only public bodies like towns or county boards can apply for it.
A recent civil rights complaint is looking to change that.
The Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice and Natural Resources Defense Council filed a Title VI Civil Rights Act complaint against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the state of Alabama on March 6. The environmental groups are represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The agencies argue that how the state distributes funding for wastewater infrastructure hurts Black communities. Many residents in Alabama’s Black Belt aren’t connected to a centralized sewage utility, so they struggle with poor sanitation systems and raw sewage spilling into their yards. But the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund doesn’t allow individuals to apply for its low-interest loan program for infrastructure improvements.