Dovertown
Dovertown is a community of about 200 residents located in the Bough Bend of Mulberry Fork, just southeast of Cordova in Walker County.
The community grew up around a former Birmingham Forest Products plywood plant that was developed in 1970 by with federal loans for economic development. After the plant closed, the area is predominantly residential. It is currently anchored by the Dovertown Free Will Baptist Church and Dovertown Church of Christ.
For more than a decade, residents of Dovertown have opposed the opening of a strip mine on the former plywood plant property, the mineral rights of which are owned by the Cordova Economic and Industrial Development Authority. Strip mining at what is called "Mine No. 5" has been proposed by a series of operators, including the Drummond Company, the North American Coal Corporation, Reed Minerals, and Mays Mining Inc.. The Alabama Surface Mining Commission has granted permits for mining at the site, but economic conditions and legal action by the Birmingham Water Works Board have prevented any operations from commencing. In 2021 Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Tucson, Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity also filed notices alleging that regulators violated environmental laws by not considering the impact of the proposed mine activity on the flattened musk turtle, an endangered species found in the upper Black Warrior River watershed.
References
- Black, Hank (April 17, 2019) "After 14 Years, Dovertown Community Is Weary, but Still Fighting Strip Mining" BirminghamWatch
- Pillion, Dennis (June 23, 2021) "Coal mine threatens endangered north Alabama turtle, environmental groups say." The Birmingham News