Birmingham Water Works

The Birmingham Water Works is a public utility supplying drinking water to 750,000 customers in Birmingham, most of Jefferson County and parts of four other counties. The system, established in 1951, delivers 100 million gallons of water per day over 3,858 miles of main pipes. It has been recognized as one of the top five water systems in the United States and rates consistently high in water quality.

For most of its history, the Water Works was a department of the City of Birmingham. It began operating under an independent board in 2001. The board chairman is Anthony Barnes and the general manager is Mac Underwood.

On April 5, 2006 the board of the Birmingham Water Works announced a sale of $90 million in revenue bonds to fund capital projects and meet financial obligations for "the next two to three years."

On February 12, 2009 the board approved a $329 million expansion plan to cover capital projects over the next 12-15 years. The plan calls for a new pump station on the Black Warrior River, about three miles south of Bankhead Lock and Dam, and two pipelines, adding 60 million gallons per day to the system's capacity. The proposed expansion would accommodate projected demand through 2075.

Water sources

Black Warrior Basin

• Sipsey Fork
• Mulberry Fork
• Inland Lake / Blackburn Fork
• Village Creek (1873 - 1887)
• Five Mile Creek (1887 - 1938)

Cahaba Basin

• Cahaba River
• Little Cahaba River
• Lake Purdy

Board

• Anthony Barnes, chairman
• Jim Lowery, first vice-chairman
• Juanita Smith-Jones, second vice-chairman
• David Herring, secretary/treasurer
• Herschell Hamilton assistant secretary/treasurer
• Darryl Jones, Assistant General Manager of Operations and Technical Services

Management

• Mac Underwood, General Manager
• Sonny Jones, Assistant General Manager of Engineering and Maintenance
• Michael Vann, Director of Water Resources and External Affairs

Facilities

• North Birmingham Water Works (1873-1938)
• Cahaba Pump Station (1890 - present)
• Inland Pump Station
• Western Filter Plant
• H. Y. Carson Filter Plant (1972- present)
• Putnam Station Filter Plant
• Shades Mountain Filter Plant
• Mulberry Intake Station
• Sipsey Intake Station
• Birmingham Water Works Tunnel

References

• "Water Works Board approves $90 million bond sale for capital projects". (April 5, 2006) Birmingham Business Journal. - [1] - accessed April 5, 2006
• Bryant, Joseph D. (April 19, 2008) "Water Works wants OK to refinance debt." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (February 13, 2008) "Birmingham, Alabama Water Works Board approves $239 million plan to extend capacity." Birmingham News

External link

• Birmingham Water Works website