Much of the land that would be used for the proposed project was purchased by the Birmingham Water Works — with ratepayer funds — to protect a major drinking water intake on the river.
"There are many places where development is appropriate in the watershed," said Beth Stewart, executive director of the Cahaba River Society, one of the groups organizing opposition to the project.
ALDOT’s East Central Region Engineer DeJarvis Leonard said the road is meant to restore connectivity between Cahaba Beach Road and Sicard Hollow Road, which previously were connected by a dirt road and an old iron and wood bridge across the river.
This map shows proposed routes to connect Cahaba Beach Road with Sicard Hollow Road off of U.S. 280.
ALDOT The department had proposed multiple similar routes to connect the two roads, and Leonard said two of those, Options 5 and 5B on the map above are advancing to the next stage, which includes environmental impact studies and additional planning work.
Environmental issues Leonard said ALDOT intends to make the roads controlled-access, to limit development in the sensitive areas around the river in response to concerns about the water intake.
Still, environmental groups like Cahaba River Society, Cahaba Riverkeeper, Alabama Rivers Alliance and others have said the road — even a limited-access road — would result in dirtier water being pumped through the intake to hundreds of thousands of customers in the Birmingham metro area.
That changed with Cahaba Beach Road.
Several nearby residents also said they opposed the project, which in their minds was mostly about connecting undeveloped land on the other side of the river to U.S. 280 than about alleviating traffic concerns or restoring a connectivity that was lost several decades ago.
Several Edenton residents attended the meeting, all opposed to the project.

In the five years under audit, the Union and state governments budgeted Rs 89,956 crore or close to Rs 900 billion for about 1.2 million schemes.
The CAG audit finds that coverage of rural habitations increased by only 8 per cent at 40 lpcd and 5.5 per cent on the basis of 55 lpcd during 2012-17.
Instead of 100 per cent coverage as planned, “44 per cent of rural habitations and 85 per cent of government schools and anganwadis provided access to safe drinking water”.
Similarly, instead of the 50 per cent target, only 18 per cent of rural population was provided potable drinking water through pipes and only 17 per cent of rural households were given household connections.
“While the percentage of fully covered rural habitations to the total habitations with 40 lpcd increased from 69 (2013) to 77 per cent (2017), the coverage increased from 39 per cent in April 2013 to 44 per cent in April 2017 based on the norms of 55 lpcd,” says the audit report.
2,212.44 crore.” Under the programme, every village has to have a water security plan besides similar plans at district and state levels to not only target the programme effectively but also involve local communities for sustainable management of structures created.
But 21 states have not prepared such plans showing a fundamental failure in implementation of the scheme.
The National Drinking Water and Sanitation Council (NDWSC), set up in 2010, that is supposed to be the nodal body to coordinate the scheme between the Union ministries and the state governments for speedy implementation.
Now, CAG says given this state of implementation, India might not meet the Sustainable Development Goals on drinking water coverage by 2030.
Govt’s new assessment tool will find out We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us.

Project Hope, a Ghanaian -based NGO has inaugurated a $ 5,000 community water project for the people of Nweneso in the Atwima Kwanwoma district, in the Ashanti Region.
The project, which was funded by Frankthobes Cornell Tradition Endowment of the United States of America, will help supply about 6000 litres of potable water daily to the people.
Mr. Osei Kwadwo Boateng, founder of Project Hope, who inaugurated the project said the aim was to help provide uninterrupted water supply to the community to reduce the incidence of water borne diseases in the area.
He said the target of his organisation was to reach out to over one million Ghanaians with potable water within the next five years.
Mr Boateng, who is also a student of the Cornell University in the USA, stressed the need for Ghanaians to help protect water bodies for sustainable water supply for domestic and agricultural use.
He also entreated Ghanaians to join hands in the fight against environmental degradation by supporting the government’s efforts to fight illegal mining activities in the country.
Mr Boateng appealed to traditional leaders to desist from selling out lands near water bodies to estate developers at the disadvantage of their people.
He said his organisation was determined to work hard towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Six, which aims to substantially increase water use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity and support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management by 2030.
She advised the people in the community to help maintain the facility to prolong its lifespan.
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Jacksonville, FL – The Navy will be testing for potentially harmful chemicals in drinking water wells on and around Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
The Navy says the PFAS do not absorb well in to the ground, and can therefore make it into groundwater.
While the chemicals are not regulated, the Navy says the EPA is studying whether they should be.
They say surface water and shallow groundwater is not used for drinking, and the investigation of that groundwater contamination is ongoing.
Drinking water for the base is provided through two sources, according to NAS Jax- three deep wells from the Floridan Aquifer, and a connection from JEA.
NAS Jax says those sources are regularly tested, including for some unregulated contaminants like the ones in question here.
NAS Jax says the testing has shown “non-detect” amounts of these chemicals, or levels below the EPA advisory.
The Navy is now requesting permission from nearby private property owners, in order to sample their drinking water wells.
via NAS Jacksonville via NAS Jacksonville Sampling is not needed for homeowners in these areas served by JEA, because JEA testing has already come back as “non-detect”.
If this new well testing finds a potentially unsafe level of these chemicals, NAS Jax says the Navy will provide alternate drinking water to those affected, including bottled water, until a long term solution is implemented.

The National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) has fallen far short of its goal to provide all rural homes with access to safe drinking water by 2017, despite ₹81,168 crore spent over five years, according to a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.
The programme promised access to safe drinking water for all homes, piped water supply to half of the rural population and household connections for 35% of the homes.
Instead, by December 2017, only 44% of the homes had access to safe drinking water at all, while only 18% of the population had piped water supply and 17% of the homes had household connections.
During the 2012-17 period, the overall coverage of rural habitations with access to at least 55 litres of water per person per day increased by a mere 5.5%, the report said.
In its review of the NRDWP’s performance, the CAG said: “Implementation of the scheme was marked by lack of proper planning and funds management and delivery, as well as ineffective execution of works that resulted in undue delays and expenditure.” The allocation of Central government funds for the scheme dipped sharply from 2015, and the States were unable to compensate [the shortfall] by increasing their own financial commitment to the scheme.
Allocation of Central government funds dropped from more than ₹14,000 crore a year to less than ₹7,000 crore in 2015, but the CAG notes that even the reduced allocations were not fully utilised.
The total financial implication of the audit findings works out to ₹2,875 crore, which is a “very significant” 15% of the expenditure of ₹19,151 crore covered during the CAG’s test check of scheme management and implementation.
The audit found incomplete, abandoned and non-operational works, unproductive expenditure on equipment, non-functional sustainability structures and gaps in contract management.
The CAG also highlighted sustainability concerns, noting that 98% of the schemes, including those for piped water, continued to be based on unsustainable groundwater resources.

Koraput: Even as the nation is about to celebrate Independence Day this month, a village in Malkangiri district with a population of 300 has got access to clean drinking water after inauguration of the Gurupriya bridge.
For Janbai village which was cut off for around six decades the bridge is not just a connection to the mainland, but is also a milestone in development.
A blueprint was prepared to ensure implementation of development programmes in Swabhiman Anchala a week after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Gurupriya bridge and declared a package of Rs 100 crore for Malkangiri to take up infrastructure projects, said Collector Manish Agarwal.
Janbai emerged as an island after the creation of the Balimela dam reservoir, a joint venture of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Till date, the villagers were dependent on rainwater.
The bridge helped in moving a rig to the village last Tuesday and the process of digging 24 tube wells in nine villages began.
The first tube well came up in front of the primary health centre in Janbai in Badapada panchayat.
The Collector said the survey for the Panasput-Jodamba road is over and soon construction will start to connect and the survey for the road between Mukiput and Jamuguda will also start soon.
Agarwal said the package of Rs 100 crore will be utilised to change the face of the cut off region by ensuring development in key sectors like healthcare, communication, drinking water and electrification.
“We are also trying to provide better livelihood sources,” he added.

The Government of Canada is contributing more than $588,000 to this project, and the Government of Quebec is providing more than $388,000.
Quotes "We are committed to investing in local infrastructure that provides Canadians with access to reliable and modern water and wastewater treatment services.
The Saint-Marc-des-Carrières project is one of many projects we are supporting in the Quebec City region to help protect the environment and keep our communities healthy."
Joël Lightbound, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities "The Government of Quebec is investing in all regions, supporting municipalities and their local public infrastructure projects.
These investments generate important local benefits and support the development of our regions, while promoting vitality and improving the quality of life for residents.
Together, we are working to enhance community services and create environments that are pleasant and prosperous."
Michel Matte, MNA for Portneuf, on behalf of Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Minister of Public Security, and Minister Responsible for the Montréal Region "The City of Saint-Marc-des-Carrières welcomes the announcement of this contribution, which will help revitalize infrastructure along de la Station Street and Narcisse Avenue and maintain the quality of the public services we provide to our citizens.
The Government of Canada will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
When combined with contributions from the Government of Canada and municipalities, this means more than $14.3 billion will be invested in municipal infrastructure in Quebec during this period.
Associated Links Federal investment in Quebec infrastructure projects: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/index-eng.html SOURCE Infrastructure Canada Markets Insider and Business Insider Editorial Teams were not involved in the creation of this post.

The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.
The programme does not allow expenditure towards constructing laboratories either.

A new federal report on PFAS health effects suggests that drinking water guidelines developed by EPA are not protective enough and should be lower.
Scientists, environmental organizations, and community groups are urging the agency to take strong steps to address the problem.
Safety in numbers What got the attention of EPA officials earlier this year was that ATSDR’s new MRLs for PFOA and PFOS (the two most prevalent PFASs) are 6.7 and 10 times lower, respectively, than comparable values developed by EPA, which are known as reference doses (RfDs).
However, in calculating its MRL, ATSDR lowered its value by a factor of 10 to account for additional studies showing effects on the immune system at low levels of exposure.
The EPA develops its drinking water health advisories based on its RfDs, and includes assumptions about how much water people drink and how much of people’s exposure comes from other sources.
Using the same methods and assumptions as EPA, when we translate ATSDR’s MRLs into drinking water guidelines, we get equivalent levels in drinking water of 7 ppt for PFOS and 11 ppt for PFOA—7 to 10 times lower than EPA’s.
In addition, studies in laboratory animals have found that low levels of PFOA exposure can impair mammary gland development.
Efforts to limit PFASs as a class rather than one at a time, such as Washington State’s recent ban on PFASs in food packaging and firefighting foam, are an important step in the right direction.
Her current research focuses on PFASs in drinking water and consumer products, including fast food packaging, and on septic systems as sources of unregulated drinking water contaminants.
Help UCS advance independent science for a healthy environment and a safer world.

Many city drinking water systems add softening agents to keep plumbing free of pipe-clogging mineral buildup.
According to new research, these additives may amplify the risk of pathogen release into drinking water by weakening the grip that bacteria – like those responsible for Legionnaires’ disease – have on pipe interiors.
They are teeming with harmless microbial life and incidents of waterborne illness are rare.
Because of this, water treatment plants add chemicals called polyphosphates to dissolve the minerals to keep the scale buildup under control.” A recent study by co-author and civil and environmental engineering professor Wen-Tso Liu has shown that even with the addition of antimicrobial agents by water companies, the bacteria that grow on the mineral scale can reproduce to harmful levels in supplies that stagnate within indoor plumbing.
In a new study published in the journal Biofilms and Microbiomes, a team of University of Illinois engineers shows that the addition of anti-scalant chemicals cause the biofilms to grow thicker and become softer.
The analytical method, developed by Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and study co-author, allowed the team to quantify the effect that polyphosphate has on the strength of biofilms.
To reproduce what happens in engineered plumbing systems, the team used PVC pipe and groundwater from the Champaign-Urbana area source to grow biofilms.
“Of course, one solution could be to replace pipes once they become clogged with mineral buildup,” Nguyen said.
“But that would be a very expensive endeavor for public utilities and property owners in a country as large as the United States.” Nguyen believes that the most affordable and realistic solution will come through a better understanding of water chemistry, not by trying to kill all microbes, ripping out pipes or changing regulations.
“We will not be able to control how long a drinking water user will allow water to stagnate, but we can work to understand how the chemicals we add to our water interact with biofilms.” This article has been republished from materials provided by the University of Illinois.