The new Central Alabama Water Board (CAW) announced a special meeting for Tuesday to discuss where they are in the process of hiring a new chief executive officer (CEO) and consider retaining two consultants to examine Lake Purdy Dam.
According to the draft agenda, the board will begin with an executive session before addressing the two time-sensitive issues.
The new law, SB330, requires the board to have a CEO, stating:
A regional board shall employ a chief executive officer with full authority to manage the operations of the regional board, subject to policy directives and other governance decisions adopted by the board of directors. Employees of a regional board shall report directly or through subordinates who report to the chief executive officer and may not be ordered or instructed by a director of the board. Employment contracts, construction contracts, consulting contracts, engineering contracts, and other contracts between the regional board and other persons shall be recommended by the chief executive officer, except for the employment contract of the chief executive officer, which shall be recommended by the board of directors. The chief executive officer shall recommend to the board of directors individuals to serve as chief financial officer and other executive level employees.
The employment contract of the chief executive officer shall provide for a fixed term of office that may be extended with or without modification of other terms by agreement of the board of directors and the chief executive officer. The board of directors may terminate the employment of the chief executive officer for a material failure to perform his or her duties after providing reasonable notice of a failure and the opportunity for a hearing thereon.
The Lake Purdy Dam and Reservoir are located in northern Shelby County. According to the CAW website, Lake Purdy is a major drinking water source for a large portion of the CAW’s service area, including Birmingham, Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills and surrounding areas.
It was classified as a “high hazard” dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The previous board (BWWB) approved renovations to strengthen and stabilize the century-old dam’s structure, which began last fall.
The board took up the issue in July, after an executive session to discuss the project, the new board unanimously voted to continue the project in spite of questions about the contracts, funding mechanisms and loans put in place to support the project.
Phase one is expected to be completed by February 2026.
Last week, the new board unveiled a new logo featuring a five-segment water drop with the utility’s name, Central Alabama Water, to its right. The segments represent the five counties in its service area – Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker counties.
The special meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14, at 5 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Training Room at the CAW headquarters, located at 3600 1st Ave. North. Members of the public can listen to the meeting by calling 720-336-4568 with access code 444-190-303, or by watching the livestream on the CAW's Facebook page.
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