The thousands of South Alabama families supporting the reopening of Big Creek Lake to fishing and boating suffered two setbacks this week.
First, the bill by State Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle) to prohibit utilities from shutting down public water to recreation appears to have died a quiet death in the state legislature.
Second, the federal Department of Homeland Security issued a report recommending that the lake remain closed to recreation to safeguard the drinking water supply for 350,000 southwest Alabama consumers.
With two legislative days remaining in the 2025 regular session, HB473 has not made it onto the calendar for a floor vote in either the House or the Senate. Barring an unlikely legislative miracle, it will die along with dozens of other bills that had made some progress in the legislative process but failed to get to floor votes. Stringer's bill would prohibit utilities statewide from closing public waters to recreation.
A federal study by the Department of Homeland Security recommended the permanent closure of Big Creek Lake for recreational use to protect Mobile’s drinking water supply. The report advises the Mobile Area Water & Sewer System (MAWSS) to ban all recreational access to the reservoir to reduce risks to the freshwater system serving 350,000 residents in Mobile County. The highly redacted report cites risks to the lake as a reliable drinking water source.
MAWSS dIrector Bud McCrory defended the closure, saying that MAWSS could not ensure that boats were properly washed or quarantined to prevent contamination. He said the decision followed two years of internal analysis and discussions with experts. No hearing was held by MAWSS on the issue, and no notice was given to the public prior to the order of closure of the lake to recreation on Feb. 4, 2025.
In April, the MAWSS board approved a resolution for a partial reopening through a private boat rental vendor. That plan would enable the rental of fishing boats, which would remain on the lake and be cleaned and checked. No private boats or trailers would be allowed. MAWSS would also expand access to boating and fishing from 700 to 1,800 acres and increase operating days from three to five per week.
The closure of the lake to recreation is expected to become an issue in Mobile’s city elections slated for August 26. Each city council member appoints one member of the MAWSS board. One candidate for the open seat of mayor, State Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile), is the chairman of the MAWSS board. Another candidate for mayor, County Commissioner Connie Hudson, was the requester of information from MAWSS that resulted in the release of the Homeland Security report.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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