The Mulberry Fork and Locust Fork merge west of Birmingham along the southern boundary of Walker and Jefferson counties. There they form the headwaters of the Black Warrior River. Residents and recreational users of that area and the Warrior River showed up for an Alabama Department of Environmental Management hearing today concerning a proposed wastewater discharge permit for Tyson Foods’ poultry processing facility in Blountsville.
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Tyson requested that its discharge flow be increased from 870,000 gallons per day to 1.2 million gallons per day to reflect operational changes and higher production levels. Opponents worry about the impact the increase could have on the environment and recreational tourism.
The request has put Blount County is a bind. County Commission Brad Harvey told the hearing, ““We would just like to do everything we can to protect it while remaining business friendly. It’s a tight road. We know it is. It’s a hard thing to do, but we would like to really focus on our tourism too.”
The executive director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, Cindy Lowery told the hearing, “We’re asking ADEM to require treatment and pollution limits that reflect the important situation of this river to the community and local economy,”…