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  1. Lowndes county alabama sewer problems today. Department of Justice announced Friday. Jan 29, 2025 · On a late October afternoon, Sherry Bradley gets out of her car and stands in the backyard of a manufactured home in Lowndes County, Alabama. And they say the cost of water and sewer services are much higher for residents like those in rural Alabama. , AL (WSFA) - Alabama's Black Belt counties have struggled with inefficient or non-existent sewer systems for years. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the termination of the 2-year-old agreement made with the Alabama Nov 26, 2022 · These problems primarily result from the absence of local and federal funding, racial discrimination, and out-of-area migration. Mar 5, 2022 · EPA Administrator Michael Regan, in Alabama for the Selma Jubilee, visited sites in the Black Belt struggling with widespread sewage treatment issues. Oct 13, 2023 · A landmark environmental justice agreement is aimed at fixing longstanding sanitation issues in a rural, predominantly Black Alabama county. May 4, 2023 · The federal government has found that Alabama’s rampant sewage issues in poor and minority communities in the Black Belt “raise concerns” of civil rights violations, and federal officials Apr 11, 2025 · Catherine Coleman Flowers, a Lowndes County native whose civil rights complaint led to the 2023 settlement, has fought for years to help improve the lives of residents of the Alabama Black Belt. But the straight pipes and flooding sewage doesn’t stop at Dec 17, 2015 · LOWNDES CO. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging. Under state law, the woman was facing arrest for having an inadequate septic system. 9 million for drinking water May 9, 2022 · For decades, many residents of rural Alabama have grown accustomed to a problem no one should have to face: Unsafe sanitation systems that don’t properly dispose of wastewater and sewage. “Today starts a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long,” former Civil Rights Assistant "DOJ just terminated consent decree with Lowndes County, Alabama to address documented, wrenching disparities in the quality of drinking water and sewer systems for Black and white residents Dec 17, 2015 · In Lowndes County, Alabama, a young professor of infectious diseases named Rojelio Mejia has launched a “parasite expedition. and can no longer be ignored. May 7, 2024 · Johnson has over 30 years of experience working to implement public health programs in the tight-knit rural communities of west central Alabama, including Wilcox, Perry, Dallas, Marengo, Monroe, Lowndes and Sumter counties. “The DOJ will no longer push ‘environmental justice’ as viewed Feb 15, 2024 · The announcement, part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Closing the Water Access Gap initiative, follows a successful pilot program launched in Lowndes County, Alabama — a majority-Black, low-income community where residents lacked access to the kind of municipal water infrastructure that most people take for granted. To Report Water or Sewer Problems On weekdays from 8 a. - 5 p. Apr 16, 2025 · The Alabama Department of Public Health says it will not resume issuing fines and citations to Lowndes County residents for inadequate sanitation. Apr 15, 2025 · It was not immediately clear following the announcement what impact the “termination” will have on the ground in Lowndes County. In Lowndes County, many residents’ septic tanks have failed, leading to raw sewage pooling in lawns and ditches, and contaminating local waters. m. The hard, clay-like Black Prairie soil – which gives this 17-county region its nickname as the “black belt” of Alabama – does not allow for the permeability of water from traditional septic tanks Jul 23, 2025 · The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee report finds some elected officials and engineers ignoring residents in Lowndes county, Alabama. Apr 14, 2025 · The U. May 1, 2025 · The Trump administration ended an agreement aimed at fixing sewage issues in a predominantly Black, rural county as part of its push against “environmental justice. A civil rights complaint alleges Alabama has discriminated against Black communities in how it distributes money for wastewater treatment systems. Department of Mar 11, 2016 · Residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, have suffered from inadequate wastewater treatment for decades. Apr 23, 2025 · FORT DEPOSIT, Ala. Jul 10, 2023 · The Civil Rights Division of the U. Residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, have suffered from inadequate wastewater treatment for Jan 31, 2023 · The town of Hayneville in Alabama's Black Belt will receive $10 million to fix its ailing sewer lines and connect additional homes to the system. The people of Hayneville, a community in Lowndes County of fewer than 1,000 people, have long lived with an ill-functioning sewer system that causes sewage to back up into their yards and homes. Aug 3, 2022 · Vilsack, Regan and Landrieu said they came to Lowndes County because Biden directly told them to do something about the sewage treatment problems in Alabama’s Black Belt. Fort Deposit Water Works and Sewer 260 Old Fort Road Fort Deposit, AL 36302 334-227-7741 Lowndes County Water Authority 641 State Hwy 21 South Hayneville, AL 36040 334-548-6235 Lowndesboro Town Water 2 School St Lowndesboro, AL 34060 334-278-3110 Pintlala Water System, Inc. Oct 12, 2023 · One study from 2017 found that one-third of residents in Alabama’s Lowndes County are dealing with hookworm, an intestinal parasite that can cause anemia and stunt children’s mental development. The agreement is the result of the department’s first environmental justice investigation Dec 19, 2021 · Lowndes County, Alabama, which sits between Selma and Montgomery, was once called Bloody Lowndes for its central role in the struggle for civil rights. The Trump administration has rescinded a historic settlement designed to improve wastewater treatment services for residents in majority-Black communities in Lowndes County, Alabama, where Jun 7, 2023 · In this case, the federal government chose to focus on the Alabama Department of Public Health and on rural Lowndes County, a majority-Black county of just under 10,000 people in south Alabama. Departments of Justice and Human Services last year concerning sewage disposal issues in Lowndes County. In Lowndes County, more than 40% of the population relies on on-site septic systems that are old and failing. ” Mejia’s search comes in a part of the state, west of Montgomery, with failing septic systems, inadequate public financing for sanitation, isolated communities, poorly draining soils, and notorious humidity. Apr 18, 2012 · Residents in poor rural communities are searching for solutions to a longstanding problem surrounding wastewater management and sewage treatment throughout Alabama’s Black Belt region. Lowndes County sewage issues One consequence of the area's sewage problems is a resurgence in hookworm, a parasite that can cause anemia, protein deficiency and developmental problems in children. Terri Sewell’s town hall in Lowndes County on Wednesday all seemed to want to know the same thing: How did the congresswoman plan to combat their problems with wastewater treatment? Earlier this month, the Department of Justice terminated a settlement agreement with the Alabama Department of Public Health to resolve sewage issues in Apr 15, 2025 · The Trump administration has rescinded a historic settlement designed to improve wastewater treatment services for residents in majority-Black communities in Lowndes County, Alabama, where Jul 1, 2024 · The Alabama Department of Public Health recently announced it has entered into a contract with the Lowndes County Unincorporated Wastewater Program Sewer Board for the installation of septic systems for residents lacking access. This follows President Donald Trump’s new executive order banning all federal programs tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI May 9, 2022 · For decades, many residents of rural Alabama have grown accustomed to a problem no one should have to face: Unsafe sanitation systems that don’t properly dispose of wastewater and sewage. Dec 17, 2018 · Raw sewage–soaked lawns are a common sight in and around Lowndes County. Most residents of this rural county, who are predominantly poor and black, live too far from cities to attach their homes to sewer systems. The hard, clay-like Black Prairie soil – which gives this 17-county region its nickname as the “black belt” of Alabama – does not allow for the permeability of water from traditional septic tanks Apr 11, 2025 · On May 22, 2023, Daria Neal, deputy chief in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, addressed Lowndes County Commissioners to detail the agency’ findings and described the Alabama agency’s consistent pattern of inaction and/or neglect concerning the health risks associated with raw sewage. Now, the ailing sewer system is the subject of an historic agreement between the United States Department of Justice and Health and Human Services (DOJ) and the Alabama Apr 15, 2025 · After a historic federal agreement to address the state's sewage crisis is scrapped, Black residents in Lowndes County are left exposed to raw waste. Justice Department has terminated an agreement reached in 2023 to remedy decades of harm to residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, from the county’s ongoing sanitation crisis. Fast repairs, drain cleaning, water heaters, and leak fixes. For more than 30 years Lowndes residents have grappled with sewage disposal challenges stemming from improper septic tank installations, […] The Justice Department said Friday it would terminate a landmark civil rights settlement to rectify long-standing sanitation problems for residents in Lowndes County, Alabama, saying the Biden-era Apr 15, 2025 · The Trump administration has rescinded a historic settlement designed to improve wastewater treatment services for residents in majority-Black communities in Lowndes County, Alabama, where inadequate infrastructure has long led to raw sewage exposure. The agreement is the result of the department’s first environmental justice investigation under May 4, 2023 · Officials in Alabama discriminated against Black residents in a rural county by denying them access to adequate sanitation systems and ignoring the serious health risks plaguing the community Sep 18, 2022 · The town of Hayneville in Lowndes County, often used as the prime example of the region’s sewage crisis, was awarded a $10 million grant for sewer projects and $2. Residents say they've waited long enough. So they rely on septic tanks. Jul 27, 2021 · The more than $2 million of federal funding that was awarded to the Lowndes County Unincorporated Wastewater Program Sewer Board earlier this year was many people’s best hope for obtaining Apr 12, 2025 · The U. It's May 4, 2023 · The departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced the results of the environmental justice probe and a settlement agreement with state health officials to address longstanding wastewater sanitation problems in Lowndes County, a high-poverty county between Selma and Montgomery. On Friday, April 11, 2025, the U. Today people in Lowndes are fighting for another basic right: access to sewage treatment. Department of Justice is ending a settlement agreement with Alabama regarding wastewater problems in a rural Alabama county where most residents are Black. Apr 11, 2025 · A settlement agreement related to longstanding sewer issues in Lowndes County is being immediately terminated, the U. 1 billion has been committed to water and sewer systems throughout the state. In March 2023, civil rights groups alleged that the state discriminated against Black residents by limiting the use of its "revolving fund for improving water infrastructure. Jan 29, 2025 · Hardy grew up in Lowndes County, where according to census data, thousands face similar sanitation issues. On a late October afternoon, Sherry Bradley gets out of her car and stands in the backyard of a manufactured home in Lowndes County, Alabama. Apr 30, 2025 · The U. Environmental activist Catherine Coleman Flowers says this problem affects many low-income, rural parts of the U. Aug 23, 2022 · The Biden Administration is trying to address the systemic issues in Lowndes County, Ala. Apr 12, 2025 · The U. 123 Federal Road Hope Hull, AL 36043 334-288-5054 Hayneville Water System 133 Lafayette St Hayneville, AL 36040 334-548 More than 70% of low-income homeowners in Lowndes County, Alabama have failing or nonexistent septic systems, due to high poverty, poor housing conditions, and bad soil. May 4, 2023 · The Justice and Health and Human Services departments concluded Alabama health officials failed to address sewage problems affecting Black residents in rural Lowndes County. you may contact the Utility Customer Service Department at 229-671-2500. Quality plumbing solutions for your home or business. Jun 14, 2024 · Two years after the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) began the process of awarding COVID-19 relief era funding to address critical drinking water and sewer needs, more than $1. 2 million people live without running water and basic indoor plumbing 2, according to a report from nonprofit DigDeep. May 27, 2025 · The Trump Administration has terminated a 2023 settlement agreement with the Alabama Department of Public Health that sought to correct longstanding sewer issues in Lowndes County, Alabama, the state’s poor Black Belt region. Apr 10, 2024 · The wastewater disposal crisis in Lowndes County is one that continues to affect residents throughout the community. Department of Justice is ending a settlement agreement with Alabama regarding wastewater problems in Lowndes County. The issue of sanitary and accessible sewer and water is most prominent in the more rural areas of Alabama. May 8, 2023 · When Catherine Flowers arrived at the home of a pregnant woman in Lowndes County, Alabama, Flowers immediately noticed the pool of raw sewage festering behind the house and swarming with mosquitoes. Federal officials said the decision follows President Donald Trump's executive order forbidding federal agencies from pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Alabama Department of Public Health says it will honor its wastewater contracts for Lowndes County in spite of the Department of Justice’s recent decision to cancel its two-year-old agreement with the state supporting septic system improvements in the region. Jul 19, 2018 · Alabama’s Lowndes County, which lies between Selma and Montgomery, has been coping with basic sewage problems for decades. Jun 9, 2023 · The federal government last month agreed to call a halt to a civil rights investigation on the condition that Alabama finally do something about wastewater pooling in yards in rural Lowndes County. Department of Justice announced Friday that it is ending a settlement agreement regarding wastewater problems in a rural Alabama county where most residents are Black, closing an environmental justice probe launched by the Biden administration. Since then, the health agency started a program to install septic systems that can properly dispose of onsite sewage. (Dennis Pillion/Inside Oct 13, 2023 · A landmark environmental justice agreement is aimed at fixing longstanding sanitation issues in a rural, predominantly Black Alabama county. Today people in Lowndes are fighting for Lowndes County’s wastewater infrastructure issues underscore a wider problem in the country. , got special treatment for its sewage problem because it is a majority-black county. “It's an infectious disease nightmare,” said one parasitologist. She’s joined by GLIDE, a national center for social justice based in California, and Perman Hardy, who helped her form the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (BBUWP) several years ago to tackle the region’s poor sanitation issues. — The constituents at Alabama Rep. This decision follows President Trump's executive order against Nov 23, 2020 · In Lowndes County, at least forty per cent of households have an inadequate septic system or none at all. Apr 22, 2022 · In Lowndes County, the Justice Department is investigating whether local and state officials are operating in a manner that discriminates against Black residents. Apr 13, 2019 · Researchers at the University of Alabama have secured an EPA grant to study sewage treatment issues in one of the poorest parts of the state. May 9, 2023 · The federal departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced the results of the environmental justice probe and a settlement agreement with state health officials to address longstanding wastewater sanitation problems in Lowndes County, a high-poverty county between Selma and Montgomery. Apr 15, 2025 · FILE - Heavy rains flood the front yard of Lowndes County resident Charlie Mae Holcombe in 2019. Across America, an estimated 2. Apr 11, 2025 · The Justice Department said Friday it would terminate a landmark civil rights settlement to rectify long-standing sanitation problems for residents in Lowndes County, Alabama, saying the Biden-era The Utility staff takes pride in providing quality water and wastewater services to the customers of Lowndes County and we look forward to meeting our customers needs. A year after the Alabama Department of Public Health settled a civil rights complaint over poor sanitation in the Black Belt, nonprofits are moving in to install systems and the state is beginning to sign contracts. Jul 9, 2024 · The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has announced a contract with the Lowndes County Unincorporated Wastewater Program Sewer Board (LCUWP) that will move forward with the installation of septic systems for Lowndes County residents. Department of Justice announced Friday that it is ending a settlement agreement regarding wastewater problems in a rural Alabama county where most residents are Black, closing an Jun 7, 2024 · A new kind of sewer system unveiled in Hale County could help fix sanitation issues in Alabama's Black Belt. To date ADEM has approved three municipal sewer improvements in Lowndes County, funding […] Trusted plumber in Lowndes County, AL. Holcombe keeps her grandchildren out of the front yard because she fears contamination from the Apr 15, 2025 · The Trump administration has backed out of a historic settlement with Alabama over straight piping, a harmful method of sewage disposal in low-income areas. May 5, 2023 · The U. Nov 22, 2024 · Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. Apr 14, 2025 · The Trump administration just flushed the nation’s first environmental justice, civil rights settlement, literally. But that’s changing, following an interim agreement the Alabama Department of Public Health signed with the U. Jun 27, 2024 · The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) announces today the implementation of a contract with the Lowndes County Unincorporated Wastewater Program Sewer Board (LCUWP) for the installation of septic systems for Lowndes County residents. Apr 21, 2025 · The Trump administration has nixed a 2023 settlement that was building modern sanitation infrastructure in Lowndes County, a predominantly Black county in Alabama. In Alabama, not having a functioning septic system is a criminal misdemeanor. Nearly two years ago, the department reached an interim settlement with the Alabama Department of Public Health after an 18-month federal investigation found that Black and low-income Lowndes County residents May 1, 2025 · A $26 million federal program to help residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, who have dealt with inadequate sewage systems for decades was stopped by an executive order. Mar 6, 2023 · A civil rights complaint filed today alleges that the state of Alabama discriminates against communities in the Black Belt when handing out government funding for infrastructure projects such as Jan 30, 2023 · The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and local officials signed the funding agreements on Friday for the Infrastructure Act funding. Currently, thousands of families have raw sewage collecting in their yards because of inadequate septic systems. Dec 10, 2020 · Residents of Alabama’s Lowndes County lack adequate wastewater systems and must contend with sewage backing up into their yards and homes. Oct 12, 2024 · Lowndes County—a rural area between Selma and Montgomery with deep civil rights history—has struggled with wastewater issues for decades thanks to a combination of low population density Apr 14, 2025 · The Civil Rights Division says Lowndes County, Ala. Apr 14, 2025 · The issues in Lowndes County are part of systemic problems with wastewater management across Alabama. Mar 30, 2022 · In recent years, the overwhelming lack of wastewater infrastructure in Lowndes County drew significant attention to rural Alabama. " to centralized sewage utilities. Apr 13, 2025 · Justice Department officials said they were ending the agreement reached with the state regarding wastewater issues in Lowndes County. The Alabama Department of Public Health, the agency required to implement the sewage improvements, said it would continue working to address the sanitation issues in the Black Belt as funding allows. Department of Justice recently announced that Alabama had agreed to remediate a sewage crisis in majority-Black Lowndes County. May 5, 2023 · The federal departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced the results of the environmental justice probe and a settlement agreement with state health officials to address longstanding wastewater sanitation problems in Lowndes County, a high-poverty county between Selma and Montgomery. Apr 14, 2025 · Trump admin terminates ‘illegal DEI’ settlement over raw sewage in poor, majority-Black Alabama communities The agreement, reached under the Biden Administration, required the state’s Department of Public Health to improve sanitation efforts in Alabama’s Black Belt. The issues have been going on for decades and have caused long term sanitation problems for the county’s residents. Today, this complaint is still pending, sewage continues to contaminate homes, and Lowndes County residents are still waiting for justice. Oct 11, 2023 · The Biden administration reached a landmark environmental justice agreement to fix longstanding sanitation issues in rural Lowndes County, Ala. Department of Justice announced Friday that it would suspend a settlement with the Alabama Department of Public Jan 12, 2022 · Other projects, including improvements in the town of White Hall in Lowndes, have also been one-offs, disconnected from any larger plan to address the problem systemically. Mar 13, 2023 · Lowndes County, Alabama, resident Jerome Means talks in 2019 about the failing wastewater sanitation system at his home. Apr 13, 2025 · The DOJ halted its investigation into discriminatory sanitation practices in Alabama's Lowndes County affecting Black residents. Multiple media sources reported the U. She’s joined by GLIDE, a national center for social justice based in California, and Perman Hardy, who helped her form the Black Belt Unincorporated Apr 11, 2025 · A "straight pipe" sewage discharge system in a Lowndes County mobile home. Department of Justice on Thursday said an environmental justice probe found Alabama engaged in a pattern of inaction and neglect regarding the risks of raw sewage for residents in an impov… May 5, 2023 · Wastewater problems are well-documented in Lowndes County, a county of about 10,000 people where 72% of residents are Black and 28% live in poverty. The U. ” The county’s officials and residents are now left worried about their future. May 4, 2023 · The lack of proper septic and sewer services for some of Lowndes County's poorest residents has been the subject of countless news articles, at least one book, and a source of anxiety and hardship for many local residents. As part of EJI’s work challenging conditions of poverty in rural and urban communities, EJI Community Organizer Catherine Coleman-Flowers has been seeking solutions for residents in Alabama’s Black Belt and documenting the problem of raw . S. A settlement agreement related to longstanding sewer issues in Lowndes County is being immediately terminated, the U. , which has some of the worst sanitation problems in the country. Department of Justice is ending a settlement agreement with the state of Alabama regarding sewage in Lowndes County. For example, of the $77 million in grants already approved for projects in the Black Belt, four are going to water and sewer systems in Lowndes County, which has received state and national attention due to its chronic sewer problems. Together these seven counties make up a large portion of the Alabama Black Belt, named for its rich, clay-like soil. Dec 21, 2021 · "60 Minutes: Americans Fighting For Access To Sewage Disposal" "Lowndes County, Alabama, which sits between Selma and Montgomery, was once called Bloody Lowndes for its central role in the struggle for civil rights. , where some homes pipe raw sewage into their yards. Some residents have raw sewage filtered right into their yards. The Department of Justice has terminated a historic agreement that aimed to fix raw sewage issues in Alabama’s majority-Black Lowndes County. Oct 14, 2024 · Sherry Bradley, who runs the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Project, explains how a new septic system will work for a mobile home in Lowndes County. wl9d p2gm peqak owvck 3see cfj m4okn aafyy swlau zts