Alabama Power, in partnership with its parent company, Southern Company, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), today announced grants supporting restoration efforts along two important waterways in Central Alabama: the Cahaba River and Village Creek. 

The grants are funded through the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program. Five Star provides funding to diverse local partnerships for wetland, forest, streamside and coastal habitat restoration.

The Alabama grants announced today support projects designed to reduce erosion and improve water quality in the Cahaba and Village Creek as they flow through urbanized areas of Birmingham and Jefferson County:

• The Nature Conservancy, Alabama chapter, and partners will restore 1.7 acres and perform invasive plant removal along 1,000 linear feet of streambank on Village Creek. The project also will engage the community in helping restore Birmingham’s historic tree canopy, enhancing air and water quality. Partners include the city of Birmingham, Cawaco RC&D Council Inc., Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve and Village Creek Human and Environmental Justice Society.
• The Freshwater Land Trust and partners will restore, stabilize and replant 0.18 acres along the Cahaba River in eastern Jefferson County. The project will remove invasive plants, re-establish native species and restore areas along the water’s edge to increase biodiversity and enhance recreational opportunities for the community. Partners include the city of Irondale, Cahaba Blueway Partners, Church of the Highlands, Cahaba River Society and Grow Irondale.

“Five Star grants are making a real difference in helping restore some of the most significant creeks and rivers in our state,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power’s vice president for Environmental Affairs.

Since 2006, Southern Company has contributed $2.78 million to 118 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grants, resulting in an on-the-ground conservation impact of more than $13.3 million. In all, the grants have helped restore or improve nearly 1,300 acres and more than 137,000 feet of streamside buffer in the Southeast.

“These grants are helping to improve water quality and biodiversity. But they also provide opportunities to educate and connect people to waterways that are right in our backyards, and that are so important to the health of our communities,” Comensky said.

For more information about the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program, please visit www.nfwf.org/fivestar. 

To learn more about Alabama Power and its work to protect the state’s environment, visit www.alabamapower.com.  Click “Our Company” then click “The Environment.”

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE:SO), provides affordable, reliable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.