With New Ordinance, SELC Helps an Alabama Town Protect Its River

By a unanimous vote in May, the Town Council of Magnolia Springs adopted a runoff control ordinance SELC helped draft that is one of the strongest of its kind in Alabama. Designed to limit polluted runoff from bare construction sites and other disturbed areas, the new law promotes low-impact development design and requires effective measures to control erosion during and after construction activity. Violators could face stiff fines or even jail time. The ordinance is designed to protect the Magnolia River, a waterway vulnerable to sediment-laden runoff and other threats to water quality stemming from increased construction activity in the area. The Magnolia is one of two rivers that form Weeks Bay, a biologically rich estuary that has been designated an Outstanding Natural Resource Water.