Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1113868
When people think of Renew Our Rivers, they oen picture large lakes, but the campaign also works to clean small creeks and streams in places as bustling as Birmingham. Two examples of those cleanups are Village and Valley creeks in Jefferson County. e Village Creek cleanup coincides with work that has been going on for two decades to transform the once- polluted stream that travels through the heart of several Birmingham neighborhoods. For decades, the spot where the cleanups now take place was notorious for flooding that damaged neighborhood homes. A federal flood-mitigation plan in the late 1990s helped move people from harm's way. But aer the homes were removed, it le an open area that became notorious for illegal dumping. When the annual Renew Our Rivers volunteer cleanups began in 2005, led by the nonprofit Village Creek Society, the trash problem was daunting. But every year the volunteers – including students from Birmingham public schools, Lawson State Community College and Vulcan Materials Company, with support from the city of Birmingham, Fire and Rescue Services and Jefferson County – were able to make progress toward turning an eyesore into a place where natural beauty began to emerge. "We've definitely come a long way," said Yohance Owens, executive director of the Village Creek Society. Meanwhile, discussions to create a greenway along Village Creek moved to concrete action, with support from the city, the Alabama Department of Transportation and nonprofit organizations, including the Village Creek Society and the Freshwater Land Trust. Last July, the partners celebrated a major milestone, when the first phase of the greenway in the Ensley area opened. "It's 20 years put into this, but we still have work to do. I'm very proud of the trail we have right now," Owens said. For seven years, the Valley Creek cleanup has drawn volunteers to locations along the waterway, including spots within the city limits of Bessemer, Birmingham, Brighton, Lipscomb and Midfield. Multiple cities support the cleanup every year, along with Alabama Power, the Jefferson County Department of Public Health, the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust and residents from across the county. 13 www.apcshorelines.com