Alabama Rivers Alliance
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Water is life! We are a statewide, nonprofit, water protection organization working to #DefendRivers.
Alabama has more than 132,000 miles of streams and rivers with more types of plants and animals living in them than any other state in the nation. However, we also have one of the highest extinction rates in North America, many of which are species that live in our rivers. Alabama’s precious water resources currently face many threats. From improper enforcement of environmental regulations to the lack of planning and policy to ensure sustainable water for the future, our community is tasked with protecting the waters of the state for the health of the people and the life therein, or else we risk losing natural treasures that we can never retrieve. Our mission is to protect Alabama's rivers through water quality and quantity policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and the providing of information to citizens in order to achieve clean and healthy watershed ecosystems, healthy people, strong economies, and a functioning democratic system of government in Alabama. Alabama Rivers Alliance is a statewide network of groups working to protect and restore all of Alabama’s water resources through building partnerships, empowering citizens, and advocating for sound water policy and its enforcement.
The Cahaba River is home to an iconic botanical oddball that can only grow in the middle of a rushing, rocky river. The beloved Hymenocallis coronaria (or, Cahaba lily, to those who know), has inspired thousands of plant lovers all over the nation, but none more than the folks who have found themselves Rooted in the River, spending their summer days protecting this unique plant and the wild waters it calls home.
See this film + four more TONIGHT at the Southern Exposure Films World Premiere! in Birmingham and all over the South after that!
09/25/2026
Grace and Ethan loved talking with Wiat CBS 42 last night about their two films premiering TONIGHT at the Southern Exposure Films World Premiere!
Alabama's 42+ Evenings | Southern Exposure Film Premiere Alabama's 42+ Evenings | Southern Exposure Film Premiere
09/22/2026
Thank you to Bham Now for sharing Southern Exposure Films premiere with your readers!
“Each year, the Southern Exposure Films highlight emerging issues and shines a light on stories that deserve to be seen, while highlighting the people who are dedicated to protecting Alabama’s awe-inspiring biodiversity. The world premiere is a chance to experience these stories together for the first time, as well as an opportunity to connect with organizations and advocates from across the state who are working to protect the special places that make Alabama unique.” - Kelly Marshall, ARA's Deputy Director
Southern Exposure Films premiere free in Birmingham Sept. 25 | Bham Now 🎬 FREE FILM NIGHT IN BIRMINGHAM: Five brand-new documentaries about Alabama's wild coast, Cahaba lilies and hidden aquifers premiere Sept. 25 at The Altamont School — snacks, drinks and a filmmaker Q&A included.
Every single day, the sun provides Alabamians with more energy than we could ever use - all for free! So why aren’t we using more of it? As solar energy takes off around the world, Alabama is left behind, with most still using dirty fossil fuels to power our communities. Reckoning with the Sun explores the exciting possibilities of harnessing the sun to meet increasing demand, and the complicated choices that come with it. Can we make room for solar without giving up the wetlands, waterways and wildlife that make Alabama special?
See this film + four more at the Southern Exposure Films World Premiere! September 25 in Birmingham and all over the South after that!
Along the Tombigbee River, the small town of McIntosh, Alabama, has lived for generations in the shadow of massive chemical plants. Residents claim they have been sickened through both decades of exposure to legacy chemicals in the environment and direct exposure from modern leaks. Now, as environmental protections for air and water are being rolled back at both the state and federal level, McIntosh residents are left with even fewer options to protect their health and their community. Directed by Anna Lueck
See CHEMICAL TOWN + four more films at the Southern Exposure Films World Premiere! September 25 in Birmingham!
09/11/2026
It's been another great Alabama Water Resources Conference with University faculty, staff, graduate students, Extension agents, state and federal agencies, local municipalities and utilities, private consultants, other non profits and more!
Cindy spoke on the Agricultural Water Policy Panel and Charles gave an update on state and local water policy throughout Alabama. V presented her poster "Drone Based Identification of Onsite Wastewater Systems and Signs of Septic Failure" and Abigail met many of the fantastic folks working together to protect Alabama's water resources!
Attendees also got a super sneak peak of the upcoming Southern Exposure film about groundwater, and ARAs work, including the Alabama data center map, got shout outs in multiple other presentations throughout the conference.
We already can't wait for next year!
09/03/2026
You read our minds, Pete Conroy!
"...[this is] not a political argument. It is a logical case for planning. Alabama has made progress in drought preparedness, but think about this: we still lack a comprehensive statewide water management plan for balancing competing demands during prolonged shortages."
Who gets Alabama’s water? op-ed These are not anti-progress questions; they are sustainability questions.
Repost from Lauren Linahan
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The debate over data centers in Alabama has hit new highs in recent months, with more than a dozen projects underway or proposed across the state.
That surge in data center development is driven in part by the explosive growth of generative AI like ChatGPT and Claude.
While backers of data centers tout them as boosters to the community, bringing jobs and tax dollars, public opposition continues to increase over environmental concerns and a lack of transparency from developers and political leaders.
TL;DR? Here’s 5 things you need to know about data centers. ✍🏻
Link to the fully story in the bio.
"Many data centers use water to keep things cool because air conditioning alone will not get the job done.
“Water is way, way more efficient at cooling things down than the air,” said Charles Miller, policy director at Alabama Rivers Alliance. “It can absorb more heat. And so, to save money and to save on their electric bills, some hyperscale data centers use water or other liquid-based cooling.”
Miller said data centers use two types of cooling mechanisms. The first is an open-loop system, where outside water is pumped in to cool the equipment. But that water has to be replenished, so the method uses a lot of it. Some hyperscale data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water a day.
“Typically, the older data center designs were these once-through cooling mechanisms,” Miller said. “Basically, you would take water out of the environment, pass it through, it would pick up heat, which cools chips, cools the inside of the data center, and then it goes back to the environment.”
Other data centers, particularly newer ones, use a closed-loop system, which recirculates water on-site. Miller said this method has less impact on water resources."
08/31/2026
Defending Rivers in Alabama happens in all sorts of locations from local governments to convention centers to the banks of our rivers! Last week, ARA staff had their toes in all of those fronts.
We had the immense honor of joining Paul Johnson and the Alabama Department Of Conservation And Natural Resources team, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Beagle Charitable Foundation, The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, and state leaders Senator Steve Livingston and Representative Mike Kirkland to reintroduce endangered mussels on the Paint Rock River. This awesome group helped Paul reintroduce Pale Lilliput, Tennessee Bean, and Cumberland Moccasinshell to the Paint Rock and, as you can tell from the photos, a splendid time was had by all!
We were also in Lowndes County last week alongside the community fighting against a new proposed data center in their neighborhood. While Alabama's cities and towns continue to discuss how to regulate these facilities requiring unprecedented energy use and water impacts, we will continue to work closely with community leaders to help advocate for common sense regulations.
And earlier in the week, we were with other partners from Alabama in Washington DC at PolicyLink's Summit 2026 to convene with other leaders across the country to focus on critically important issues like water and infrastructure to help develop a Governing for All Blueprint: one that reflects both the urgency of this moment and the practical realities of legal, regulatory, and structural reform.
We love a busy week protecting our rivers and streams!
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4439 5th Avenue South, Suite 1000
Birmingham, AL
35222
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
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