Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Waterways topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee gives favorable report to bill to reopen Big Creek Lake for recreation
Summary
The Ports and Waterways Committee gave House Bill 387 a favorable report after sponsor Rep. Stringer said the measure would reopen Big Creek Lake in Mobile County for recreational and natural-resource use; members questioned scope and local impacts, including a 50-mile-from-Gulf provision added by amendment.
The Ports and Waterways Committee gave House Bill 387, sponsored by Representative Stringer, a favorable committee report after brief questioning and a procedural motion. The bill, Stringer said, would reopen Big Creek Lake in Mobile County 'to recreational and natural resource use.'
"Members, this is a, bill dealing with the Big Creek Lake in Mobile County, Alabama," Representative Stringer said when he introduced the measure, adding the proposal is "basically designed to open up a natural and a navigable waterway within Mobile County back to recreational and natural resource use." The committee received the bill and the sponsor answered members' questions.
Representative Collins asked whether the waterway is already usable for recreation, saying, "Is it not already, able to use for recreation at all?" Stringer replied that the site "was" used but was altered when a dam was built to provide a water source for Mobile. He described a former boat wash facility and said it was closed "due to some, concern over invasive species," and that local reluctance followed.
Collins also questioned the bill's geographic reach, noting it "deals with 50 miles from the Gulf" and asking why the matter was not handled at the local level. In response, Stringer said the committee adopted an amendment adding the 50-mile provision after water systems raised concerns, including what he described as "an alligator issue," and that the amendment aimed to avoid statewide opposition from affected water systems: "we took an amendment to add that."
Representative Lomax moved that the bill receive a federal report; the motion was seconded by Representative Givens. Chair called for a voice vote and members answered "Aye." The Chair then announced, "Representative Stringer, your bill gets a favorable report." The committee concluded its business and closed the meeting.
The bill will proceed from the committee with a favorable report. The transcript does not record any formal recorded roll-call tally, nor does it record subsequent committee scheduling or referral steps.
