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River groups urge ADEM to require stronger limits and reclassify Graves Creek for swimming
Summary
Friends of the Locust Fork River, Alabama Rivers Alliance and Black Warrior Riverkeeper urged ADEM to adopt stricter nutrient, bacteria and phosphorus limits and reclassify Graves Creek for year‑round swimming so permit limits protect recreational users and biodiversity.
April Benefield, president of Friends of the Locust Fork River, emphasized community stewardship and asked ADEM to impose higher nutrient and bacteria standards so that Martins Mill and other sites could be classified for year‑round swimming. "We are asking y'all to give higher standards, both of the pipeline limits for nutrients and bacteria," she said.
Cindy Lowery, executive director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, and Eva Dillard of Black Warrior Riverkeeper also urged stronger, year‑round protections and described the August 2025 draft as more protective than the current public‑notice version. Dillard told the department that the current public‑notice permit "prioritizes Tyson and their business needs over sound science or water quality in Graves Creek and the Locust Fork." She and other presenters said permit limits drive the adoption of treatment technology and urged ADEM to require limits that will compel improved treatment.
