Photo By Rydell Tomas | Employees with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, participated in the...... read more read more
MOBILE, Ala. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District Water Management team hosted a meeting and tour with stakeholders on the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa water system on Dec. 16-18, 2024, at various sites along the waterway.
Water Management met with Alabama Power, one of the system's major stakeholders, on Dec. 16 in Birmingham, Alabama. On Dec. 17 and 18, they toured the system with other stakeholders, visiting various locations along the waterway in Georgia.
The tour's stakeholders included non-USACE partners such as water supply providers with legal team representatives, congressional delegation representatives, the Atlanta Regional Commission, Cobb County Marietta Water Authority, and Paulding County.
James Hathorn, Mobile District Water Management chief, said the meeting and the tour were a success. Such meetings are vital to ensuring success along the water system and are a good way to build relationships with stakeholders.
"Our daily activities require interaction with USACE project operators and several water supply providers," Hathorn said. "While there is a general understanding of everyone's role, there may not be a clear understanding of duties and responsibilities required to complete tasks. The tour of the USACE and private facilities provides a behind-the-scenes look at the jobs performed. These tours began during the 2007-2008 droughts and continue every 2-4 years."
One important USACE partner in the ACT system is Alabama Power.
Alabama Power operates 14 hydropower projects within the Mobile District. These hydropower facilities are owned and operated by Alabama Power.
Hathorn said that the District and Alabama Power rely on each other to ensure the system's success.
"The daily operation of the APC projects depends on water released from USACE projects and vice-versa," Hathorn said. "Real-time data is shared between the two agencies to coordinate the movement of water through the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway and the ACT basins. Our agencies are jointly responsible for meeting the navigation and flood risk management objectives described in the water control manuals. Therefore, we work in unison, and open, transparent relationships are crucial to success."
Christy Nix, Alabama Power principal engineer, said the interaction and relationship between APC and the Mobile District is crucial to each one's success on the ACT.
"We have interaction all the time; everything we do gets fed to them," Nix said. "We have a real-time data exchange where they pull and use our data for their operation. So, we rely on their information to operate our projects. They rely on our projects from all three river systems because they have BWT, ACF, and ACT projects. So, even if we are not meeting face-to-face or on the phone, we still interact daily."
With all of the interaction between the Mobile District and APC, the personal relationships between members of the two agencies can also help get things done, according to Nix.
"Our relationship with the Mobile District has been fantastic," Nix said. "I've known James (Hathorn) my entire career. Anytime I've ever needed anything or asked questions, whether on or off the record, I can call or talk to him because he is a friend, and I trust his judgment. Also, if there's something I need, I know he will do the best of his ability to help me in any way he can."
Hathorn said that meetings, like the one with APC, and tours on the ACT are crucial in helping the Mobile District and Water Management achieve its goals on the ACT.
"The ACT system's water demands are changing as population increases and the effects of climate change become a reality," Hathorn said. "Meetings like these help Water Management staff keep their fingers on the pulse regarding water supply providers. The reoccurring meetings allow the relationship to flourish as personnel changes occur."
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2025 12:57 |
| Story ID: | 488906 |
| Location: | MOBILE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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