Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management

Our state’s legislature took a big leap forward during the 2008 legislative session by passing a joint resolution creating a Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management.  This committee directly addresses one of the six Priority Threats listed in the Alabama Water Agenda, Instream Flow, by ensuring that we keep enough water flowing in our rivers to meet the needs of generations to come.

The resolution, SJR28, creates a fourteen-member committee tasked with “developing the Alabama Water Management Plan to recommend…courses of action to address the state’s long-term and short-term water resources challenges.”

Five members of the committee include chairs of various house and senate committees of commerce, agriculture, and natural resources.  The remaining committee members will be appointed by the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 

We want to thank all our members and volunteers who have participated in Alabama Water Agenda action alerts and River Action Day as advocates of this important progress. The letters, meetings, and phone calls from Alabama citizens certainly played a role in the formation of this committee. We would also like to thank Senator Kim Benefield, D-Woodland, and Representative Greg Canfield R-Birmingham, for their leadership in the passing of this important measure. The Rivers Alliance will monitor the progress of the committee and keep you informed as we all move forward down the road to comprehensive water policy.

Click here to learn why Alabama needs a plan for its water.