EVENT: Sneak Preview of 'Deadly Deception II: Faces in the Mirror'
University of Alabama Students Move to Stop the Shepherd Bend Mine
Stefanie Spear
Black Warrior Riverkeeper
WHAT: Sneak preview of Deadly Deception II
WHEN: March 1, 6 - 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Carver Theatre, 1631 4th Ave., North Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Deadly Deception II: Faces in the Mirror is a commercial-free documentary about pollution in North Birmingham and is the follow-up to Deadly Deception which aired in August, 2011 on CBS 42.
CBS 42 has continued to follow activities of local, state and federal environmental regulators in regards to toxic contamination in North Birmingham. Pollution from local industries has affected air, water and soil in these communities for decades. Since the original Deadly Deception aired in August, pollution's ramifications on public health in North Birmingham have become far more publicized.
Black Warrior Riverkeeper is co-hosting this community event with CBS 42.
"At Black Warrior Riverkeeper, we are concerned about communities in North Birmingham plagued by generations of industrial pollution," added Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper. "Air emissions from factories settle on surrounding communities and, with rain, run off into nearby streams, which also receive water discharges from local factories. In North Birmingham, both Five Mile Creek and Village Creek drain the area and flow downstream to the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River. Pollution in North Birmingham ultimately is an affront to locals and all who depend on clean water downstream."
"After more than a year of our investigative reporting on contamination issues in an area of Birmingham that has been heavily industrialized for decades, an awakening has occurred within the Magic City," said Sonya DiCarlo, special projects producer for CBS 42. "Families in several communities are now opening their eyes to concerns they didn't know existed before. Some city leaders and county officials are certainly more visible and vocal about the concerns and have recently taken strong steps to learn more and search for answers. The federal government has taken actions to address a contamination problem which may very well reach beyond the three small communities where the story first began. This story is about the elderly who tell tales of blinding industrial smoke they didn't know was dangerous to children who now live in the aftermath. This documentary is a tale of finding the truth, demanding answers and personal responsibility."
Admission is free, but limited to the theatre's 500 seats.
For more information, click here or call 205-488-4242.
Black Warrior Riverkeeper is a citizen-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. A member of Waterkeeper Alliance, Black Warrior Riverkeeper was the Alabama Environmental Council's 2007 Conservation Organization of the Year and the American Canoe Association's 2008 Green Paddle Award winner. Nelson Brooke, Riverkeeper, won the Alabama Rivers Alliance's 2010 River Hero Award. In 2011 the Black Warrior became one of America's Most Endangered Rivers due to coal pollution.
alabama cbs 42 carver theatre black warrior riverkeeper deadly deception ii
The Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) at University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) has unanimously passed a resolution imploring the University of Alabama (UA) to stop the proposed Shepherd Bend Mine from potentially polluting Birmingham's drinking water. UA is a major owner of land and mineral rights sought by the mining company Shepherd Bend, LLC for a proposed coal mine on the Black Warrior River's Mulberry Fork in Walker County. The 1,773-acre strip mine would discharge wastewater 800 feet across the river from a Birmingham Water Works Board intake facility providing tap water to 200,000 Birmingham-area residents.
USGA Senators at UAB are concerned that heavy metals and sediment discharged from the mine would lead to decreased water quality and increased filtration fees for Birmingham consumers. Numerous scientists, civil rights and environmental organizations, UA and UAB alumni, faculty and students, and governments, including the Birmingham City Council, have implored UA not to lease or sell their land and minerals to Shepherd Bend, LLC. The company is owned by Garry Drummond, a Trustee Emeritus of UA. Without access to UA's significant land and mineral holdings, it may not be practical for mining to begin at Shepherd Bend.
"This issue is very pertinent to our students and the decision made by the board will echo endlessly. We felt the need to clearly voice our opinion on behalf of the UAB student body," said Andrew Hayes, USGA senator and co-author of the resolution.
"I hope that this resolution will encourage the UA System Board of Trustees to open up a dialogue about Shepherd Bend and join the students of the UA system in protecting our city's drinking water," said Dexter Forbes, president of the Green Initiative at UAB and co-author of the resolution.
"The UAB student government has made a strong statement that they want to protect their city's drinking water and their University's reputation from the Shepherd Bend Mine proposal," said Charles Scribner, executive director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
To view the USGA Resolution, click here.
To view an aerial photo by Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, showing the water intake facility (top), the Black Warrior River's Mulberry Fork (middle) and the proposed mine site (bottom), click here.
shepherd bend mind strip mine water drinking water human health birmingham clean water black warrior riverkeeper university of alabama