Winston County receives $500,000 grant as part of multi-state project

WINSTON COUNTY - The Alabama Forestry Association brought good news to a recent Winston County Commission meeting, announcing a $500,000 project involving county crews to  correct major drainage issues affecting stream beds in order to protect endangered wildlife.
Brad Nail, regional forester with the Alabama Forestry Association, told Commission Chairman Roger Hayes and Commissioners Bobby Everett and David Cummings about a unique opportunity for the county to use in-kind work toward their match of a project totaling $500,000.
The AFA has been awarded a $225,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, designed for conservation improvements.
The project will focus on the Cumberland Plateau region of north Alabama, as part of a total $1.3 million in grants to AFA and six other organizations in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
The grants have been estimated to generate $1.5 million in match contributions, the AFA noted.
As part of these multi-state projects, the Winston County Commission will receive $180,000 to fund culvert replacements on 11 high-priority streams, in order to improve water quality and to benefit numerous freshwater species, including the Black Warrior waterdog and flattened musk turtle, the foundation noted.
Culvert replacements will take place in the following areas:
• County Road 3418, Haleyville, area, over a perennial stream that feeds Allen Mill Creek.  Currently, there are two structures in place: an old gas tank that is eight feet in diameter which carries most of the stream capacity and a corrugated metal pipe five feet in diameter that provides relief.  The gas tank is in fair condition.  Both structures have vertical drops at the outlet end of the pipe causing scour.
• County Road 339, Lynn area, over Browns Creek.  Currently, there are three old gas tanks, each eight feet in diameter, carrying the stream.  The tanks are in fair to poor condition.  All of the structures are scoured on their outlet ends.
• County Road 6, Double Springs area, over perennial streams feeding Sandy Creek.  Currently there are two structures in place: an old gas tank eight feet in diameter that carries most of the stream capacity and a corrugated metal pipe six feet in diameter that provides relief.  The metal pipe is in fair to poor condition, and the gas tank is in fair condition.  Both structures have vertical drop at the outlet end of the pipes causing scour.
• County Road 3173, Ashridge, over Georgia Creek.  Currently, there is an old gas tank that is eight feet in diameter in place. The gas tank is in fair to poor condition.  The outlet end has a vertical drop causing scour.
• County Road 3026, Double Springs area, over Sandy Creek.  Currently, there is a corrugated metal pipe culvert four feet in diameter in place.  It is in poor condition with the bottom completely rusted out.
• County Road 53, Double Springs area, over Cane Creek and two perennial streams that feed Cane Creek.  There are three structures in place currently.  All are corrugated metal pipe culverts, one six feet in diameter and the other two five feet in diameter.  All are in poor condition with rust, pipe separation and a section that has collapsed.  All structures have vertical drop at the outlet end of the pipe causing scour, with the worst drop being four feet.
• County Road 2, Double Springs area, over a perennial stream that feeds Sandy Creek.  Currently, there is a corrugated metal pipe five feet in diameter in place.  The pipe is rusted and has vertical drop on its outlet end causing scour.
• County Road 267, Arley area, over the backwaters of Smith Lake.  Currently in place are a reinforced concrete pipe culvert three feet in diameter with a corrugated metal pipe two feet in diameter providing relief.  The concrete pipe is undersized and has separated.  The corrugated metal pipe is in fair condition, but was installed too high to provide relief.
• Nathan Loop Road, Arley, over an intermittent stream feeding Dismal Creek.  Currently, there is a corrugated metal pipe in place that is two feet in diameter.  The pipe is in poor condition and needs upsizing to three-feet diameter.  Vertical drop on the outlet end is causing scour and causing the pipe to separate.
• County Road 57, between Double Springs and the Lakeshore area, over an intermittent stream feeding North Creek.  Currently, there is a reinforced concrete pipe culvert three feet in diameter in place.  The pipe has separated on its outlet end due to scour.  Four sections have fallen off.
• County Road 99, Addison, over four intermittent streams feeding Inman Creek and one intermittent stream feeding Brushy Creek.  Currently, there are five structures in place in this area.  The first is a high density polyethylene pipe culvert two feet in diameter, which is in fair condition, but undersized.  There are also two corrugated metal pipe culverts - one four feet in diameter, the other three feet in diameter.  They are in poor condition with rusted out bottoms.  The other two structures are reinforced concrete pipe culverts, one three feet in diameter and the other 15 inches in diameter.  The 15-inch pipe is full of silt and is not functioning.  It also appears to have separated joints.  The three-foot pipe has separated joints with crushed ends on its inlet and outlet.  All of the structures have vertical drop at their outlet ends, causing scour.
• National Forest Road 121, Houston, over an intermittent stream feeding Mile Creek.  Currently in place is a bituminous coated corrugated metal pipe five feet in diameter.  The pipe is in fair condition, but has large vertical drop on its outlet end.
• County Road 115, Double Springs area, over a perennial stream feeding Cane Creek.  Currently, there is a high density polyethylene pipe in place which is partially crushed.  Scour and slope protection on both the inlet and outlet end are beginning to fail.