ALEXANDRIA– A proposed Calhoun County water project would add a storage tank and transmission mains to improve pressure and strengthen service reliability.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management issued an October 14 environmental-review notice for the $3,685,000 proposal. The Calhoun County Water Authority plans to connect a recently constructed well and a proposed ground storage tank with additional water mains.

Additional connections would also create loops within the existing system. ADEM identifies improved hydraulics and more resilient operations as the project’s goals.

However, the notice does not identify individual customers with pressure problems or announce any change in customer rates.

Choccolocco Area Improvements

ADEM’s supporting project documents identify the proposal as Choccolocco Area Water System Improvements.

A February 20 letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers describes a proposed 325,000-gallon ground storage tank. It also identifies a transmission connection from the Fields Production Well to an existing main along Choccolocco Road.

In addition, the letter describes a 10-inch main connecting the Choccolocco Well to the proposed tank. An eight-inch main along Chosea Springs Road would connect the existing Choccolocco Road main with a six-inch main along Alabama Highway 9.

These connections are intended to improve how water moves through the system. However, the reviewed documents do not provide projected pressure readings or quantify the improvement for individual neighborhoods.

Project Already Appears in State Funding Plan

The proposal also appears in ADEM’s final fiscal 2025 drinking-water infrastructure funding plan, dated June 8, 2026. That document identifies project FS010456-02 and lists $3,685,000 in assistance.

The table also lists no principal forgiveness and a 2.75% interest rate for the project. Those entries describe the funding plan, rather than a customer-rate decision or an independently verified final financing agreement.

As a result, the October notice represents an environmental-review milestone for an existing proposal. It should not be confused with a newly announced $3.685 million grant.

Environmental Review and Public Comments

ADEM determined that the proposal qualifies for a categorical exclusion from further environmental study under its State Environmental Review Process.

The agency cites categories that include water tanks, looping for adequate pressure, and certain water lines in previously disturbed areas. However, ADEM can reconsider that determination if significant adverse environmental information emerges.

The supporting correspondence also addresses stream and wetland crossings. The Corps’ review relied on directional boring to avoid disturbing those waters, with further review possible if construction methods or impacts change.

Meanwhile, ADEM will accept written comments for 30 days after the October 14 notice, a period ending November 13.

Send comments to Kelly Bibb, SRF Branch, Permits and Services Division, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, P.O. Box 301463, Montgomery, AL 36130-1463.

Include project number FS010456-02 to identify the proposal. ADEM says it will evaluate opposing public comments before taking formal action to proceed.

Customer Costs and Construction Timing Remain Unspecified

The reviewed project records do not establish a construction start date, completion date, or customer-bill impact. They also do not identify how many customers would receive a measurable pressure improvement.

Customers seeking service information or details about the proposed work can contact the authority at 256-820-3940. Its office is at 2256 Alexandria Wellington Road in Alexandria.

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