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A $3.5 million contract signed with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) in October is broadening the reach of one working to solve Lowndes County’s wastewater disposal crisis.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed off on the contract between the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program (BBUWP) and ADPH on Oct. 8. Initially drafted for $2.3 million for work in seven counties, an amendment to the contract expanded the award amount to $3.5 million and added four additional Black Belt counties.

The scope of work outlined in the two-year contract now covers work in Marengo, Choctaw, Sumter, Wilcox, Montgomery, Macon, Bullock, Dallas, Hale, Perry and Greene counties.

“You must have the capacity to do the work to receive this kind of state contract,” said BBUWP Executive Director Sherry Bradley. “We received the contract because we sent a proposal and the other organization [that applied] could not fulfill the terms of the contract.”

According to Bradley, the one member of the Legislative Contract Review Committee, House Speaker Pro Tem Chirs Pringle (R-Mobile), raised concerns over the organization’s financial transparency. The ADPH launched an investigation, and Bradley said the contract was expanded and issued after the investigation proved all allegations to be false.

“ADPH did launch an investigation and found all allegations to be untrue,” Bradley said. “The amendment came from the [award to] the second group, which could not perform the work. So, the committee gave us that funding as well.

While the contract’s scope reaches outside Lowndes County, Bradley confirmed that the area where the program’s work began will remain a top priority.

“We are well known now, internationally known, and that’s why we are gaining the capacity to reach out further, to help other Black Belt counties,” Bradley said. “Lowndes County has sewage on the ground and so does nearly every Black Belt County. Our team will always look out for Lowndes County in these grants and contracts.”

Bradley also pointed out that while the contract award seems expansive, it’s just the beginning of the work needed to solve wastewater disposal issues in the Black Belt. Systems designed for Black Belt soil cost between $22-$28,000, not including the work of clearing trees or cleaning up debris often involved in septic system projects.

“This is not going to cure the counties we’re going into,” Bradley said. “It is a preliminary look. We are going to install systems, and we are bringing innovation with us. We will install while we are there, but there will be a bigger picture to come.”

Bradley also said that the program’s work in Lowndes County was foundational for the organization, laying the groundwork to help neighboring counties facing the same challenges dealing with sewage on the ground.

“We are becoming pros at this,” Bradley said. “Looking at these situations, we know that other counties in the Black Belt need installations, so we are gaining the capacity to have a longer reach and are honored to do the work.”