Coal is plentiful in the Black Warrior River watershed, which, combined with Alabama’s ranking as dead last in the United States in environmental protection, adds up to tremendous water pollution.

Coal was first discovered here in the 19th century. “Stonecoal” was mined by driving crowbars into river ledges while divers recovered falling minerals from the water. Expert navigators guided riverboats through the narrow passages of the free-flowing Black Warrior to haul the coal to market. The tales of these river captains became local legends.

Today the Black Warrior, straightened and dammed by the Corps of Engineers for easy navigation, is a silent giant in Alabama’s economy, serving as a major shipping route for coal, cotton, steel, wood chips and other products, and connecting Birmingham with Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

In the 1980s, Alabama coal had a market value of $22 a ton. Today, the market value is well over $100 a ton. As a result, Alabama is experiencing a resurgence in coal mining. New mines are being permitted throughout the Black Warrior watershed on almost a monthly basis. But King Coal has already picked clean the richest and most accessible coal seams. Now, to remain profitable, these operations must dig deeper, and flaunt environmental laws and worker safety, to harvest coal that was previously unprofitable to mine. Black Warrior Riverkeeper is reviewing dozens of mining permits, monitoring mines by air and pursing Clean Water Act violators.