Black Warrior Riverkeeper -

MLK Day of Service 2026 | 01/08/2026

Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s MLK Day of Service 2026 Please join us for our 6th Annual MLK Day of Service! We are excited to collaborate with Birmingham City Council District 1 again for a watershed cleanup on Monday, January 19 from 9 AM to 11 AM at the Huffman Ballpark (421 […]

Getting Stronger in 2026 | 12/19/2025

Dear Black Warrior Riverkeeper supporters, On our quest for cleaner water throughout the Black Warrior River basin, we are about to get even stronger. Starting on January 1, 2026, Katie Holmes will have a new role as Program Coordinator. Katie has been an outstanding member of our staff as Outreach […]

Tuscaloosa Sewage Settlement | 11/19/2025

Tuscaloosa agrees to sewage upgrades, settles lawsuit with clean water groups and ADEM For immediate release: November 19, 2025 Contact: Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, 205-458-0095, [email protected] John Wathen, Friends of Hurricane Creek, 205-310-3739, [email protected] TUSCALOOSA, Ala.—Today Black Warrior Riverkeeper and Friends of Hurricane Creek, represented by the Southern Environmental […]

Birmingham Darter Petition | 11/13/2025

Petition Seeks Endangered Species Protection for Imperiled Alabama Fish Proposed Data Center Would Destroy Remaining Habitat, Pollute Rural Community For Immediate Release: November 13, 2025 Contact: Charles Miller, Alabama Rivers Alliance, (205) 538-8876, [email protected] Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, (205) 458-0095, [email protected] Will Harlan, Center for Biological Diversity, (828) 230-6818, […]

2025 Report and Call to Action | 11/13/2025

Dear Black Warrior Riverkeeper supporters, Facing so many issues, locally and globally, one can feel overwhelmed when considering ways to help others. At Black Warrior Riverkeeper, we have decided to focus on something that everyone needs – clean water – across this vital area within America’s #1 state for freshwater […]

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Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. We are a citizen-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting clean water for the sake of public health, recreation, and wildlife habitat throughout our patrol area, the Black Warrior River watershed. This vital river basin is entirely contained within Alabama, America’s leading state for freshwater biodiversity.

Patrolling waterways, educating the public, and holding polluters accountable has made us an important proponent of clean water throughout the basin. Our staff identifies and addresses pollution problems while increasing public awareness. We are a proud member of Waterkeeper Alliance. Please contact us to report pollution and to inquire about volunteer projects, donations, educational presentations, or public events.

The Black Warrior River drains parts of 17 Alabama counties. The area the river drains, its watershed, covers 6,276 square miles in Alabama and measures roughly 300 miles from top to bottom. The Black Warrior River watershed is home to over 1 million residents and contains 16,145.89 miles of mapped streams. Its headwaters consist of the Sipsey, Mulberry, and Locust Forks. Once these rivers merge west of Birmingham, the Black Warrior River proper forms the border of Jefferson and Walker counties. Near Tuscaloosa, the river flows out of the rocky Cumberland Plateau and enters the sandy East Gulf Coastal Plain, forming the border of Greene and Hale counties in the Black Belt. At Demopolis the Black Warrior flows into the Tombigbee River towards Mobile Bay.