The Lake Tuscaloosa You Boat On Holds the Water You Drink, New Signs Remind Users

Three of the busiest boat landings on Lake Tuscaloosa now carry signs reminding visitors that the water they're launching into holds the same water they eventually drink after it's treated.

The City of Tuscaloosa has designated the Rock Quarry, Sharpes and Binion Creek public landings as Drinking Water Protection Areas, in connection with Source Water Protection Week, which the American Water Works Association observes Sept. 27 through Oct. 3.

The city's intake structure, where lake water enters the treatment system, sits just downstream from Rock Quarry Landing. There, it is made into the clean, safe water we use for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning and countless other tasks .

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"Lake Tuscaloosa and its watershed is ours to protect," said Watershed Manager Colleen Cook. "The choices we make on the water and throughout the watershed can directly impact the quality of our drinking water."

Lake Tuscaloosa was completed in 1970 and holds 40 billion gallons across 5,885 acres, with 177 miles of shoreline. Its watershed takes in all the land, creeks and streams that drain into it.

Rain carries whatever is on that land into the water, including litter, oil and chemicals. Boating affects the lake too, the city said, with large wakes contributing to shoreline erosion.

New signs and information boards are up at each of the three landings, with a map of the lake, an explanation of the watershed and steps visitors can take.

The city asked boaters and visitors to throw away trash properly, keep oil and chemicals out of the water, follow wake ballast restrictions and respect the shoreline.

More information is available at 205-248-5660 or Tuscaloosa.com.

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