Water Woes In Reform On Track For A Major Turnaround

The aging and often problematic water system in Reform is getting a long overdue upgrade. The western Pickens County city of just over 1,700 has been plagued with numerous outages in recent years and has sought a long-term resolution.

Multiple grants totalling $13 million have been obtained and will help resolve the chronic leaks and old water line issues that have resulted in residents having to turn to donations and purchases of bottled water on several occasions. The city also had to bring in washers and dryers and portable showers so residents could take a bath.

"Since I’ve became mayor where we’ve had maybe 30% of our residents with a week or longer without water due to the age and deterioration of the aging water system.” says Mayor Melody Davis.

Extremely cold weather has been the culprit for busted pipes and extended water system shutdowns during recent winters. It forced the city to go from breakage to breakage to make repairs and return the antiquated system to normal operations.

The city has already replaced some old water lines, some dating back to the 1940s. In some cases, during the replacement project, the city even was forced to conduct a search for water lines because of missing system maps.

The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the city's infrastructure and improve the quality of life for its residents. The current project is expected to be completed in 2027.

Reform is not the only municipality in Alabama dealing with antiquated water systems and outages. Alabama faces a significant challenge with water outages and service disruptions in numerous small rural communities, often linked to its aging water infrastructure.