When I was appointed Receiver of the Prichard Water Works & Sewer Board (PWWSB) by the Mobile County Circuit Court in late 2023, I inherited more than just a utility in distress. I inherited a system teetering on the edge of collapse. For decades, residents in Prichard and Chickasaw had endured unreliable service, sewer overflows, leaking pipes, and high bills. The source of these problems goes far deeper than broken pipes. It lies in the failure of a governance structure.
Let us be clear: this looming crisis is the result of decades of local mismanagement. For decades, a politically appointed board—with no requirement for professional water utility experience—operated without strategic planning, financial discipline, or accountability. It defaulted on a $55 million bond, ran the utility out of cash, and failed to complete the financial audits necessary to qualify for state and federal funding. With the bond default, the utility now has limited access to the bond construction fund. That is not just poor management. It is a fiscal collapse.
Compounding this problem is the issue of non-payment of water bills. Roughly 10% of PWWSB customers are not paying their water bills, putting further strain on already fragile finances. When you pair that with water loss rates exceeding 60%—six times the industry’s goals, the result is a system hemorrhaging both water and revenue. This is unsustainable and unfair to the 90% of customers who do pay their bills yet receive inconsistent service.
As Receiver, my job is not to apply short-term band-aids. It is to stabilize, reform, and rebuild. But that mission is a delicate balancing act. On one hand, Judge Youngpeter’s order says, I must address the root causes of the system’s decline—outdated infrastructure, unqualified governance, and a crumbling financial foundation. On the other, our team must respond to the day-to-day symptoms: low water pressure, billing issues, and sewer overflows. I hear the frustration. I have talked to customers that think we are not doing anything. But we are acting. It is just not always in ways that are immediately visible.
That is why, alongside urgent leak repairs and service improvements, we have also focused intensely on building the foundation for long-term progress. And that begins with funding. Since November 2023, we have secured a $5.8 million grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)—the first of many grants we’re pursuing. This initial grant will fund critical repairs: water tank rehabilitation and the design of 50,000 feet of new water mains, upgrades to a major sewage treatment plant, and a modern monitoring system. We’ve obtained additional grant funding to perform financial analyses of the system and complete long-overdue financial audits—essential for future grant eligibility.
But we are not stopping there. Our team has applied for nearly $50 million more from state and federal sources, including $15 million currently pending approval with USEPA and $34 million of new grant applications from ADEM to address public health and environmental issues. These funds are not guaranteed, but they represent our aggressive push to restore this utility with the help it desperately needs. Early signs are promising. We are responding to ADEM’s Consent Orders for water and wastewater and have established regular communication. This is a major shift from past frustrations with previous Prichard Water Works & Sewer boards.
Some in our community have raised concerns about my recommendation to eventually transfer the utility to the Mobile Area Water & Sewer System (MAWSS). I understand the fear of losing local control—but let us face facts: local control is what got us here. Given its current physical and financial condition and the improvements required, PWWSB is a community liability, not an asset. This utility needs professional oversight, access to capital, and economies of scale. MAWSS can provide that. Over five hundred residents have already signed a petition supporting this change. The goal is not to take the utility away from the community. It is to consistently deliver reliable, affordable service to the community.
This will not happen overnight. But progress is underway. Fixing Prichard’s and Chickasaw’s water and sewer systems is a marathon, not a sprint—but we have left the starting line. Together—with continued public support, continued transparency, and committed leadership—we will fix what has been broken for far too long.