Customers of Alabama’s largest water utility will not experience service disruptions, and ongoing infrastructure improvements will continue after the state Legislature approved a bill that dissolves the current Birmingham Water Works Board and sets up a regional board, Water Works General Manager Mac Underwood said in a statement Friday.

Operation of the system will not be immediately affected by the legislation, Underwood wrote.

“Our employees will continue serving our customers, and they will continue to receive the support they expect from our customer service team,” his statement reads.

Customers who experience problems can call 205-244-4000 and Water Works employees will assist them, Underwood wrote. BWW serves more than 770,000 customers in five counties of the greater Birmingham area. Approximately 41% of customers are in the city of Birmingham, and 91% are in Jefferson County, according to Water Works managers.

Senate Bill 330 decreases the number of board members and reduces the city’s influence over the utility. It got final passage from the Legislature on Thursday and was sent to the governor’s office. Under the bill, the first new appointments must be made within 20 days of the bill becoming effective.

Bill sponsors and proponents said it was aimed at addressing billing, service and past corruption issues as well as ratepayers’ complaints about the cost of water. Birmingham city leaders called the legislation a political power grab that is not in the best interest of most ratepayers.

The current, nine-member board includes two members appointed by Birmingham’s mayor and four members appointed by the Birmingham City Council. The new board would include only one appointee each by the mayor and council.

Leaders disagree over whether SB330 would create a seven- or eight-member board. The number hinges on a provision that a member be appointed by the governing body of each county in which the utility owns “a major reservoir located principally within the county.” Birmingham Water Works has two major reservoirs, Inland Lake in Blount County and Lake Purdy, which is in Shelby and Jefferson counties.

Bill sponsor Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, said only the Blount County Commission would select a director based on this wording in his bill. Jefferson County lawmakers and the current Birmingham Water Works Board contend Shelby County would also appoint a member under the provision.

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, who is running for mayor and was a vocal opponent of the bill during its swift journey from introduction on April 17 to passage on May 1, also released a statement Friday, saying passage of the bill “represents a blatant overreach – a takeover of an authority that rightfully belongs to the city of Birmingham and its residents.

“This move is not only absurd, it is dangerous, and its long-term consequences could be devastating in ways we may never fully recover from.”

Rep. Jim Carns, R-Vestavia Hills, who carried the bill in the House and has introduced similar measures for years, said the impetus for the bill was to address what he considered to be a pattern of mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility.

“When I started the last bill in 2023, they were paying $45,000 a month for a lobbyist,” Carns said while speaking on the House floor, the Alabama Reflector reported.

“They were paying $50,000 a month for two different (public relations) firms at $25,000 each; they were paying $30,000 a month to an organization that made sure they had minority participation candidates lined up to fill in on capital projects. This is a monopoly.”

The city of Birmingham purchased the water system in 1951 and established an independent board to govern its operation. Since 2001, the Birmingham Water Works Board has been a public corporation that owns and manages the Birmingham Water Works utility.

Givan hosted a townhall meeting April 22 in which most residents who spoke expressed opposition to SB330. During that meeting, Underwood acknowledged problems at the Water Works but said a new team of managers has made significant improvements during the past nine months.