Prichard’s long-troubled water and sewer utility, overwhelmed by last weekend’s severe weather, reported more than 3.7 million gallons in untreated sewage spills between April 6 and April 8.

The Mobile County Health Department released information on 14 sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) that resulted from heavy rains. The largest overflow, located at 218 Patricia Ave., was more than 550,000 gallons.

The water flowed into Gum Tree Branch, Toulmins Spring Branch, Chickasaw Creek, and Three Mile Creek. The health department urged residents to be cautious around standing water that may have accumulated as a result of these overflows, as well as to be cautious when boating, swimming or eating seafood from the waterways.

Prichard wasn’t alone: several other utilities—including the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS)— reported sewer overflows as a result of the heavy rains, which also caused flash flooding throughout coastal Alabama.

But sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are common in Prichard. Last week, more than 1.3 million gallons of sewage overflowed during heavy rains.

There have been 309 sanitary sewer spills in Prichard from 2021 to 2023, according to Cade Kistler of Mobile Baykeeper. The utility spills an average of 16 million gallons of sewage a year.

Carletta Davis, president of We Matter Eight Mile Community Association, said residents have sewage flowing into their backyards and into their homes as a result of the frequent overflows.

“Our focus needs to be on the public health and safety threat that is at our doorstep. That is the most pressing issue,” Davis told AL.com last week. “People are being exposed to sewage, not just running in the ditches, but actually running in their yards and back up into their houses. This is a public health crisis.”

The utility’s outdated water and sewer infrastructure has been an issue for years: in 2005, Mobile Baykeeper filed a lawsuit against the Water Works and Sewer Board of Prichard, alleging violations of the Clean Water Act, Kistler said.

But now, the infrastructure appears to be on the brink of crisis: last year, engineering reports filed in Mobile County Circuit Court estimated that more than $400 million could be needed to get the utility’s infrastructure up to standard. Around 32% of the utility’s sewer pipes are estimated to be in poor condition; 70% of its water pipes will need to be replaced in the next 20 years.

The crisis comes as the utility faces important questions about its future. After defaulting on a $55 million loan from Synovus Bank in 2023, Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Michael Youngpeter appointed a receiver to manage the utility.

The receiver, John Young, argues that the only way for the utility to continue is if it is absorbed into MAWSS. The utility does not have the capability to receive funds on its own, he argues, and rates would skyrocket.

“This is no longer just a financial issue—it is a public health emergency waiting to happen,” Young said in a report to the court last week.

Davis opposes consolidation with MAWSS, as does Prichard Mayor Jimmie Gardner. But one Prichard resident thinks that MAWSS is the only solution.

“I can’t go to nobody talking about $100 million. MAWSS can,” Charles Young, a resident said.

Young said he’s supported consolidation for many years; Young’s wife said a vote to be absorbed by MAWSS would pass in the city.

In 2014, Mobile County voters approved a referendum for the Prichard utility to be absorbed into MAWSS. But the Mobile utility backed away from the deal after the Prichard utility board signed a management contract that would have required MAWSS to pay an operator $32.8 million over five years.

Meanwhile, last week the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment alleging a broad scheme to defraud the Prichard utility out of millions of dollars. Former employees and board members of the utility have been charged.