Mobile’s water and sewer utility, taking advantage of federal stimulus money, has made improvements over the years, but it still may not be enough to mitigate its old infrastructure, some of which predates the creation of the utility.

While municipalities in Baldwin County have expressed frustration over missing out on federal funds for their own water and sewer projects, the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS), which has a customer base of around 100,000, received considerable funding from the last round of American Rescue Plan Act appropriations. Specifically, the utility received about $5.2 million in principal forgiveness on existing loans from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which was tasked with allocating the money.

Some of that funding went to MAWSS’ annual task of identifying and replacing lead and copper pipes, while the other funds went to wastewater improvements.

The Alabama State Legislature has made the state’s water and sewer infrastructure a priority, allocating $225 million from last year’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to the issue. In a bill sponsored by State Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) to determine how $1 billion in remaining ARPA funds will be allocated, $400 million was dedicated to water and sewer projects around the state. That bill was passed by the House General Fund budget committee last week and will likely face a final vote in the state House of Representatives today.

Other utilities in Mobile County weren’t so lucky: the only other utilities to receive ARPA funding in the 2022 allocation were the city of Chickasaw and the Prichard Water Works and Sewer Board. Chickasaw received $102,825 for financial audits of its sewer system, and Prichard received $400,000 for a systemwide pumping station; that project is expected to cost $5 million.