Fresh off multiple sewage spills that dumped an estimated 1.3 million gallons of sewage into a waterway, dozens of Prichard area residents gathered at a town hall Thursday to learn more about the city’s long-troubled water and sewer utility.

“We want to know what’s being done to get the money that we have to have to improve the infrastructure of the sewer system,” one resident said during the meeting. “It’s clear… the only solution we’re going to get is to have money enough from somebody or some entity to improve decades of neglect.”

What went largely undiscussed was the question of who would own the city’s water and sewer infrastructure—which by all estimations is almost in crisis—going forward.

“This is no longer just a financial issue—it is a public health emergency waiting to happen,” John Young, the man appointed a court to oversee the Water Works and Sewer Board of the city of Prichard, stated in a new report to the court that appointed him.

Young has argued that the only way to address the city’s failing water and sewage infrastructure—and resident’s high bills— is if the utility is absorbed into the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS).

It’s an idea opposed by a group of residents represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The newest report from Young, filed Monday in Mobile County Circuit Court, lays out technical and financial analyses for alternative ownership structures. Young concludes that the only viable solution for the more than 24,000 people who use Prichard’s water and sewer utility is consolidation with MAWSS.

“The whole idea is what’s best for the customer at the end of the day,” Young said. “The rates would go from already a very, very high $92 a month to over $200 a month with a standalone Prichard system. Plus, there’s still questions on the technical and management capabilities of the system.”

Prichard’s water and sewer infrastructure is in worse condition than the infrastructure in Flint, Mich., Young said. Young worked on Flint’s water utility following the lead contamination crisis in 2015. Some Flint residents still buy bottled water despite assurances the problem has been resolved.

Many Prichard residents and officials remain opposed to the idea of a takeover by MAWSS, arguing that the city giving up control of their water and sewer would mean losing some of its autonomy.

“I am sensitive to the fact that our citizens have suffered greatly underneath the wrong leadership and the wrong appointments to the board for the water and sewer of Prichard,” said Carletta Davis, president of We Matter Eight Mile Community Association. “But I also understand that when we take and give our destiny or our future to someone else, then depending on their political will, that may or may not work out for us.”

Davis argues that the question of ownership “pales in comparison” to the need for emergency funds now. Prichard and Chickasaw residents are suffering now, she said, from sewage spills that run into their yards and their homes, high bacteria counts in the water, and elevated levels of Trihalomethanes (THMs), a byproduct of the chlorine used to treat water.

“When there is a public health crisis, I know that there is disaster money or emergency monies that can be tapped in from the state level in order to get people out of harm’s way,” Davis, who is running for mayor of Prichard, said. “And that money needs to be sent to Pritchard so that people can get out of harm’s way.”

Prichard Mayor Jimmie Gardner called Young’s assertion that MAWSS is the only viable option “overly narrow and predetermined conclusion that fails to fully consider all available options.”

Gardner slammed Young’s tenure as receiver, arguing that he has done little to stabilize the utility since he was appointed in November 2023.

“We call for a full review of Mr. Young’s receivership and demand an open and fair discussion about the best path forward—one that does not automatically default to consolidation with MAWSS as the only solution,” Gardner said in a message.

This isn’t the first time Young’s appointment has been challenged: In May 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld his appointment as receiver of the utility.

He was appointed in 2023 by Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Michael Youngpeter after the water works board defaulted on a $55 million loan from Synovus Bank for needed capital improvements.

Young’s engineering estimates have found that more than $400 million could be needed to bring the utility’s infrastructure up to standard.

The court case remains ongoing. We Matter Eight Mile joined the case as an interested party. Represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, on Tuesday We Matter filed a motion requesting a court hearing on Young’s latest report to the court.

“As the [report] notes, if MAWSS’ Board agrees to absorb PWWSB, the transfer would not be effectuated until Spring 2027,” the motion states. “Residents of Prichard have two long years ahead of them and need answers regarding water affordability in the short term.”

Youngpeter has not yet ruled on the motion.

The utility has also been troubled by corruption. On Thursday, seven people, including a member of the utility’s board, were indicted on fraud charges stemming from activity at the Prichard utility, according to Fox 10.

Though Davis did not explicitly discuss the indictment, she asked the crowd Thursday to focus on the ongoing sewage and water issues.

“Our focus needs to be on the public health and safety threat that is on our doorstep,” she said Thursday.