IntegraWater scraps plans for controversial sewage plant in North Alabama community

NewsThe Flint River in Madison County, Ala., photographed Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Will McLelland | WMcLelland@al.com)Will McLellandBy Megan Plotka | mplotka@al.comPlans for a controversial wastewater treatment plant in north Alabama have been canceled. IntegraWater planned to build the plant just behind Madison County’s Berry Hill community in New Market. The plant would have been on the Flint River, a waterway used for kayaking, baptisms and other community activities.IntegraWater Madison County CEO John McDonald withdrew the application for a discharge permit on Thursday morning, effectively canceling the project. McDonald said the company remains committed to environmental protection, long-term planning and community education on wastewater treatment.In a statement, McDonald said:“IntegraWater takes our responsibility to clean water and protect the environment seriously. One of our company’s core values is integrity, ensuring our decisions and actions are guided by honesty. Accordingly, we have realigned our long-term planning and decided to withdraw the discharge permit application for the Winchester Road site on the Flint River. While wastewater is a necessary and important part of sustainable growth, we understand the community’s concerns. These conversations have taught us the importance of educating the community about the benefits of our work. As we continue to conduct long-term planning, we are dedicated to connecting with community members to share more about the wastewater treatment process. We are looking forward to enhancing public understanding of the science behind wastewater reclamation and the way these facilities protect communities and natural resources. We will begin these efforts by publishing more information on our website to help everyone understand the critical role that water reclamation facilities play. We also plan to partner with community stewards and educators to find intentional ways to work together. We look forward to connecting with more people across our service area, demystifying wastewater treatment, and cultivating new relationships.”Jack Smith voices his concerns to ADEM officials during a meeting at Buckhorn Middle School on the approval of a permit for a new wastewater management facility by Integra to be built on the Flint River in Madison County, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Will McLelland | WMcLelland@al.com)Will McLellandResidents like Melissa Stafford have been fighting it from the beginning.“We are dedicated and determined in our mission to maintain the level of the river now, and through hopefully education in the future, we can even improve the quality of the river so that all of our generations can enjoy it,” she said.The “Keep Flint River Clean” movement launched shortly after the plans were announced. The group has been fighting this treatment facility since the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) notified them that it would be built in their backyards. “There’s an outcry across our entire country,” Stafford said. “We want development, but we want development in a smart environmental way that is respectful to the people who live in the area, and it’s part of a whole larger conversation of: do we just let profit come in, or do we respect the people who live there? And I think we’re seeing it in communities all across the country, not just with sewage, waste, but with data centers. And people are saying, no, we want to keep our quality of life, and we want environmental standards that actually mean something for the people who live there.”A jar of water Jeff Williams collected from Brier Fork Flint River near the Meridianville wastewater treatment facility photographed following a meeting with ADEM officials at Buckhorn Middle School on the approval of a permit for a new wastewater management facility by Integra to be built on the Flint River in Madison County, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Will McLelland | WMcLelland@al.com)Will McLellandSeveral community members filed a lawsuit against IntegraWater Madison County. Others have taken water samples from a nearby IntegraWater plant in Meridianville, where the EPA reported that all pollutants are at a “Significant Noncompliance” level. The agency reported that nitrogen ammonia is extremely high and E. coli and solids levels violated the environmental standards. Neighbors report a strong sewage smell and loud, shrill noises coming from the plant several times a day.“I want to make sure that we’re still focused on keeping the community involved in those decisions, keeping the community’s recreational facilities and the quality of life and property values stable, and that when our leaders partner with companies, we’re choosing the ones with the best reputations and the ones that uphold the highest environmental standards,” Stafford said.Stafford did not want her neighborhood to experience the same effects, adding she was “cautiously optimistic” about this outcome. They will continue to organize around keeping the Flint River clean on a state level and making a playbook for other communities that have unwanted developments. Melissa Stafford listens as community members voice their concerns to ADEM officials during a meeting at Buckhorn Middle School on the approval of a permit for a new wastewater management facility by Integra to be built on the Flint River in Madison County, Ala., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Will McLelland | WMcLelland@al.com)Will McLellandMegan Plotka covers news for the Huntsville metro area. She is a multimedia journalist whose work stretches across digital articles, broadcast news and documentaries. She was raised in Huntsville and has been...