MONDAY APRIL 7, 2014 VOLUME 120 ISSUE 110 Serving The University of Alabama since 1894
NEWS | ENVIRONMENT
Lake Tuscaloosa an abundant reservoir for high-quality water By Samuel Yang | Staff Reporter A drop of water hoping to end up in the city of Tuscaloosa’s drinking water is first born – or reborn – in a cloud. There, it condenses and precipitates, falling as a droplet to the earth. If it avoids being trapped in the soil as groundwater, the droplet makes its way towards its first stop: Lake Tuscaloosa. This begins the process that provides University of
Alabama students and Tuscaloosa residents their daily water supply. Mary Wallace Pitts, UA geography instructor and director of undergraduate studies, specializes in watershed programs and water resources research. She said the overland journey water takes to its reservoir has a significant impact on its initial quality. “One thing that people need to understand is that water management as a resource is based on land use, land management because everything’s that done on the land affects the quality of the water,” Pitts said. “What’s happening in terms of land use in your watershed
is the most significant thing when you start looking at water quality.” Droplets that end up in Lake Tuscaloosa are likely to travel through forested areas, which are ideal. Pitts said the natural quality and potential quantity of water in Lake Tuscaloosa is high and required treatment is minimal. “That’s why Tuscaloosa thrives economically – because we have a good quality water source that’s kind of guaranteed,” she said. “Tuscaloosa’s pretty unique from that perspective.” Now incorporated into Lake Tuscaloosa,
the droplet is part of a 40-billion-gallon reservoir. That raw water leaves the lake through treatment plants and encounters a series of membranes, chemicals and chambers that remove contaminants and ensure quality. Here, the droplet has options. Before 2008, the only option would have been the Ed Love Water Treatment Plant near the intersection of Jack Warner Parkway and Helen Keller Boulevard, but a drought prompted the opening of the Jerry Plott Water Treatment Plant by the Lake Tuscaloosa dam. SEE WATER PAGE 8
CULTURE | FESTIVAL
TODAYON CAMPUS Campus exhibit WHAT: Katherine Bradford: The Golden Age of Exploration WHEN: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Garland Hall
Community art WHAT: The Whole Mine WHEN: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Paul R. Jones Gallery
DCAF brings local art to community Festival celebrates regional musicians, artists, craftsmen By Hannah Widener | Contributing Writer Tuscaloosa’s Government Plaza hosted more than 75 tents on Saturday featuring artists, jewelers and craftsmen. Children flooded the fountain area with chalk drawings, and the day was packed with music from local bands. Druid City Arts Festival, originally founded five years ago by The University of Alabama’s Creative Campus, was handed off to the Tuscaloosa Sports and Tourism Commission to sponsor the event on its
Human rights campaign WHAT: Filling the Well: Addressing Sexual Slavery in Alabama WHEN: 3:30-5 p.m. WHERE: Alston Hall, 4th Floor Parlor
Campus music WHAT: Trombone Choir WHEN: 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Moody Music Building
Theater performance WHAT: “The Birthday Party” WHEN: 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Allen Bales Theatre
SEE DCAF PAGE 8
CW | Lindsey Leonard Community members peruse the art for sale at the fifth annual Druid City Arts Festival.
SPORTS | SOFTBALL
UA softball team earns 4th SEC sweep Alabama defeats Arkansas in Power of Pink double-header By Leila Beem | Contributing Writer The No. 4 Crimson Tide softball team donned pink jerseys to promote breast cancer awareness in the Power of Pink doubleheader against Arkansas on Saturday and won both games. Alabama handed the Razorbacks a 12-1 loss in five innings to take the first game and took the second game 4-3. The series marked the Crimson Tide’s fourth SEC sweep of the season, bringing its SEC record to 14-1. First baseman Leona
Lafaele, who went 6-for-8 on the weekend with nine RBIs, said Saturday’s play was all for a bigger cause. “Today we really were playing for something bigger than ourselves,” she said. “And it wasn’t a win – it was for every other woman out there that’s battling those real problems out there. They’re fighting a real battle, so the least we can do is play our hearts out. And it was for them – not for the win – it was for them.” The Alabama batters showcased explosive offense in the first game of the day, scoring 12 runs on 11 hits. The second inning was the biggest display, as the
INSIDE briefs 2 opinions 4 culture 9 sports 16 puzzles 15 classifieds 15
Today we really were playing for something bigger than ourselves. — Leona Lafaele
SEE SOFTBALL PAGE 13
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