Alabama water system applied for $333 million from feds just before FBI raid

The Prichard Water Works and Sewer Board utilized for a complete of $333 million in federal infrastructure grants simply weeks earlier than the FBI and Cell County Sheriff’s Workplace raided the Water Works workplaces and the house of at the least one worker throughout an “all encompassing” probe into allegations of corruption and theft.

Prichard utilized for extra federal cash than another water system within the state, in response to paperwork from the Alabama Division of Environmental Administration, which is dealing with the grant purposes.

A former supervisor of the Water Works is out on $250,000 bond after being charged with first diploma theft of property and aggravated theft by deception.

The previous supervisor, Nia Bradley, is accused of utilizing a Water Works bank card to pay for private objects and journeys to New York, Chicago and Sandestin. Authorities say they seized greater than $200,000 in items from Bradley’s dwelling in February, together with Gucci baggage and firearms.

On Feb. 4, three weeks earlier than the raids, the Water Works utilized for federal grants to fund 4 tasks totaling $333 million. That included requests for the three most costly particular person tasks within the state, every costing greater than another challenge or restore work listed in a lot bigger cities.

These three tasks are:

• $135 million for “city-wide sewer extension”
• $100 million for “repairing leaks within the water traces”
• $76 million for “systemwide challenge enchancment”

The Prichard Water Works didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark in regards to the grant purposes.

ADEM, which is evaluating the grant purposes and awarding roughly $1 billion in funding from latest federal infrastructure packages, mentioned it is going to consider “all elements” when contemplating Prichard’s utility.

“ADEM will prioritize funding based mostly on monetary and engineering wants,” ADEM Exterior Affairs Chief Lynn Battle mentioned through e-mail. “All elements affecting the wants shall be thought-about.”

A spokesperson for the Cell County District Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned that questions Bradley’s subsequent courtroom look is scheduled for April 21, and that another points involving the Prichard Water Board probe can be a part of an ongoing investigation and the workplace couldn’t remark.

When the probe was introduced in February, Cell County District Lawyer Ashley Wealthy mentioned that the investigation stretched past potential misuse of bank cards.

“That is all encompassing,” Wealthy mentioned. “There are allegations that property was purchased and allegations that different issues had been purchased by means of different banking and monetary mechanisms. That’s what makes this so massive.”

The water board’s longtime lawyer Jay Ross described the spending to 1 TV station as “the worst case of public corruption I’ve ever seen.”

Ross didn’t return calls searching for touch upon Wednesday.

Prichard, a south Alabama metropolis simply north of Cell has a inhabitants of 19,322, in response to the 2020 U.S. Census. The complete quantity of their utility would equal about $17,234 for each individual residing within the metropolis.

However they’re not more likely to get the total quantity. ADEM says it expects to obtain maybe as a lot as $6 billion in purposes for about $1 billion in federal funds to be administered within the state over the subsequent 5 years.

ADEM information present that as of April 2, it had acquired 538 challenge purposes for federal funding throughout the state totaling $3.1 billion.

Prichard utilized for the very best whole quantity of any utility and filed the one two challenge purposes asking for $100 million or extra. Just one different challenge among the many 500 sought greater than $50 million in federal funding.

The funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation, each handed in 2021, and are anticipated to be distributed to water and sewer methods throughout Alabama over the subsequent 5 years to restore, exchange or enhance growing older water infrastructure throughout the state.