Flood waters continue to rise in the Luxapallila Creek in Millport

A West Alabama town is looking to unclog a creek that has already caused some significant damage

MILLPORT, Ala. (WCBI) – A West Alabama town is looking to unclog a creek that has already caused some significant damage.

Where it flows through Lamar County, Luxapallila Creek is filled with years of debris.

City leaders in Millport said the rising water stretches nearly 10 miles to the Mississippi state Line.

Further upstream in Lamar County, town and county leaders are hoping to see similar changes to reclaim the land along the creek and keep things flowing smoothly.

Millport mayor Stanley Allred said that debris has been slowly, but surely, filling up the creek for years, and when heavy rains come the Luxapallila begins to spill out of its banks and onto Highway 17.

“It’s gained a lot, it’s backed up a lot in just the last five to six years and there are thousands of acres of land that are useless because of this,” said Allred.

Allred said the problem has impacted residents who live along the creek as well.

“We’ve got ditches in Millport that won’t drain year round because of the continuous backing up of the Luxapilila,” Allred.

The mayor said the water is beginning to creep up on a nearby railroad, and if it goes under, he feels some local businesses might get swamped too, including steel dust recycling.

“All these depend on the railroad for a lot of their shipments. When and if this trestle goes out you know there are 500 or 600 hundred jobs that will be in jeopardy there,” said Allred.

Allred said he’s been reaching out to leaders at every level. Both of Alabama’s Senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, have been contacted about getting the ball rolling on the issue at hand because it’s going to take more than local and state money to cover the costs.

“It’s going to take federal money from the town, county, and maybe even state, it’s going to take millions I’ve heard the term 100 million thrown out there,” said Allred.

Allred encouraged citizens to keep voicing their concerns about the creek to state leaders to hopefully get things started for clearing the Luxapallila.

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