Community and Economic Development Along the Cahaba River

Monday morning a small group gathered at the entrance to the river access of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuse in West Blocton to celebrate the placement of a new Cahaba Blueway sign. Brian Rushing of the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development spoke on the reason for the occaision:

“We developed the Cahaba Blueway Program to enhance public awareness of the Cahaba River as an outstanding recreational asset, to provide information about access and help people be more informed about how to recreate safely, and to facilitate the development of outdoor recreation infrastructure around the river. We want for those access points to be safe, environmentally sustainable, and durable,” Rushing said, “We want to enhance community connections to the river within Blueway communities, and help economic development through recreational tourism.”

The group hopes that people who visit the Blueway sites will stop off at local businesses, whether restaurants, hotels, or other shops, and leave some money, thus helping local economies.

“In well developed and well managed water trail programs throughout the United States, we’ve seen very significant economic impacts,” Rushing added.

Keith Westlake drove over an hour to be there for the dedication of the Blueway sign. As the manager of the Wildlife Refuge, he expressed enthusiasm for the progress and activities of the Blueway group. “U.S. Fish and Wildlife manages this property for you. This property belongs to the people of the United States of America. This is public land and we want you to enjoy it,” Westlake said. “We’re excited about getting more things out here and getting more people involved.”

Community awareness is critical to the success of the program. Mr. Rushing asks everyone to like and share their pages on social media platforms.

There are 31 access sites along the river, from Trussville to Old Cahaba. Each site will have one of the “Blueway Wayfinding” signs like the one placed last Saturday in West Blocton. The access points that meet requirements of safe, durable, and environmentally sustainable, receive an official Blueway sign. Currently 15 of the 31 locations have the signs. The Cahaba Riverwalk location in Centreville is one of the designated Blueway sites, and will be officially opening in the next month or so as work on the trail, overlook, and canoe launch completes.

Visit cahabablueway.org for more information. You will also find information about canoeing and how to safely access the river, safe paddling tips, swim guides for water quality, and more. The website can also help connect tourists to local resources and activities such as Coke Ovens Park and Brierfield Iron Works Park, and offers lists of locally owned businesses that participate in the Blueway program.