Alabama Power wants to create two, power-producing reservoirs

For the last half-century, Fran Summerlin has called her peaceful forty acres in Steele, Alabama, home.Her own brother's final resting place sits at the north end of the land, at the base of Chandler Mountain.Then, in April, she received a letter from Alabama Power, stating her property could be impacted by a proposed reservoir project.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13 “I'm absolutely horrified by it. It scares me to death. This is my home,” Summerlin said.A map from the Power Company's Chandler Mountain Pumped Storage Licensing website shows upper and lower reservoirs that would be used to create 1,600 megawatts of power.That would be enough megawatts to power 400,000 homes annually. The two bodies of water would cover a total of 1,500 acres.Summerlin's farm is only feet from two of the five proposed dams, need to create the reservoirs.To create the lower reservoir, Summerlin said a handful of farms would be flooded.“There's a lot of beautiful farmland that will be destroyed and homes again, family farms,” Summerlin said.Steele was founded in 1850 and incorporated a century later.Today, it is the home to about 1,000 residents.Memory Gleason's family has owned land here for generations.Her husband was the principal of the community's elementary school.She fears the project will force too many families to move away.“It's just going to destroy our school, destroy our town,” Gleason said.So, we took Gleason and Summerlin's concerns straight to Alabama Power.Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeAn Alabama Power spokesperson said, "Alabama Power is in the preliminary stages of exploring the opportunity at Chandler Mountain. No decision has been made. "The company regularly evaluates how to best meet the energy needs of our customers. Providing for future needs requires planning today. A pumped storage hydro facility could provide a viable, clean energy option for our customers. "If we pursue the opportunity, the process could take well over a decade and would include multiple opportunities for public engagement to ensure residents and community members are our partners in the process.”Plus, the entire process of researching, licensing and potentially building the reservoirs could take more than a decade.Gleason says she successfully fought a regional airport in Steele before; and plans to join her neighbors to resist any project which puts her community at risk.“We realize this very hard road to hoe. But we got our shovels, our hoes ready, and we're going to go. We got on our war paint,” Gleason said.There is a public hearing scheduled on the project on July 10 at the Rainbow City Community Center from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.To check out the massive project proposal for yourself, by clicking here.