CULLMAN, Ala. – Dr. Bill Deutsch was the special guest at Wednesday’s Lunch and Learn at the North Alabama Agriplex in celebration of Earth Day. Deutsch is the co-founder of Alabama Water Watch and author of “Alabama Rivers: A Celebration & Challenge.” He spoke to guests about his book and signed copies afterward.
Deutsch discussed the important role the Alabama river system plays in our history and culture. “Our sense of place, our heritage, our culture has been largely defined by rivers. I jokingly say, although it’s not so joking, that you can’t listen to country music for 15 minutes without a song about falling in love, getting drunk or falling off a log in a river. So, rivers are a part of our art, our culture in general–our music and our history.”
Deutsch said, “In Alabama, we have more navigable stream miles than any state. We have over 132,000 miles of flowing water and virtually no natural lakes.” Alabama is home to 10 major river basins:
- Tennessee
- Tombigbee
- Black Warrior
- Cahaba
- Coosa
- Tallapoosa
- Chattahoochee
- Alabama
- Mobile
- Coastal Plain Streams
Cullman is part of the Black Warrior River Basin and according to Deutsch, “The Black Warrior has been deemed one of the oldest rivers in the world.” He added, “With the Black Warrior, you’re not only drinking the same water the dinosaurs drank, you are drinking it from the same river because there are remains of them in Alabama.”
Deutsch’s book covers many other topics, including the human and natural history of each river. “Alabama Rivers: A Celebration & Challenge” by Dr. Bill Deutsch is available now in stores and online. To order, visit https://alabamariversbook.org/
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