Rural Alabama families have been plagued by severe sewage problems for generations. For some families, their sole option has been to rig PVC pipes to help lead human wastewater away from their homes.  Last month, the Trump Administration killed the program calling it “illegal DEI.”

Rural communities in Alabama, particularly in Lowndes County, continue to struggle with severe sewage issues. Many families, facing high costs for septic systems, have resorted to using improvised PVC pipes to channel human waste away from their homes. This method, commonly referred to as "straight piping," often leads to raw sewage being discharged onto the ground, creating hazardous conditions.

A federal investigation concluded in 2022 found that residents of Lowndes County lacked access to adequate sewage infrastructure, and that the State Department of Public Health had displayed a consistent pattern of inaction. The affected community is predominantly Black and has a median household income just above the poverty line, while the cost of a septic system is often between $12,000 and $30,000.

Under the Biden administration, $8 million in federal funding was allocated to address the sanitation crisis in Lowndes and nearby counties. However, the Trump Department of Justice recently terminated the program, describing it as an "illegal DEI" (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiative. Community advocates report that this decision has left at least 300 residents without anticipated assistance.

Local organizations, dependent on grant funding, have installed more than 120 septic systems in recent years. Advocates stress that federal support is crucial to resolving the ongoing public health risk presented by exposed sewage and to prevent further hardship for the region's low-income residents.



Low-income Alabamians forced to deal with human waste

So, what is this right here? This is actually the pipe that's run from our house to actually the tank that was, you know, here. But now, you know, the system, it just basically, it just caved in. It collapsed. Right. The sewage system. Right. In Lowndes County, flushing doesn't come without some thought and preparation. Now, I see some water pooled up to here. Is this raw sewage that I'm looking at right now? Yes. Yes. Land known for having the richest soil and the poorest people. The Black Belt of Alabama is where Mawtree Burke-Clark calls home, named after its fertile black soil. But that hard soil is virtually non-absorbent. And community advocates tell us conventional septic systems are costly to replace. It's not because it will come back, you know. It backflows into the house? Right. How? Where does it come? It comes through the kitchen sink, and then sometimes it will come through the bathtubs. The odor is unbearable. A first-of-its-kind, 18-month federal environmental justice investigation that ended in 2022 found the people of Lowndes County did not have access to proper sewage systems. And the State Department of Public Health engaged in a consistent pattern of inaction and or neglect that disproportionately impacted black residents. And Joe Biden's government agreed to set aside money to help address the sanitation crisis, including $8 million for Lowndes and two nearby counties to help install new septic tanks. But last month, the Trump Department of Justice terminated the agreement. The DOJ will no longer push environmental justice as viewed through a distorting DEI lens, said the DOJ's Civil Rights Division in a news release, calling the program illegal DEI. Lowndes County is a 72 percent majority black community. The median household income sits just above the poverty line, at $35,000 a year. A standard septic system will run anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000, according to community advocates. That's too much money. Sherry Bradley works to get low-income families septic systems. When she started six years ago, she estimated 70 percent of homes in Lowndes County had straight pipes, an illegal but sole option that involves rigging PVC pipes above ground to direct fecal matter away from homes. Since then, progress. She's installed more than 120 systems and counting. Isabelle, follow me in the back. I want to show you some things. Sherry takes me to a home she says will make the sanitation crisis brutally clear. This is the Paramond family, a disabled couple who tell me they need help. I want to show you what a straight pipe looks like. When they flush the toilet, it comes straight out, but it goes on the ground. You see the green tent? That's raw sewage. That's raw sewage. Mm-hmm. This is what straight piping looks like, leading fecal matter away from the home, leaking as it goes, and leaving hazardous puddles of waste behind. We operate 100 percent off of grants. If you want to fix the problem of getting raw sewage off the ground, it takes funding. Her organization was a sub-recipient of the Biden-era grant. She says now that it's been shut down by the Trump administration, at least 300 Alabamians who were in line for help are in limbo. I was surprised because everything they said the grant was, was not. So you reject the notion that this is a matter of DEI? Completely, 100 percent. Marie says Black Belt residents are a resilient bunch, and she too will fight on, looking to other grants. Can this be done without the help of the federal government? Oh, no. I think, Isabel, that the federal government has a duty to help. Just like they help in the city, just like when they lay the sewer laterals, they have a duty to help. Isabel Rosales, CNN, Lowndes County, Alabama.

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