WEEKS BAY — Residents are concerned about the quality of the water and the quality of life.

About two dozen people gathered Thursday to give input to the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program. The organization oversees the rivers and streams that flow south into Mobile Bay. The massive watershed covers three-fourths of Alabama and includes portions of Mississippi and Georgia.

“We are the good cop to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) bad cop,” said MBNEP director Roberta Swann. “We coerce and cajole people to do the right thing, by promoting the wise stewardship of the water.

“According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, 40 streams are impaired throughout the watershed. I hear people say over and over, ‘What kind of legacy are we leaving our grandchildren? We used to be able to fish that stream.’”

One of the biggest factors reducing the quality of fresh water has been development and urbanization. As land is developed, more runoff creates more sediment and reduces water quality. At the same time, industrialization from urban areas leads to noxious substances being washed into the streams and rivers.

“You have to try to balance what happens on the land with what happens in the water,” said Mike Shelton. “We need effective and efficient planning to get a balance in rapidly developing areas, like Baldwin County and in particular, the Eastern Shore.”

The bulk of those attending lived or had houses in the Weeks Bay area. They choose to live there because of the hunting and fishing. One man said he has worked at the Port of Mobile and he knew what kinds of substances ran off the docks into the bay. In addition to pollution, he was also concerned about invasive species, like Buffalo carp.

“I’ve had a house on the Fish River for about 15 years,” said Jack Gordon, “and I’ve seen a dramatic change in water quality and fishing.” He said that recently he and a neighbor pumped water out of the river to water newly laid sod. “Within a couple of weeks, it looked like somebody had spray-painted the grass dark green. There is either sewage or fertilizer in the water to make it grow that fast.”

Last week’s meeting was the final public input session. Swann said the group will take all the input and develop a new five-year plan for improving the areas’ estuaries, where fresh water and salt water meet. The goal is to have the plan finalized by the end of November so they can get public input on the plan in January.

Several people attending the meeting mistakenly thought the session would discuss plans by the Corps of Engineers to limit construction along waterways and shorelines. Weeks Bay Reserve manager L.G. Adams said that was a separate issue, but the Corps should be releasing their decision within the next few weeks.

“There was a 30-day comment period, that they extended another 30 days,” said Adams. “They were in the process of going through their five-year plan as well.”