Neal Embry
An employee found a body at the Cahaba Pump Station of the Birmingham Water Works early Tuesday morning. The facility is located on Sicard Hollow Road.
A body was found in the water at the Birmingham Water Works’ Cahaba pumping station on Sicard Hollow Road on early Tuesday morning, prompting a police investigation.
Rick Jackson, spokesperson for the BWW, said the company received a call at about 7:30 a.m. that an employee had found a body, which appeared to be that of a black male, in an intake pump at the station.
The BWW called the Birmingham Police Department, which has removed the body and begun an investigation, Jackson said. Sgt. Johnny Williams with BPD said it is an "unclassified death" investigation, and they are waiting on the coroner's report to determine the cause of death. No other information is available at this time, Williams said.
Jackson said as the body was found at the intake pump, there is no threat to the water supply, as the water had not begun going through the treatment process. Jackson said he’s not sure how the body wound up at the station, and that it’s possible that it floated in through the nearby Cahaba River. Employees regularly remove dead animals from the water before processing it, he said.
No BWW operations were affected by the incident, Jackson said, and while the employee who discovered the body is “a little stunned,” he’ll be okay.
