Alabama is experiencing the worst drought on record, and new exhibits at Alabama Power's environmental education center offer lessons to better understand how water is impacting everything from electricity generation to recreation and conservation.   

The Alabama Power Water Course, in Clanton, is free to the public and has long been an educational resource for students, teachers and the community. It features interactive, hands-on science exhibits designed to teach students about Alabama's water resources and management, environmental stewardship projects and the overall importance of water.

The Alabama Power Water Course is located in Clanton off Interstate 65 at Exit 205. If traveling from Interstate 65 South, take a right off exit. If traveling from Interstate 65 North, turn left off the exit. Travel approximately 1/2 mile to the Alabama Power Water Course located on the right.

The Alabama Power Water Course goal is to educate visitors of all ages about Alabama's waterways and reservoirs, the state's geography and its influence on water distribution and how water affects our lives. To learn more go about education initiatives visit www.alabamapower.com/education or call 1-800-280-4442 to book school or group tours.

The Water Course

 Fact Sheet

• Nearly 180,000 people have visited the Water Course since it opened in

1995.

• Admission to the Water Course is always free.

• In 2007, visitors came from all over Alabama and the Southeast, as well as from California, Washington, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois.

• International visitors have included guests from Vietnam and Canada.

• All of the films in the various exhibits were shot entirely in Alabama.

• Fish in the aquariums were all caught by Alabama Power biologists in local rivers and streams.

• The museum features 10 educational exhibits. The newest is the Renew Our Rivers exhibit and interactive game.
• Interactive exhibits and displays focus on:

•o       Hydroelectric generation

•o       Alabama's river systems

•o       Water quality and environmental issues

•o       Water conservation

•o       Fish and plant life in Alabama's rivers

•o       Recreational opportunities and water safety

Description of Alabama Power Water Course Exhibits

1. First, There Was Water

A video introducing you to water and its many uses.

2. Renew Our Rivers (New this year!!) Guide your own robot at a very special Renew Our Rivers cleanup. Learn how Alabama Power and many partner organizations work together to get the trash out of our state's river and lakes.

3. Waste Not, Want Not

A quick lesson about our daily dependence on water and the importance of water conservation.

4. Water Course One

Take a simulated helicopter ride over Alabama's waterways and learn about the various features of the state's water resources.

5. River Critters

An aquarium filled with fish and other aquatic life that call Alabama's waterways home.

6. Who Does What

A look at how some people make a living by working with water.

7. Message in the Bottle

See the original message and bottle that floated in the Coosa River for 19 years before they were discovered in a Renew Our Rivers cleanup.

8. Mitchell Dam Tour

A close-up video tour of an Alabama Power dam detailing how a hydroelectric facility works.

9. Water Whys, the Game Show

Test your water knowledge and learn more water facts with this fun game.

10. Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

View a detailed display about the red-cockaded woodpecker and learn how Alabama Power and its partners are helping this endangered species survive.