Homewood is getting $250,000 in new federal funding to expand stormwater drainage capacity near Edgewood Elementary School, part of a broader push to tame chronic flooding in the Griffin Brook watershed. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell announced the funding at Homewood City Hall, and it targets an aging drainage system that carries runoff from Red Mountain through the neighborhood toward Griffin Brook.
According to WBMA, Sewell said the money is earmarked specifically for stormwater infrastructure around Edgewood Elementary School, with the project focused on moving more water through the existing system rather than building something new. City Manager Cale Smith said the work will increase the size of pipes in the area, explaining that larger pipes should carry more stormwater and, hopefully, reduce flooding. The station reports the project sits squarely within what Homewood's stormwater master plan identifies as a drainage priority zone.
Why College Avenue Keeps Flooding
Properties along College Avenue can flood during relatively frequent rain events, and downstream properties can flood even during smaller storms, per the station's reporting. The proposed work includes upgrades to inlets and pipes leading toward Griffin Brook, a larger pipe running from College Avenue toward Westover, a larger pipe at Broadway Street, and a deeper channel leading to Griffin Brook. Together, the city says, those upgrades are meant to give stormwater more room to move before nearby streets and properties are overwhelmed.
Ward 2 representative Nick Sims said flooding in the broader watershed has created dangerous conditions in the past, pointing to the Crescent Apartments, where flooding once required people to be rescued. On May 4, 2021, significant flooding and water rescues occurred in the Birmingham forecast area, according to the National Weather Service Birmingham.
A Separate $1 Million Project Still Pending
The $250,000 Edgewood award does not replace an earlier $1 million federal drainage project secured for Homewood in 2024, which targets the Huntington Road area, per WBMA's reporting. That project has spent time in environmental review, design, and permitting, and the station reported the city expects construction to begin in about six months. The City of Homewood similarly indicated in October updates that construction on the Griffin Creek drainage project near Huntington Road is projected to begin in 2027 as the city continues working through the required process.
The Edgewood allocation is part of a much larger pot of money Sewell secured for the district. The $250,000 grant came out of a $9,571,000 Fiscal Year 2026 Community Project Funding package the congresswoman directed across Alabama's 7th Congressional District for 14 local infrastructure projects, according to the Office of U.S. Representative Terri Sewell.
A Bigger Watershed Strategy
Homewood officials have identified Griffin Brook and its tributaries as key areas for stormwater improvements more broadly, not just around Edgewood Elementary.
New City Government Structure Oversees the Work
Homewood voters approved a council-manager form of government in 2024, and the city appointed Cale Smith as city manager.
That administrative change comes alongside new municipal spending commitments. The Homewood City Council approved a $77 million General Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2027 on September 28, allocating local funds for stormwater improvements, street repaving, sidewalk repairs, and public safety staffing — money that complements, rather than replaces, the federal drainage grants. One cent of Homewood's municipal sales tax is also dedicated to the Homewood Board of Education, generating an estimated $11.5 million for local public schools in Fiscal Year 2027, supporting the district that includes Edgewood Elementary.
The drainage announcement lands as Homewood marks its 100th anniversary, with the city incorporated on October 29, 1926, through the consolidation of Edgewood, Rosedale, and Grove Park, as Hoodline reported on the centennial gala benefiting Sims Garden. Edgewood's role as one of the city's founding neighborhoods adds a layer of symbolism to a project meant to protect that same area from the floodwaters that have plagued it for years.
