Ah, how times change

Once in the not-too-distant past, Blount County officials and activists were up in arms about the Birmingham Water Works Board's efforts to raid the Locust Fork River for the Magic City's long-term water supply. Of course, that was before suburbanites from Jefferson and Shelby counties figured out that plenty of open land was available not too far north of Birmingham and decided it would be a good idea to start moving there in droves.

A decade or so later, it's Blount County that's looking north to shore up its own future water supply. The leading target is the Tennessee River, particularly the part that runs through Marshall County, and the Blount County Water Authority wants to sell whatever water it doesn't use to nearby Birmingham and Cullman. Shockingly, Marshall County officials decided Monday that giving away their drinking water and getting some environmental damage in return probably wasn't the best way to get re-elected and promptly rejected the plan.

It's funny how a few years and a population boom can turn a few of your priorities on their head.