A few years ago one of the biggest wastewater spills in Alabama's history made the Mulberry Fork uninhabitable. An estimated 175,000 fish along the river died.
"No turtles were sliding off into the water. There were very few birds," said Sipsey Resident Connie Rowe.
Communities along the river suffered. Fishing, boating and recreational activities were deemed unsafe.
"It was for a long period of time," Rowe said.
Tyson Foods allegedly dumped thousands of gallons of illegal wastewater into the tributary in 2019.
"It hurt a lot of people catching fish until that got straightened out," said Colony Mayor Curtis Johnson.
Attorney General Steve Marshall settled a lawsuit against Tyson Foods for $3 million last year. $2 million is going to the communities impacted.
"It was devastating to them and it was recovering, but we're glad to have these amenities that will help them going forward," said Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Deputy Commissioner Ed Poolos.
The five-member board in charge of those funds announced Saturday several projects that would be happening in Cullman and Walker counties. The town of Sipsey gets a bigger parking lot, fishing dock, restrooms, and a pavilion.
"It's a fantastic thing," Rowe said. "It's going to have an opportunity for people who are physically limited to have the ability to fish here, probably fished for many, many years before having to do so."
The Town of Colony finally will get a parking lot and pathway to the river. Gwendolyn Purifoy owns the property where the walkway and parking lot will be built.
"My mind is clear and I can be at ease because whoever goes down there, will go down there on a smooth road," Purifoy said.
Purifoy's family has allowed residents to use her property to get to the river for years.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has been in charge of cleaning the wastewater out of the Mulberry Fork which Poolos said has now made it safe for residents.
NOTE: This story was updated to reflect Gwendolyn Purifoy is allowing an easement on her property to make the path for people in Colony to access the Mulberry Fork. There is no financial deal for this to happen.