Ala. Code § 45-29-90.01
In the interest of unified development and protection, there is hereby created and established the Tom Bevill Reservoir Management Area in Fayette County for the purposes of water conservation and supply, dam construction and reservoir development, industrial development, navigation, flood control, irrigation, public recreation, and related purposes. There is hereby authorized, and shall be established as hereinafter provided, a development authority for the lands included in the Tom Bevill Reservoir Management Area. The authority, when incorporated in accordance herewith, shall be a public corporation and a political subdivision of the State of Alabama, composed of a board of directors selected and empowered as hereinafter provided.
Ala. Code § 45-29-90.01 (1975)