Choccolocco Creek Monitoring Project
2015 & 2016 Data
About The Project
The Choccolocco Creek Monitoring Project is an intensive study on water quality throughout the Choccolocco Creek watershed. Our Swim Guide monitoring has indicated fecal contamination is an issue of concern in some places on Choccolocco Creek. The Choccolocco Creek Monitoring Project is a multi-year sampling effort designed to identify areas and sources of pollution while highlighting restoration opportunities for Coosa Riverkeeper, state and federal agencies, and other conservation groups.
2016 Result
In the summer of 2016, Coosa Riverkeeper monitored 7 stations on two Choccolocco Creek tributaries: Snow Creek, which flows through the city of Anniston, and Eastaboga Creek. The results are posted in the tables below.
2015 Result
In 2015, two interns from the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program housed at Talladega College monitored 10 stations on Choccolocco Creek for 5 days in June. Their results, available in their entirety below, indicated E. coli concetrations at half of the stations were above the state standard of 126 cfu/100mL. Not only were these interns invited to speak at a national conference in Wisconsin about their project, but the data was also used by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to report to the EPA on the creek’s status. As a result, ADEM 1) Listed two sections of Choccolocco Creek (near Chosea Springs Rd and Hwy 78) as having a high probability for impairment based on available data, 2) developed plans to monitor the Priebes Mill Rd section of Choccolocco Creek in 2016, and 3) made a commitment to sample Snow Creek and Eastaboga Creek (which had previously not been assessed) in the future as resources allow.
