Water Quality Monitoring

Choccolocco Creek

Big Canoe Creek

Intensive Bacteria

Choccolocco Creek Monitoring 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.

2019 Result

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.

Big Canoe Creek Monitoring Project

Members of our team utilize YSI meter to read 6 water quality parameters on Big Canoe Creek.

Big Canoe Creek Monitoring Project

Our Big Canoe Creek Monitoring Project is designed to study water quality in the Big Canoe watershed that begins near Springville, flows through Ashville, and drain to Neely Henry Lake.

It is home to numerous threatened and endangered species, and is really popular for boating, swimming, fishing, and paddling. Through our Swim Guide program, however, we have detected water quality issues that could make it unsafe for recreation. This monitoring project aims to identify problem areas and seek solutions to improve water quality.

We will for five weeks to collect a geometric mean that will help us not only determine possible point-source and non-point sources of pollution, it will also allow us to determine if the creek’s current use classification best represents the creek’s use by the community.

A summary of each week’s data is listed below and correspond with icons on the map. NOTE: Some sampling sites and private property and not accessible to the public.

DISCLAIMER

The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. All sites monitored are natural waterbodies and contaminants are present from a wide variety of sources! Local conditions fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, and especially after rainfall events. The results displayed above are only representative of the exact time, date and location at which the sample was taken and do not represent the water quality between sampling events or at other locations nearby on the river. Users of this data should not assume that a “low” E. coli level means that it is necessarily safe or risk-free to make contact with the water. E. coli is not the only contaminant of concern for recreational users, and is used merely as an indicator of potential fecal contamination. Coosa Riverkeeper, Inc., their employees, and agents can provide no guarantee of water safety and, as such, the user assumes all risks associated with the use of this data and swimming in the Coosa River Basin. SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK!

2017 Intensive Bacteria Monitoring Project

In the summer of 2017, we are monitoring eleven stations for five weeks. Our goal is to develop baseline water quality data in areas that are unassessed or for which the best available data is insufficient to determine the overall health of the water. Five of these stations are on Big Canoe Creek. An additional six stations are in the vicinity of Logan Martin Dam and are largely major tributaries to Logan Martin or Lay Lakes. The data will be posted below as soon as it has been verified. This project is not a part of Swim Guide and alerts will not necessarily be issued to Swim Guide subscribers when issues are detected.