YOU MAY BE SWIMMING IN SEWAGE

 YOU MAY BE SWIMMING IN SEWAGE!

Hwy 216 PARA swimming area 08/27/23

That's right, You may be swimming in sewage. If you were at the PARA park on Hwy 216 this weekend and got in the water you were definitely swimming is sewage contaminated water. 

Cottondale Creek after sewer 

On Friday, Aug 25, 2023 at 5:26 PM. I got a message from the city of Tuscaloosa stating that there had been an 18,000 gallon sewer overflow in Cottondale Creek at an area known for being problematic. I visited the site at the first available opportunity which was Sat. morning. Cottondale Creek was flowing dark gray and filled the air with the stench of sewage.

The sample results came back TNTC (Too numerous to count) It was literally too full of bacteria for the number to be counted. The Petri dish was nearly covered in blue.  When I took samples for testing I could see floating sewage debris in the water and on top. 

I also visited The public use area at the PARA park on Hwy 216. There were already people in the water even though there was one single site at the top of the hill. I informed them of the problem upstream and found out they had not seen the sign. Not surprising since there was only one sign posted between 2 more larger signs and only on one trail to the water. When Jarrod Milligan, past Tuscaloosa sewer head,  first promised a robust notification program, the notices were to be bilingual, English / hispanic.

This group of Hispanic people were looking at the sign with no clue as to what it all meant. I asked them and found that only about 1 in 10 of the Hispanic people out there could read English.

As the day progressed I could not keep coming back to warn people. By the time I returned the afternoon of 08/27/23 I counted nearly 80 people in the water! Some must have seen the signs and ignored them,  others could not read them and still others did not see the lone sign, hidden amongst the bushes. 

This is where Cottondale Creek enters Hurricane Creek, less than 1/2 mile from the public use area. You can clearly see the greenish / gray water entering from Cottondale Creek coming into Hurricane Creek. Since there was NO rain previously, It stands to reason this is all contaminated water. The sample results confirm that as well. 

At least 80 people in harms way of 18,000 gallons of sewage

Immediately downstream, there were at least 80 people in harms way! That is inexcusable for a city this size not to be able to have adequate warning and personal informing the public when there is a health threat as serious as this! 

Overflows such as this one can happen, even in the best kept collection systems so I can understand how this happens  sometimes with a collection system as antiquated and rundown as this one. What I can't understand and condone is why the city isn't doing more to educate people and create an adequate notification system to keep us safe. 

I guarantee that if any of the PARA swimming pools showed these levels of e-coli bacteria the pool would close until it was made safe! The same level of protection needs to apply to citizens in public use areas!