Background+Information

**Hurricane Creek** is a hidden treasure in Alabama. Its beautiful scenery is reminiscent of that along the Appalachian mountain region. It is a tributary of the Black Warrior River located in Southwestern Tuscaloosa County in western Alabama. It is over 30 miles long and its watershed covers approximately 120 square miles. Hurricane Creek begins its flow in Vance, AL and deposits into the Black Warrior River in Holt. It is used by the communities surrounding it, including the city of Tuscaloosa, for recreation, and it offers a home to a wide variety of aquatic life and provides quality aesthetics.

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On April 27, 2010 the Hurricane Creek area was hit by a devastating tornado stripping the area of many of the trees and vegetation. Before the devastating tornado struck the Hurricane Creek area there was triple canopy made up of many different species of trees and other vegetation. Directly after the tornado occurred, there was no longer any canopy at all because of the devastation that it inflicted on the area. Through investigating and scientifically studying Hurricane Creek on September26 and October 3, 2011, we gathered research on the new characterizations of the area. ======

In the early years,the banks of Hurricane Creek were home to many saw mills and coal mines. Many of these coal mines leaked acid mine drainage into the creek, contaminating the water and affecting most aquatic life. The Abandoned Mine Land program sealed some of these mines, but hundreds remain to be identified and sealed. Many Native American tribes also called Hurricane Creek home and thrived here because of the vast array of medicinal plants that flourish on its banks.



**Current Threats** **and Condition** Current threats to the water quality of Hurricane Creek include residential development, coal mining, and lack of education and enforcement. Three areas of this stream are on the federal 303(d) list of impaired streams, meaning they are protected by the Clean Water Act from further degradation. Many areas around the creek have been developed for residential purposes, leaving the surrounding ground stripped of its vegetation and topsoil. The ground is now bare and eroding, the runoff from which enters Hurricane Creek. The exposed ground has since deposited many hazardous metals into the creek through this runoff. These metals add to the acidic water of the creek, which is not a livable environment for the aquatic inhabitants of Hurricane Creek.

Coal Mining sites also have a heavy impact on the creek. Since The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 was enforced, active coal mines have become less of an issue. This act enforces the cleaning and reforming of the land when coal mining is finished. It also enforces the regulation of acid drainage into the waters. The way most coal mines handle their acid drainage is by laying limestone, which is a base, where the stream flows. This helps neutralize the acid before it enters the creek. The problem with this method is that the limestone and acid are not simultaneously controlled, and the creek can end up more basic than it needs to be. While on our tour at TRI coal mine in Brookwood, AL, our tour guide informed us that the drainage that entered the creek under regulation could be as acidic as a pH of 6 or as basic as a pH of 9. Pure water, the best living environment for most organism, has a pH of 7. Many aquatic organisms desire a pH as close to pure water as possible and since 1 scale change of pH is a tenfold change in the amount of hydrogen ions, it is easy to see why any change could be detrimental to populations in aquatic ecosystems.

One of the largest current threats to the creek is the lack of enforcement and education of environmental safety. Efforts are in place to keep the creek safe and clean, but often times these measures are started, but not monitored or maintained. On one of our trips to Hurricane Creek, we witnessed some of the best management practices in place. The Alabama Power company built an access road to reach their power lines intersect the creek. In an effort to prevent sediment erosion, a barrier of hay barrels and plastic fencing was placed at the edge of this access road. As we traveled along the road, we noticed that these barriers were not being maintained and had been worn down and ripped in some places, therefore allowing large amounts of runoff to enter the streams. Many residential and transportation projects are being suggested for the area on and around the creek, which would be detrimental to the already suffering creek. It is our thought that if more people were educated about the threats to Hurricane Creek, they too would see the need to protect it and maintain clean water for the animals.

**Class Experience** During our class, we took several trips to Hurricane creek to view the area and collect data. The following three topics were our primary focus, and we conducted a lab in conjunction with each of them: Habitat Characterization, Photosynthesis, and Water Chemistry. Our goal was to assess whether or not the creek is healing from previous damage and what threats are currently affecting the creek. From these labs we gathered data and compared it to previous years to assess whether or not the condition of the creek is improving. These labs provide data that can better educate the public on the community around them, as well as to explain the science behind political and environmental factors in land usage. Many people are unaware of Hurricane Creek's existence,as we were before taking the class. Our goals are to inform more people of its existence so that they may learn to treasure it and inform them of how to take care of not only this creek, but watersheds and their environment all around the globe. We hope through our efforts, and those of others who would like to see the creek prosper, we can see a brighter and healthier future for Hurricane Creek and its inhabitants.

Visit the Hurricane Creek Website for more information on Hurricane Creek and the Friends of Hurricane Creek.