04/11/2012 - One Mile Creek - 4 Month Update

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) was working on a newsletter with the theme of "Stormwater," and asked me to write an article on urban kayaking, adding, "We want to handle the storm water issue gently to get folks to understand what they can do to help." I declined to do the article partly because I'm working an on a update concerning One Mile Creek.

Today's urban kayak trip objective was to see if any of the environmental agencies, like MBNEP, or Mobile Baykeeper, or if any city, county, state or federal authorities have done anything about the public's garbage in and around One Mile Creek in the past two months. All these photos were taken today. Nothing has changed in One Mile Creek since it was not cleaned up in October 2011 during the clean up event.

Photos 1-5: Maple Street Canal
Photos 6-10: One Mile Creek
Photos 11-16: Three Mile Creek

Launch: Lake Drive Tricentennial Park
Waterway at Launch Site: Three Mile Creek
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Three Mile Creek, One Mile Creek, and Maple Street Canal to see if any of the pollution has been cleaned up.
Distance: 10.5 miles (round trip).
Trip Rating: Easy 1/2 day trip in protected waters.
Time Paddling: 4 hours at leisurely pace.
Weather: Sunny, about 80 degrees, occasional light winds. Incoming tide. Current minimal. No waves - waters mostly slick.
Trip Track: To view the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

Header Image is a photo of someone fishing in Three Mile Creek. Garbage can be seen on the shoreline. Enjoy your Alabama Seafood ... and Cancer Treatments.

A baby turtle.

This is Urban Kayaking in Mobile. I cannot be gentle writing on the subject of waterway litter because it is so sickening it makes me want to cry. This photo was taken a little over a mile from Mobile Baykeeper's office and the shoreline is City of Mobile property.

There is trash in the water and trash on the wetlands, some of which is hazardous. Maple Street Canal, One Mile Creek, and Three Mile Creek are literally garbage dumps. 

I am monitoring to see when One Mile Creek, which is only about One Mile long, gets cleaned up. Four months and no change. Someone should be fired!

Some of the trash in the water is under pressure, contains toxic chemicals and will eventually be released into the water.

Despite city and county litter ordinances, the federal Clean Water Act, and dozens of agencies with a mission to protect our water resources, this pollution is tolerated by all. Shame on you all!

None of the tires on the shoreline or in the water have been removed yet.

It is hard to get a wildlife photo when kayaking in Mobile's urban waterways without there being trash in the shot.

Here is the obligatory photo of a wood duck. Nice background huh?

This is the kind of shoreline you will see while kayaking Mobile's urban waterways which is why I certainly don't advocate kayaking in Mobile's creeks.

Some people are pigs. Litter happens. The problem is no one is removing the public litter from Mobile's urban waterways. This is a case of failure to have a plan to deal with this common problem. Someone should be fired!

This bottle of Refrigerator Coolant had a warning about being harmful to the atmosphere and was almost full.

The illegal trash dump that local leaders and a head EPA official recently walked by on their tour of Three Mile Creek, had been burned. This is a fishing spot that locals use and they are too lazy to keep it clean.

Based on what Apple Snails are laying eggs on, like this basketball, it is only a matter of time before the Delta gets infected by snails. Unlike natural debris, human litter can be carried by the wind upstream against the Mobile River current.

This litter pulled from the water reads, "What A Beautiful Day. Now Watch Some Bastard Louse It Up." As long as local authorities and local environmental groups continue to allow One Mile Creek and Maple Street Canal to remain as trash dumps despite complaints, I'm going to continue to louse up someone's beautiful day with reality photos of the creeks.

Ten people near the shoreline litter and all of them are too lazy to pick it up. Given the choice between fishing or working...why work?