| Below EPA Threshold | Over EPA Threshold | % of passing | # of failing | # of times sampled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 32 | 28.90 | 71.10 | 45 |
Fly Creek is a perennial stream that drains much of Fairhope, portions of unincorporated Baldwin County and a small area in Daphne. The watershed area is roughly 2 miles wide and 4 miles long, encompassing approximately 5,018 acres. The lower end of Fly Creek (estimated 1 mile) is within the tidal influence associated with Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with the remaining water courses consisting of approximately 18 miles of perennial stream, intermittent streams, and 20 man-made lakes/ponds. Swimming and boating take place frequently downstream of the Scenic Highway 98 Bridge and a marina is located at the mouth of the creek. According to the National Land Cover database from 2019, the majority of the watershed is developed area (36%) with forests (22%) and wetlands (20%) making up much of the rest of the watershed. As the population of Fairhope increases, developed area will continue to increase. Fly Creek has been a subject of persistent interest for Mobile Baykeeper up to and following a 2018 report conducted by our organization that was commissioned by the City of Fairhope. The conclusions of that report were that overall, Fly Creek exhibits relatively good water quality with exception to a few sites with bacteria levels surpassing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threshold standards. Current collaborative efforts to locate sources of high bacteria input are of great interest.
