Founded 1860.
Still Fighting.

What This Platform Does

This is a community reporting tool for Africatown residents. Use it to report:

  • Water quality issues — odors, discoloration, contamination
  • Flooding and standing water problems
  • Sewage backups and drainage failures
  • Industrial odors, discharges, or environmental concerns
  • Health symptoms after water contact

Every report is mapped, timestamped, and added to the documented evidence record shared with ADEM and EPA Region 4.

99th
Percentile
Air toxics cancer risk in Alabama
EPA EJScreen
30
Years Impaired
Three Mile Creek on ADEM
impaired list since 1996
3,000×
Above WHO Limits
Chemical levels in
Africatown soil UCS 2023
65
Avg. Lifespan
Adults in Africatown —
below national average

Sources: EPA EJScreen · ADEM 303(d) List · UCS 2023 · Mothers & Others for Clean Air

Three Tools. One Purpose.

Community reports, mapped data, and documented evidence — building a record that cannot be ignored.

Community Water Watch

Report water quality issues, flooding, sewage backups, and environmental concerns directly from your phone. Every report is mapped, timestamped, and added to the evidence record shared with ADEM and EPA Region 4.

Live 4 reports submitted
Submit a Report

Africatown Water Quality Map

Interactive ArcGIS map showing TRI facility locations, the community boundary, and community water reports — updated in real time.

Live EPA TRI · EJDAP data
Explore the Map

The StoryMap

Five chapters: Africatown's history, how industry arrived, what the federal data shows, community voices, and six specific demands directed at the agencies that must act.

Published Founded 1860. Still Fighting.
Read the Story

Three Waterways. Three Documented Failures.

Hog Bayou
  • Mercury confirmed 2022
  • PFAS confirmed February 2026
  • OxyChem discharge adjacent
  • All public access blocked
Three Mile Creek
  • ADEM impaired since 1996 — 30 years
  • Bacteria and nutrient overload
  • Lewis Landing built — no remediation
  • No adequate remediation in 30 years
Mobile Bay
  • 13/16 SWIM sites exceeded EPA threshold (2025)
  • Families fish and crab here for food
  • SWIM monitoring suspended April 18, 2026
  • Now completely unmonitored
  • June 2026 — record bacteria levels across Mobile Bay system; no active monitoring on Africatown side
  • June 29, 2026 — Mobile County Health Dept. warns of rising Vibrio bacteria in coastal waters ahead of summer holiday

Six Demands.
Not Requests.

Grounded in verified federal data, documented by residents, directed at the agencies with the legal authority and obligation to act.

Read the Full Story →
01

Independent water quality testing at 20+ sites within 90 days

02

Full public disclosure of all industrial permits and violation records

03

Dedicated community liaison at ADEM and the City of Mobile

04

Funded remediation plan for Hog Bayou and Three Mile Creek

05

Community representation in all future permitting decisions

06

Restore independent water quality monitoring — permanently

The Water Was Always Theirs.
We Want It Back.

The Africatown Connections Blueway is a 10-mile recreational water trail connecting the historic Africatown community to the Mobile River and Chickasaw Creek — with 14 points of interest celebrating the heritage of the Clotilda survivors who built this community beside these waters.

For generations, children fished Three Mile Creek and swam Mobile Bay. Families set crab traps in the shallows. The water fed this community when the world refused to. That connection was slowly stolen — by industrial pollution, fencing, posted signs, and 30 years of regulatory inaction.

The Blueway is the community's declaration that the water still belongs to them. But a water trail means nothing if the water isn't safe. That is why this platform exists. Every report submitted here is a piece of evidence that the water must be cleaned before children kayak it, fish it, and swim in it.

Monitoring Gap — April 2026
Mobile Baykeeper's SWIM monitoring program was suspended April 18, 2026 for lack of funding. Families using Lewis Landing and the Blueway now have no independent source of water safety data. Your reports here are the only community-level monitoring currently active.

Lewis Landing

A nearly two-acre public park and access point on Three Mile Creek — opened for fishing, kayaking, and walking. Built on a waterway officially impaired since 1996. Remediation must come before recreation.

Kids Fishing, Kayaking & Swimming

Community-led summer swim programs teach water safety and overcome historical barriers. Youth fishing and kayaking restore the relationship between Africatown children and the water their great-grandparents depended on — but they need clean water to do it safely.

14 Historic Points of Interest

The 10-mile trail includes the Historic Place of Baptism, Clotilda Landing, and sites connected directly to the Clotilda survivors. Led by C.H.E.S.S. and the Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation.

Odi Eka Tech Outreach

Leveraging technology to bridge the digital divide · Empowering underserved communities through data, mapping, and digital tools · Mobile, Alabama

Visit Site →

Deep South Center for
Environmental Justice

dscej.org →

Mobile Baykeeper

mobilebaykeeper.org →

Africatown Community
Teach & Outreach

Celebrating Clotilda history · Cultural preservation · Youth education · Community wellness

Visit Site →