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8 updates
Health
June 29, 2026
June 2026 Bacteria Advisory — Mobile Bay
Mobile County Health Department warned of rising Vibrio bacteria in coastal waters ahead of the July 4 holiday. Record bacterial counts recorded across the Mobile Bay system while Africatown waterways remain unmonitored.
Mobile County Health Department / WKRG
Legal
May 19, 2026
11th Circuit Rules Alabama Power Lawsuit Can Proceed
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Mobile Baykeeper's lawsuit against Alabama Power over coal ash contamination can proceed — the first federal court to allow such a case forward.
U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
SWIM
April 18, 2026
SWIM Monitoring Suspended
Mobile Baykeeper suspended the SWIM water quality monitoring program due to lack of funding. Three Mile Creek, Hog Bayou, and Mobile Bay are now unmonitored.
Mobile Baykeeper
ADEM
February 1, 2026
PFAS Confirmed in Hog Bayou
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS — forever chemicals) confirmed in Hog Bayou near the OxyChem barge canal by Sierra Club and Mobile Baykeeper.
Sierra Club / Mobile Baykeeper
General
October 1, 2025
OxyChem Sold to Berkshire Hathaway
OxyChem, whose brine sludge lagoon sits adjacent to Hog Bayou in Africatown, was sold to Berkshire Hathaway Energy in October 2025. Contamination liability remains unresolved.
Business Reports
SWIM
April 1, 2025
13 of 16 SWIM Sites Exceed EPA Bacteria Threshold
April 2025 SWIM testing found 13 of 16 monitoring sites in the Mobile Bay system exceeded EPA bacteria thresholds — the last published data before the program was suspended.
Mobile Baykeeper SWIM Program
TRI
January 1, 2025
TRI 2023 — 136,363 lbs Released
Six facilities in the Africatown corridor self-reported 136,363 pounds of toxic chemicals to EPA in 2023 — the highest single-year total in the dataset. Alabama Shipyard reported 102,532 lbs after six consecutive years of zero.
EPA Toxic Release Inventory
ADEM
January 1, 2022
Mercury Confirmed in Hog Bayou
Mercury confirmed in Hog Bayou in 2022, attributed to industrial air deposition from surrounding facilities in the Africatown corridor.
Mobile Baykeeper