Texas Creek
Texas Creek is small stream which runs for about 3 miles in eastern Tuscaloosa County. It is a tributary of Davis Creek, which empties into the Black Warrior River.
The creek arises from a confluence of spring outlets and drainages which surface just north of George Newell Road and Crisstown Road (map). It flows northward, crossing Alabama State Highway 216 just east of George Newell Road/Milldale Road, between Brookwood and Lake View. It continues northeasterly, hugging a steep bank south of Milldale Road until entering Davis Creek just above the L & N Railroad bridge near Pattersontown. (map)
In 2021 residents in the vicinity of Texas Creek reported that the water was stained an opaque black color. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management collected water samples and conducted an inspection of Warrior Met Coal's nearby Mine No. 7, an underground coal mine idled by a UMWA labor strike. The Alabama Surface Mining Commission and Black Warrior Riverkeeper are also investigating the reports. ADEM identified a coal preparation plant at the No. 7 mine as the source of the pollution. The company announced that it was replacing a liner in the plant's sedimentation pool to correct the issue.
References
- Pillion, Dennis (May 4, 2021) "Alabama creeks run black near Tuscaloosa County coal mine, state investigating." The Birmingham News
- Pillion, Dennis (May 12, 2021) "State blames coal mine after creeks turned black near Tuscaloosa." The Birmingham News