Turkey Creek: Thompson Meadow Above Blue Hole

Managed by The Friends of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve

Are you concerned about having a Limestone Quarry close to our headwaters? If so, click here.

TCNP is a 466 acre Forever Wild property located in Pinson, Alabama, only 15 miles north of Birmingham. The Preserve is home to some of the most stunning and unique beauty found anywhere in the Southeast. It was established through a partnership between Alabama’s Forever Wild Program and the Freshwater Land Trust and is co-managed by the Southern Environmental Center (SEC) and the State Lands Division.

Admission is free and there are many activities possible in the Preserve. In summer the most popular is swimming in the Blue Hole, playing along the rippling creek, or sliding down the natural water slide at the falls. Picnicking is allowed but charcoal grills are not. The Blue Hole, shown here, is a favorite for its depth. There are Port-o-lets at the Blue Hole and a few parking places nearby.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on June 20th, 2021. The Friends of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on June 20th, 2021 at 2:08 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Friends of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve regularly monitor two sites in Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. We do this because there is significant recreational use and the quality of the water impacts the habitat of the endangered Vermillion Darter, found only at Turkey Creek in Jefferson County.

Samples for Chemistry analysis are collected year round in the Thompson Meadow. However the regular summer Bacteriological monitoring season starts in May and ends in August and two sites are sampled on a monthly basis, one being at the Thompson Meadow as the Creek enters the Preserve and the other below the falls and a pipe that crosses the Creek. Sites may be sampled at additional times if deemed necessary. Water at both sites is sampled for e. coli bacteria. The Thompson Meadow site is also tested for dissolved oxygen and temperature, pH, Alkalinity, Hardness and Turbidity. Sample results are posted on the Friends of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve Facebook, page, as well as on Swim Guide as soon as they become available. Monitoring is done by Anne Mathews, certified in Bacteriological, Chemistry and Stream Biomonitoring and using methods (protocols) developed by the Alabama Water Watch Program that have been approved by Region 4 of the U.S. EPA (the EPA-approved AWW bacteriological monitoring plan is available at www.alabamawaterwatch.org/resources/publications.html ).

The AWW criterion for acceptable levels of E. coli in waterbodies that are relatively safe for human contact is: AWW Criterion: 200 E. coli/100 mL of water (Note: ADEM Criterion: 235 E. coli/100 mL; EPA BAV: 235 E. coli/100 mL).

A beach is marked GREEN when the single-sample result (average of triplicate readings) indicates a bacteria count of zero to 200 E. coli/100 mL of water.

A beach is marked RED when results indicate bacteria counts greater than 200 E. coli/100 mL of water.

A beach is marked GREY when reliable information is not available. This Friend of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, AWW volunteer, will continue monitoring these sites as long as resources are available. All monitoring data is routinely uploaded to the AWW online database and is available to the public in chart format.

Water Quality Graph