GULF OF MEXICO 



567 



south shore of North Bay near Lynn Haven, and 

 in East Bay. The following areas are also closed 

 to commercial shellfishing: 



North Bay: (Fanning Bayou) that part north 

 of the mouth of each of the three prongs. (Upper 

 East) all of that part south of a line extending 

 west from Deer Point through Mill Point to the 

 south point of Newmans Bayou and bounded on 

 the west by a line extending south to Little Oyster 

 Bar Point, (Lower South) all of that part south 

 of a line exteading east from Shell Point to the 

 south shore of Coose Bayou. 



St. Andrew Bay: All of the bay from Hathaway 

 Bridge on the west to DuPont Bridge on the east 

 excepting that part on the Gulfside of a Hne 

 extending from Bear Point to Redfish Point. 



Wastes from a sulphate pulp and paper mill 

 near Panama City caused local conditions inimical 

 to aquatic life as recently as 1950 (Anonymous 

 1950), but remedial action has since been taken 

 by the industry. 



PERDIDO- ESCAMBIA AREA (9) 



Perdido-Escambia Area extends westward from 

 Mary Esther, Florida, to the vicinity of Bon 

 Secour, Alabama. Pensacola is the chief popula- 

 tion and industrial center and an important sea- 

 port which also harbors commercial fishing fleets. 

 Production of livestock and timber are principal 

 nonurban activities. Water resources of the 

 coastal area relate to sport and commercial 

 fisheries, oyster production, bathing, and recrea- 

 tion. 



Pensacola, which discharges partially treated 

 sewage from a population of 35,000 persons into 

 Pensacola Bay, is the chief source of sewage pol- 

 lution. Discharges from 2 other inadequate mu- 

 nicipal treatment plants that serve about 3,700 

 persons reach waters of the area also: 



Sewered 

 Municipality : populaiion 



Moreno Court 3, 000 



Robertsdale, Alabama "00 



Flomaton, with 1,000 sewered inhabitants, has 

 no treatment facilities. 



Because of sewage pollution large areas have 

 been closed to the production of shellfish. They 

 are described as follows: 



1 . All of Pensacola Bay west of a line drawn due 

 south from Gulf Point to the south shore of the 

 bay-Bayou Texar and Bayou Chico. 



2. That portion of Escambia Bay north of the 

 Louisville and Nashville Railroad Bridge. 



3. All of Blackwater Bay north of a line drawn 

 west through Escribasso Point. 



The quality of bathing waters also has been 

 affected. This is particularly true in certain 

 parts of Pensacola Bay, in Bayou Grande, Bayou 

 Chico, and Bayou Texar. 



Industrial wastes from breweries, dairies, ren- 

 dering plants, a large naval stores plant, and a 

 paper mill have caused objectionable pollution 

 conditions. 



Paper mill wastes have made Elevenmile Creek 

 unfit for fish despite remedial action by the in- 

 dustry (Anonymous 1950). Conditions in the 

 bay prevent growing shellfish that would have a 

 great potential annual value (Phelps and Barry 

 1950). 



MOBILE BAY AREA (10) 



The Mobile Bay Ai-ea includes Bon Secour 

 Bay and extends westward to Isle Aux Herbes. 

 Population is concentrated at Mobile which forms 

 the center of an industrial area at the head of 

 Mobile Bay. Ship building and repair, pulp and 

 paper making, and lumbering are prominent. 

 In addition to serving as a navigation waterway, 

 Mobile Bay is used extensively for commercial 

 fishing, oyster production, recreation, and a 

 wintering area of waterfowl. Hunting is a 

 popular sport there. It is also one of the principal 

 shrimp fishing grounds of Alabama. 



Adequate facilities for disposal of municipal 

 sewage now serve 30 percent of the sewered popu- 

 lation. The City of Mobile has purchased a site 

 and plans are under preparation for a sewage treat- 

 ment plant which will serve approximately 85,000 

 people. The Eslava Treatment Plant for the 

 City of Mobile is being enlarged to three times its 

 present capacity and will provide treatment for 

 approximately 42,000. Pritchard has a new 

 treatment plant under construction which will 

 serve 10,000 people. Improvements have been 

 made at the Chickasaw Plant which is now satis- 

 factorily treating the sewage from 10,300 people. 

 Industrial wastes including both organic and in- 

 organic wastes of unknown quantities are dis- 

 charged into the Bay. 



Pollution has affected bathing and other recrea- 

 tional waters in various parts of the bay. A 

 number of areas have been closed to commercial 



