Author Archives: jsq

Need more river testing and more types of testing 2025-09-13

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E. coli is the canary in the coal mine for other contaminants in waterways.

For years WWALS has been asking the state of Florida to test frequently in many places on all rivers, to very little response FDEP did do some testing for chemical and biological tracers, including DNA tests, after Valdosta’s huge December 2019 spill, but that petered out. While FDEP was doing that, those results helped identify another source of contamination that was not Valdosta.

WWALS did test the Withlacoochee River for PFAS forever chemicals and round some, although much less than many other rivers, and no higher below the outfall of Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant or PCA’s package plant.

FDEP continued with quarterly tests for a while, and put at least its fecal bacteria results online. But it stopped doing that last year.

The 2020 GA-EPD Consent Order on Valdosta required bacterial testing of the Withlacoochee River over 40 river miles three times a week, for four years. Once those four years were up, Valdosta dropped back to two locaitons once a week.

USGS ceased financial support for nitrate and pH monitoring in eight Florida springs this year. It is not clear whether SRWMD picked up the slack.

We need more testing, not less.

[Need more river testing, and more types of testing, DNA, PFAS, metals, etc., by FDEP and others]
Need more river testing, and more types of testing, DNA, PFAS, metals, etc., by FDEP and others

Treated wastewater still has PFAS and other contaminants, as Joe Squiteri of Lee, Florida, pointed out in the recent meeting of the Florida Rivers Task Force with the City of Valdosta. Continue reading →

Former Artesian Spring, Saunders Park, Valdosta, GA 2017-09-16

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Excerpted from another post eight years ago. This barely trickling spring is on Sugar Creek, which flows to the Withlacoochee River. It is a cautionary tale for overpumping groundwater.

[Former Artesian Spring, Saunders Park, Valdosta, GA 2017-09-16, On Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River]
Former Artesian Spring, Saunders Park, Valdosta, GA 2017-09-16, On Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River

My father told me there used to be a bath house on River Street west of downtown Valdosta, fed by an artesian well. I remember decades ago there being tumble-down buildings. In recent years I never could locate them.

Turns out that’s because it became John W. Saunders Park, 1151 River Street, Valdosta, Georgia. Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-09-11

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Update 2025-09-13: Need more river testing and more types of testing 2025-09-13.

WWALS and Valdosta Utilities test results agree for Wednesday and Thursday: clean Withlacoochee River downstream. But avoid it near GA 133.

A WWALS tester sampled Sugar Creek at Gornto Road and the Alapaha River at Berrien Beach Boat Ramp Saturday, and found them pretty clean and very clean. We have to wonder about Sugar Creek again because of that Valdosta Utilities GA 133 result.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

It hasn’t rained in days, and no rain is predicted for the next ten days.

So avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, and happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-09-11, Clean Sugar Creek and, Alapaha River 2025-09-06]
Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-09-11, Clean Sugar Creek and, Alapaha River 2025-09-06

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Nutrien water withdrawals approved –SRWMD 2025-09-09

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After SRWMD Chair Virginia Johns took the oath of office due to being reappointed, the Board at its September 9, 2025, meeting approved the agenda unchanged and then approved the Consent Agenda with the Nutrien White Springs phosphate mine water use permit still in there, for withdrawal of up to 64.1621 million gallons per day (MGD) of groundwater.

Plus, “The executive director may authorize the use of groundwater for back-up mining/dewatering use in excess of 11.0000 mgd in emergency circumstances.”

For comparison, the City of Gainesville is permitted 30.0 mgd by SJRWMD.

This strip mine water use permit was approved despite the fish kill WWALS notified SRWMD of and despite frequent violations of the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

[Nutrien water withdrawals approved, Consent Agenda unchanged, Letters from WWALS and OSFR ignored --SRWMD 2025-09-09]
Nutrien water withdrawals approved, Consent Agenda unchanged, Letters from WWALS and OSFR ignored –SRWMD 2025-09-09

I wonder if the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) Board or Staff looked at EPA ECHO, which shows Clean Water Act (CWA) Violations Identified in 5 of 12 quarters and 1 Significant Noncompliance, as well as Significant Noncompliance in all 12 quarters of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). It’s true that these EPA ECHO quarters do not seem to include 2025, but such previous results are troubling. This is for PCS PHOSPHATE WHITE SPRINGS, 15843 SE 78TH PL, WHITE SPRINGS, FL 32096, which is the permit holder for NPDES permit FL0000655, which is cited in the SRWMD Board packet on page BCS 66: Continue reading →

Fine Songs at Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025-09-06

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Hahira, Georgia, September 11, 2025 — Six songs were sung at the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest in WWALS River Revue, September 6, 2025. The two judges chose a group from Tallahassee for Best Song from Outside the Suwannee River Basin, and a group from Dowling Park, Florida, as overall winner.

[Winners: Suwannee Riverkeeper, Songwriting Contest 2025-09-06, Joe First: First Prize, Saylor Dollar: Best from Outside]
Left to right: Organizing Committee Chair Sara Squires Jones; Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman; Bacon James in the back; Bradley Waldron, Dale Dollar, and Lisa Dollar of Saylor Dollar; Sweet William Billy Ennis; Joe First with his musicians Martin Sensiper and John White; Franc Robert and Cindy Bear of Bear and Robert; and Rena Ann Peck.

The overall winner was Joe First of Dowling Park, Florida, with his Americana song, “Beautiful Florida Day.” He got a large plaque and $300. He played accordion, which is a first for the Contest. John White on percussion and Martin Sensiper on guitar.

Continue reading →

Rivers Alive Trash Pick Up, Alapaha River, Mayday Landing, 2025-09-20

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Rivers Alive Trash Pick Up, on land at Mayday Landing, between Valdosta and Homerville, on the Alapaha River.

And you get a Georgia Rivers Alive t-shirt for helping clean up this sand-slope party spot on the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

When: 9 AM, Saturday, September 20, 2025

Put In: Mayday Landing, 749 Howell Road, Stockton, GA 31649. left bank, east side of the Alapaha River, south of Howell Road, north of the railroad bridge, in Echols County.

GPS: 30.82827, -83.017179

[Rivers Alive Trash Pick Up, Alapaha River, Mayday Landing, Between Valdosta and Homerville, Saturday, September 20, 2025]
Rivers Alive Trash Pick Up, Alapaha River, Mayday Landing, Between Valdosta and Homerville, Saturday, September 20, 2025

Continue reading →

Please take the Nutrien Water Use Permit off Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing –WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08

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The SRWMD Board agenda for tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9, 2025, is here:
https://www.mysuwanneeriver.com/Archive.aspx?ADID=1706

I sent this letter Monday evening.

[Please remove Nutrien WUP from Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing --WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08]
Please remove Nutrien WUP from Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing –WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08

September 8, 2025

To: Virginia H. Johns
Board Chair
virginia.johns@srwmd.org
Suwannee River Water Management District

Cc: Hugh Thomas
Executive DIrector
Hugh.Thomas@srwmd.org

Dear SRWMD,

Staff seem unaware of a recent fish kill on Swift Creek, one of the “offsite discharge locations” cited in the Memorandum on the proposed five-year extension of the Nutrien Water Use Permit 2-047-219878. A fish kill is not a natural system “healthy and functioning well.”

That alone should be enough reason to remove that item from the Consent Agenda and to schedule a public hearing on that WUP.

Specifically, on your agenda for Tuesday morning, in this item, Continue reading →

Public Notice for Public Hearing, Bradford Road subdivision 2025-09-18

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As predicted, the reschedule date is Thursday, September 18, at 5:30 PM.

This is about plopping ten houses in the middle of an agriculture character area, with runoff and recharge issues that affect the neighbors, Gin Branch Creek, the Withlacoochee River, and groundwater down to the Floridan Aquifer. As well as all the usual issues of trespassing, poaching, pets, livestock, traffic, and road erosion.

Plus transparency and the Berrien Planning Commission should follow the Berrien County Code and Comprehensive Plan.

The farther out from existing services, the more a subdivision costs the county in calls on Sheriff Deputies, Fire Rescue, school buses and places at the schools. Property taxes on those houses would not pay for all that. The rest of Berrien County would have to pay the difference.

[Cole Livingston Subdivision, Public Hearing 2024-09-18, Bradford & Strawder Roads & Old Valdosta Hwy]
Cole Livingston Subdivision, Public Hearing 2024-09-18, Bradford & Strawder Roads & Old Valdosta Hwy

For what happened at the previous Public Hearing and why it was tabled, see previous post:
https://wwals.net/?p=68261

Here’s a facebook event to encourage people to come to this Public Hearing:
https://www.facebook.com/events/977417484854080/

Meanwhile, you can speak in other ways, such as signing the petition against this subdivision of ten houses on agricultural land:
https://chng.it/kKDVsN92xT

This is what the Public Notices on the roads say: Continue reading →

Clean Sugar Creek 2025-09-06

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Update 2025-09-12: Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-09-11.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall sampled Sugar Ceek Saturday at Gornto Road, and got a pretty clean 300 cfu/100 mL, which is less than the 410 one-time test limit.

This is the same place Valdosta Utilities got way-too-high 3,800 a week ago on Sunday August 31. Then they stopped sampling, because that was the end of the required seven days after their pair of major spills the previous weekend.

Gornto Road is 0.44 miles upstream from the Withlacoochee River. Valdosta Utilities did sample twice more (Monday and Tuesday) at GA 133, 2.5 river miles downstream from Sugar Creek. They got too-high 540 for Monday and OK 180 for Tuesday.

But only now because of Suzy’s sampling do we know that Sugar Creek itself is back within normal range for E. coli, including at the Watergoat, a bit more than halfway from Gornto Road to the river.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Sugar Creek, Saturday, September 6, 2025, In WWALS testing, Upstream from Withlacoochee River]
Clean Sugar Creek, Saturday, September 6, 2025, In WWALS testing, Upstream from Withlacoochee River

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

There’s a 40% chance of storms Monday and Tuesday, so something might wash into the creeks and rivers then. Or not.

Meanwhile, this is what we know now.

The WWALS composite spreadsheet of Georgia and Florida water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SVezEtnmNw2-byIvfA2exUsK-3je9N5Iir5se2nPY1o/

The following image is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-09-04

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Update 2025-09-08: Clean Sugar Creek 2025-09-06.

Update 2025-09-07: Reorganized for intelligibility.

Water quality results from WWALS and Valdosta Utilities agree: the Withlacoochee River is clean again, upstream and down, as of Wednesday.

And WWALS tests say the Alapaha River is clean as of Thursday.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is predicted until Monday.

So happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03, Clean Alapaha River 2025-09-04]
Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03, Clean Alapaha River 2025-09-04

Or join us inside tomorrow evening, 5-9 PM this Saturday, for a sit-down dinner with drinks and a silent auction in the WWALS River Revue and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.

The WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SVezEtnmNw2-byIvfA2exUsK-3je9N5Iir5se2nPY1o/

The following image is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet.

[Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03 and Alapaha River 2025-09-04]
Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03 and Alapaha River 2025-09-04
For context, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing
Previous WWALS water quality reports are here:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The numbers in the chart boxes indicate E. coli levels as colony-forming units per 100 mililiters (cfu/100 mL), according to Georgia Adopt-A-Stream bacterial monitoring protocols:
Zero (0) is what we want to see, and often we do, on the Alapaha and upstream on the Suwannee Rivers.
From 1-125 is within long-term average limits according to U.S. EPA and Georgia and Florida state agencies.
From 126-409 long-term is not good, and is likely to make some people sick.
From 410-999 is likely to make some people sick; try not to get that water on you.
From 1,000 and up: high alert; best not to get close to that water without gloves; wash clothes afterward.

The letters before the numbers indicate the source of the datapoint, as in W100 means 100 cfu/100 mL found by a WWALS tester.

W: WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS), Suwannee Riverkeeper
V: Valdosta, GA
L: Lowndes County, GA
Q: Quitman, GA
SGRC: Southern Georgia Regional Commission
SRWMD: Suwannee River Water Management District
FDOH: Florida Department of Health
FDEP: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Rain: From USGS and UGA and other gauges.

Withlacoochee River

WWALS tester Cindy Vedas got Continue reading →