Five clean rivers and a clean creek 2024-01-25 | WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

Update 2024-01-28: Four more Valdosta sewage spills 2023-12-17.

We got good results for Wednesday and Thursday for five rivers: Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, and Suwannee, plus Mud Swamp Creek, a tributary of the Alapaha. Valdosta’s Wednesday upstream Withlacoochee River results concur.

There is a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, but you can get on the water before then.

So happy fishing, paddling, and swimming this weekend.

Or join us tomorrow (Saturday) for Try again: Langdale Park to Sugar Creek Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2024-01-27.

Chart, Clean Rivers and Creek, Map 2024-01-25

Sewage Spills

One sewage spill was reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia last Thusrday: Ashburn spilled 100,000 gallons of raw sewage into Ashburn Creek, which ends up in the Little River far above Reed Bingham State Park.

In Florida, Lake Butler reported a spill at its airport, which apparently wasn’t enough to get into any waterway, much less the New River of the Santa Fe.

Chart: Clean Rivers and Creek 2024-01-25
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

Kimberley Tanner tested two Alapaha River sites for Thursday, Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach, and got good results for each. She remarked, “Great results at both locations.”

Naylor Park Beach Control, Alapaha River @ US 84 2024-01-25

She also got pictures of the Lowndes County Litter Crew in action, and noted, “These men are part of the reason why! They visit the rivers every Thursday and collect trash. They know that they are appreciated by WWALS!”

Naylor Park Beach Control, Alapaha River @ US 84 2024-01-25

Janet Martin tested Mud Swamp Creek at Vann Road for Wednesday. She got zero E. coli, and added, “I did chemical as well:
pH 7, 7
DO 6.6, 6.8
Conductivity 140.8”

Russ Tatum good results for Wednesday on the Withlacoochee River at Allen Ramp and Holly Point. He remarked, “ALL CLEAN!”

However, also, “In photo 3 you can see there was a dead dog at the base of the ramp.”

Allen Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ 2726 SW 64th Way Jasper, FL 32052 2024-01-25

Joanne Tremblay again tested TREPO Point Park on the Ichetucknee River, and US 27 Ramp on the Santa Fe River. She got OK and excellent results, respectively.

About private TREPO Point Park, she wrote: “Water is still high, the count is up too.”

About US 27 Ramp, Joanne Tremblay wrote, “The river flow was swift, clean and slowly dropping.”

Reina Lingle sampled the Suwannee River Wednesday at Royal Springs, O’Brien, FL, and Ivey Memorial Park Ramp in Branford. She noted, ”Clean samples collected on the Suwannee River in Branford, FL.”

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

As previously noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023.

All the WWALS “beaches” for which we have recent data are green on the map.

Here’s a map with Mud Swamp Creek highlighted towards the center.

Map: Clean Rivers and Creek 2024-01-25
in the WWALS map of all public landings in the Suwannee River Basin

Here’s a live Swim Guide Map.

Thanks to Joe Brownlee and Georgia Power for another generous grant for water quality testing equipment and materials.

You or your organization could also donate to the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program.

There are more images below.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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