Clean rivers and creek 2024-02-28 | WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

Update 2024-03-09: Clean rivers and creek 2024-03-06.

Update 2024-03-03: Now with Alapaha River at Lakeland and Naylor and Santa Fe River at U.S. 27, all also clean.

We got good results for Wednesday for the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers and Franks Creek.

Valdosta’s recent upstream Withlacoochee River results through Monday are good.

There has been very little rain for a week. Rain is predicted for today, Saturday, and Sunday, but probably not very much.

The rivers are down to good paddling levels, and it’s not cold. So bring rain gear, and happy paddling, fishing, and maybe swimming this weekend.

Join us tomorrow, Saturday morning, at Langdale Park Boat Ramp for the Fifth Annual Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Withlacoochee River.

Chart, Clean Rivers and Franks Creek, Map 2024-02-28

No sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida in the past week.

But four were reported in Georgia.

Remember Valdosta’s two small 100-gallon sewage spills on February 20, at Three Mile Branch from Knob Hill Road, and into One Mile Branch from Boone Drive @ Baytree Road, which drains into Sugar Creek, then to the Withlacoochee River?

Well, Valdosta had another spill at 215 Knob Hill Road, 1,500 gallons each from there and from two overflow sites nearby. Yes, that drains into Three Mile Branch which goes into the Withlacoochee River along the route of the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle. But 4,500 gallons should be small enough to be diluted and washed away by now.

Ashburn last Wednesday had yet another spill, 1,500 gallons from its MLK Lift Station into Ashburn Branch, which runs into the Little River.

Chart creek, Charts 2024-02-28
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

As previously noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023. Maybe you’d like to go to Valdosta’s March 5 water quality testing lab ribbon cutting and ask them about that.

Kimberly Godden Tanner remarked about the Alapaha River, “Not much beach at Naylor Park Beach. Lakeland had high water, too. Everything looked good at both locations:” 1+0+0=1/3=.33×100=33 cfu/100 mL at Lakeland Boat Ramp and 1+0+1=2/3=.66×100=66 cfu/100 mL at Naylor Park Beach.

Debbie Smith reported good results for Franks Creek for Wednesday at the GA 122 bridge just west of Hahira.

Joanne Tremblay reported for the Santa Fe River at O’Leno swimming dock, “0+0+0=0 cfu/100 mL. River dropping, so are the leaves. Squeaky, squeaky clean.”

And at U.S. 27 Ramp, Joanne got “0+0+0=0 cfu/100 mL, Clean River, leaves again.”

Reina Lingle reported good Wednesday results for two Suwannee River sites, 0 cfu for Ivey Memorial Park in Branford, FL, and 33 cfu for Royal Springs in O’Brien, FL.

WWALS Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered supplies to some testers.

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

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

Here’s a map with Franks Creek highlighted towards top left.

Map: Clean Franks Creek and Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers 2024-02-14
in the WWALS map of all public landings in the Suwannee River Basin

That’s a little hard to spot, so here’s a map highlighting the GA 122 bridge on Franks Creek.

Map: Franks Creek in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

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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