Clean before the storm, but sewage spills during 2024-04-11

Update 2024-04-15: Valdosta spilled 6.7 million gallons including 1.34 million gallons raw sewage 2024-04-12

WWALS water quality tests were clean before the storm for the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers, as well as Sugar Creek. Valdosta Wednesday results agreed.

But Valdosta had seven sewage spills for almost half a million gallons during the storm, plus one before, and Tifton and Quitman each had two spills: see Valdosta, Quitman, and Tifton sewage spills in big rains 2024-04-11.
https://wwals.net/?p=64616

Plus almost all the rivers are in flood or at least Action Stage.

I’d avoid the rivers this weekend, except maybe the Suwannee between White Springs an Ellaville, and the Santa Fe upstream from High Springs: those are not yet in Action Stage.

Clean before the storm, but sewage spills during 2024-04-11: Franks and Sugar Creeks, Little, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers

Debbie Smith tested Franks Creek at GA 122 west of Hahira on Sunday, April 7, and got 2+0+1 = 3 * 100 / 3 for 100 cfu/100 mL. She noted, “The site is overgrown with weeds and much more difficult to get to for sampling.”

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed all the results, and she also tested two sites on April 7.

At Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River, she got 1+1=0 for 67 cfu/100 100mL.

At Sugar Creek just below Two Mile Branch, at the WaterGoat trash trap, she got 1+2+1 for 133 cfu/100 100mL.

Russ Tatum tested at Holly Point on the Withlacoochee River on Wednesday, April 10, and got zero E. coli colonies. He remarked, “All clear. Water is on the rise! After 5 inches of rain last night we are on flood watch here at Holly point. The current forecast at Pinetta has the river cresting there at 77.4. That will probably bring it out of its banks here, hopefully not to high. We’re prepping for it, getting anything on ground level up higher, hopefully we won’t have to evacuate. Not worried about the house, it’s on stilts, but the road goes under water in several places depending on how high it eventually gets. Fingers crossed!”

Joanne Tremblay tested two Santa Fe River sites on Wednesday.

At O’Leno State Park Swimming Dock, she got 1 + 0 + 1 for 33 cfu/100 mL, and noted, “The river is looking good.”

At US 27, she got zero E. coli and said, “Hi, lovely to have ecoli free waters.”

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

Chart: Rain and Sewage Spills 2024-04-11
For context, see: https://wwals.net/issues/testing

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.

Here’s a map with O’Leno Sink highlighted towards the center, a bit downstream from the swimming dock.

Map: Clean Rivers 2024-02-01
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/

Short Link:

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.

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