Dirty creeks, but clean rivers 2024-04-17

Update 2024-04-26: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe Rivers 2024-04-25.

After the week of sewage spills after the recent rains, WWALS found Sugar Creek dirty and Spring Branch filthy, but four rivers clean: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, and Santa Fe.

That’s right, while Spring Branch was filthy (7 times the alert limit for E. coli) right next to Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) that spilled 6.7 million gallons Friday through Sunday, the Withlacoochee River tested clean at five locations.

We can only guess that the massive flow of the river from the rains diluted or washed the contamination downstream.

You still might want to think twice before boating, fishing, or swimming in the rivers, since they are all in flood or at least Action Stage.

After heavy thunderstorms and sewage spill week, dirty creeks, but clean rivers 2024-04-17

We have no new Valdosta results since last week, because Valdosta only tests once a week on Wednesday, and while they probably did sample yesterday, they have not posted their results.

Nevermind that Madison Health issued a health advisory for the Withlacoochee River because of Valdosta’s spills.

So that leaves WWALS and FDEP and SRWMD to test after Valdosta’s mess.

Chart: dirty creeks, clean rivers 2024-04-17
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.

Kim Tanner tested the Alapaha River at Naylor Park Beach just above US 84 on Wednesday, April 17, and got 1 + 0 + 0 = 1 * 100 / 3 = 33 cfu/100 mL.

Also Wednesday, Sara (Janet) Massengale tested Mud Creek @ Vann Road and got 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 * 100 / 3 = 200 cfu/100 mL.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed all the results, and tested two Sugar Creek sites on Saturday, April 13, getting 2+2+3 = 7 * 100 / 3 = 233 cfu/100 mL at the WaterGoat, and 7+2+4 = 13 * 100 / 3 = 433 cfu/100 mL at the train trestle. She noted, “Includes trash photo and location shot.”

On the Withlacoochee River, on Tuesday, April 16, John S. Quarterman (jsq) tested from the GA 133 bridge, and got no (zero) E. coli.

on Monday, April 15, Sara (Janet) Massengale tested at the US 84 Bridge and got 0+1+1 = 2 * 100 / 3 = 66 cfu/100 mL.

On Sunday, April 14, jsq tested Wetherington Branch at Wetherington Lane, just before the old Valdosta WWTP, and got 0 + 0 + 1 = 1 * 100 / 3 for 33 cfu/100 mL. That’s pretty clean. Also, “There was a blue bird that flew down into the branch. I tried to get a picture of it, but only a hint of blue shows.”

That same Sunday, jsq tested Spring Branch at Wetherington Lane, just before Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Results there were quite horrible:
83+78+66 = 227 * 100 / 3 = 7,566 cfu/100 mL.

For comparison, the alert limit is 1,000.

Gretchen Quarterman got a medical professional to collect a water sample Wednesday at Kinderlou on the Withlacoochee River. She plated that water, and the result was zero: no E. coli colonies. Plenty of (one hopes harmless) background Fecal coliform, but that is probaby because the sample was taking from the water in the access road, since the flow of the river was not reachable.

On Tuesday, jsq drew a sample from the Clyattville-Nankin Road bridge, and got 0+4+0 = 4 * 100 / 3 = 133 cfu/100 mL.

Also on Tuesday, jsq sampled from Horn Bridge, over the Withlacoochee River at the flooded State Line Boat Ramp on GA 31, and got 1+0+1 = 2 * 100 / 3 = 66 cfu/100 mL.

Russ Tatum tested at Holly Point on the Withlacoochee River on Wednesday, April 16, and got zero E. coli colonies, same as last week. He wrote, &lduqo;I’m shocked! There is NO live Ecoli in my samples. There are a lot of red spots and a couple of bubbles on those red spots but only a few large blue spots but no bubbles.”

He also wondered, “Interesting thing happened this afternoon. Two large boats came up the river labeled “Under Sea Survey” I was hoping to get pictures but didn’t have my camera and they haven’t yet come back downstream. Any idea?”

Joanne Tremblay tested the Santa Fe River Tuesday at US 129 (Lemmon Ramp), “There is not much left of the boat ramp, the river is almost up to the road. As you can see by the images, there is a healthy patch of duck weed. The water is clean 0+0+0= 0 cfu/100 mL.”

Also Tuesday, Joanne tested the Ichetucknee River, “Point Park is completely under water, the Santa Fe River is also over its banks as you can tell by the tannic tint. 0+0+1=1/3* 100 = 33 cfu/100 mL.”

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

Here’s a map with Spring Branch at Wetherington Lane highlighted.

Map, Spring Branch Wetherington Lane culvert 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/

Plate1, Mud Creek @ Vann Road, 2024-04-16

Plate2, Mud Creek @ Vann Road, 2024-04-16

Plate3, Mud Creek @ Vann Road, 2024-04-16

Plates, Mud Creek @ Vann Road, 2024-04-16

-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.

Maps

NPB

MCV

SugarCreek

SugarTrestle

TBR

GA133

US84

OldPlant

WB

ThePlant

SB

LFFM

WKinderlou

CNBR

SLBR

HP

CGT

PP

Lemmons