Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe Rivers 2024-04-25 | WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

Update 2024-05-04: Clean rivers and some creeks, but rain 2024-05-02.

Update 2024-05-03: Valdosta test results: filthy Withlacoochee River after big spill, many creeks still filthy after smaller spills 2024-04-11.

This week, the rivers that have been tested were clean: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe.

This is despite a Wednesday inland High Springs sewage spill of 1,500 gallons.

And clean even in the aftermath of all the spills of last week. There is more about sewage spills below, including that Valdosta did test the Friday and Saturday of the big spill, and the Withlacoochee River was filthy then.

But it’s clean now, and water levels are coming down in all the rivers. So if you don’t mind still a bit high and fast, happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers 2024-04-25; Filthy Withlacoochee River & creeks 2024-04-12, 2024-04-13

Testing at State Line by Madison Health and FDEP on Wednesday last week corroborated the WWALS result for the previous day. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) also tested downstream at CR 150 (Sullivan Launch) and at FL 6, and all three sites again Thursday, getting clean results each time. That corroborated the WWALS result for Holly Point downstream on that Thursday.

Madison Health has not yet withdrawn its health advisory for the Withlacoochee River, but I imagine it probably will the next time they or FDEP test.

And it turns out Valdosta is posting on its website the results of the testing it is required to do by the Georgia Environmental Pro Division (GA-EPD) after each major spill. None of Quitman, Tifton, Rochelle, Ashburn, or Homerville are posting their results, so that’s a good thing Valdosta is doing.

Those Valdosta results for this Wednesday and last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday also corroborate the WWALS results at US 84 and GA 133.

As noted last week, apparently the massive flow of the river from the rains diluted or washed the contamination downstream.

But Valdosta got very different results for Friday April 12, and Saturday April 13.

Chart: Clean Rivers 2024-04-24

For Friday, April 12, Valdosta found the Withlacoochee River filthy (above the 1,000 cfu/100 mL alert limit for E. coli) at North Valdosta Road (US 41), GA 133, and US 84. For Saturday, April 13, Valdosta got results above the one-time test limit of 410 at all three locations. Both results should have been finished by the time of the Valdosta press release on Monday morning, April 15. But they were not mentioned in that press release. They were not even mentioned in the Valdosta City Council meeting yesterday evening.

So Valdosta was not only slow to report its 6.7 million gallon spill into the Withlacoochee River, it did not tell the public that that river was filthy that weekend.

Maybe that test result web page was up by Monday April 15. I don’t know. It was not even mentioned in last night’s Valdosta City Council meeting.

There will be more on those and other Valdosta water quality test results in a forthcoming blog post.

Chart: Filthy Withlacoochee River and creeks 2024-04-12
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 two locations for Wednesday, April 24, saying, “Great results at both locations. Still not much of a beach at either place.”

For Lakeland Boat Ramp she got 1 + 0 + 0 = 1/3=.33×100= 33 cfu/100 mL.

She noted, “I got over my fear of parking on the Lakeland Bridge to get the sample since it will be awhile before there will be access to the boat ramp.”

For Naylor Park Beach she got 0 + 0 + 0 = 0/3=0x100= 0 cfu/100 mL.

She explained, “I was swarmed with mosquitos at Naylor Park Beach so much so that I ran in and out forgetting to grab a photo!”

On the Withlacoochee River, Russ Tatum tested at Holly Point on Thursday, April 25, and got 0 + 0 + 1 = 1 / 3 = .33 * 100 = 33 cfu/100mL. He wrote, “The river has dropped significantly but still high. The current has slowed drastically as the Suwannee level has caught up to the Withlacoochee. ”

Joanne Tremblay tested two Santa Fe River sites Wednesday.

At O’Leno Swimming Dock she noted, “Water clean” and got 0+0+0 for 0 cfu/100 mL. For the US 27 Ramp, she said,“The river is dropping, looking clear and the numbers are good. 0+0+1=1/3=.33*100=33 cfu/100mL.”

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed all the results.

WWALS Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman prepared materials for delivery to testers.

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 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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