Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe Rivers, problem on One Mile Branch 2024-06-19

Update 2024-06-29: Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2024-06-27.

With no rain for a further week, the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean for Wednesday and Thursday. There was an unusual test result for One Mile Branch at Williams Street in Valdosta for Monday.

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

The rivers are almost all down to good boating and fishing levels.

There is some chance of rain Saturday and Sunday.

Other than that, happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend!

[Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe River 2024-06-20; Problem on One Mile Branch @ Williams Street 2024-06-17]
Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe River 2024-06-20; Problem on One Mile Branch @ Williams Street 2024-06-17

For this Thursday, June 20, Kim Tanner sampled the Alapaha River at Lakeland Boat Ramp @ GA 122 and Naylor Park Beach @ US 84 and got zero at both. She noted, “Both sites look good and the water is clean. Looks like it has been a moment since the county has been able to pick up trash at Naylor Park Beach. Hoping it will be gone when I visit next.”

The City of Valdosta for Wednesday reported good results at GA 133 and US 84 on the Withlacoochee River.

On Wednesday, Russ Tatum sampled the Withlacoochee River at Holly Point, downstream from Allen Ramp, and got zero, “Continued good results this week. The river is Back! Clean and clear!”

Joanne Tremblay sampled two Santa Fe River sites and got zero at both.

For US 129 Ramp, she remarked, “What a difference a week makes. The water had dropped dramatically. After what seems like 2 months of high water, it is good to see the river’s natural shoreline again. Until the next rainfall….”

[Map: FL 47 Ramp, Santa Fe River in SRWT]
Map: FL 47 Ramp, Santa Fe River in the WWALS map of tall public landings in the Suwannee River Basin

For FL 47 Ramp, she noted, “The river here is absolutely beautiful. I took a full assay here and the D.O. [dissolved oxygen] is nice at 4.8.”

[Chart: Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers 2024-06-20, TNTC One Mile Branch 2024-06-17]
Chart: Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers 2024-06-20, TNTC One Mile Branch 2024-06-17
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.

For this Monday, Gee Edwards got a very peculiar sample from One Mile Branch at Williams Street, at the top of Drexel Park.

[Map: Williams Street One Mile Branch Culvert in WLRWT]
Map: Williams Street One Mile Branch Culvert in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

His Petrifilms turned a pink color without showing any bacterial colonies.

[Plates, Drexel Park, Williams Street, One Mile Branch 2024-06-17]
Plates, Drexel Park, Williams Street, One Mile Branch 2024-06-17

We’ve only seen that sort of thing before when there was chemical contamination in the water.

We’re calling it Too Numerous to Count (TNTC).

Heather Brasell has been having some communications difficulties, and just now sent in samples for Friday, May 31, for the Alapaha River below the City of Alapaha’s wastewater ponds and just above Sheboggy Boat Ramp at US 82: 100 and 66 cfu/100 mL, respectively. Those are good low numbers.

WWALS Water Quality Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed all the results.

WWALS Water Quality Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered testing supplies.

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/

AWWTP

[Alapaha WWTP Outflow 2024-05-31]
Alapaha WWTP Outflow 2024-05-31

SBR

[Above Sheboggy Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ US 82 2024-05-31]
Above Sheboggy Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ US 82 2024-05-31

LBR

[Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2024-06-20]
Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2024-06-20

NPB

[Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2024-06-20]
Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2024-06-20

DWilliams

[Notes, Drexel Park, Williams Street, One Mile Branch 2024-06-17]
Notes, Drexel Park, Williams Street, One Mile Branch 2024-06-17

HP

[Holly Point, Withlacoochee River 2024-06-19]
Holly Point, Withlacoochee River 2024-06-19

SF47

[FL 47 Ramp, Santa Fe River 2024-06-19]
FL 47 Ramp, Santa Fe River 2024-06-19

SF129

[US 129 Ramp, Santa Fe River 2024-06-19]
US 129 Ramp, Santa Fe River 2024-06-19

 -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/