The opposite of what I expected: just west of Hamilton County High School, Cat Creek under SW 55 Drive flows north, not south.

This matters for figuring out what is upstream and downstream from a site on Cat Creek.

Movie: Cat Creek south of SW 55 Drive, 14:56:38, (31M) 30.4736975, -82.9406837

That makes sense according to topological maps: it’s downhill to the north.

Map: Cat Creek, Bell Creek, Basin Swamp –EPA Topo

It appears that Cat Creek from the south flows into Bell Creek, which runs east to west into Basin Swamp.

And here is Bell Creek, flowing east to west under US 41.

Movie: Downstream Bell Creek @ US 41, flowing west, 15:08:52, (57M) 30.4964624, -82.9334971

I was told by local people that Bell Creek comes out west of the landfill.

Hamilton County Landfill & Recycling, Jasper, FL, 14:39:23, 30.5018500, -82.9536520

The landfill is on SW 107th Ave., and here’s looking west from that road south of the landfill.

Movie: Bell Creek flowing west from SW 107th Ave. into Basin Swamp, 15:37:47, (91M) 30.4959984, -82.9553230

And looking east, as the water comes down Bell Creek under the road.

Movie: Bell Creek coming from the east to SW 107th Ave. towards Basin Swamp, 15:38:53, (62M) 30.4959984, -82.9553230

Then where does Basin Swamp drain to? Apparently into Tiger Creek.

Map: Tiger Creek — EPA Topo

Where Tiger Creek ends up is not clear. The topo maps and the USGS Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) boundaries indicate it does not go west into the Alapaha River. But there’s no obvious path south to the Suwannee River.

Maybe that area is enorheic, as in no outlet. That could be why the name Basin Swamp. If so, that would mean contaminants collecting in there.

But the even more localized watershed boundaries maps indicate it drains southwest into the Suwannee River slightly upstream from the Alapaha River Rise.

So what are we looking at as a possible contaminant source? A bit farther south on SW 107th Ave., aka Lake Baisden Loop, there’s SW 107th Ave.

SW 53rd St from Lake Baisden Loop, 14:46:15, 30.4847745, -82.9553551

And at the end of SW 53rd St. is the Cat Creek Class B Biosolids Site.

Cat Creek Class B Biosolids Site, City of Jasper, Florida, 14:47:32, 30.4846874, -82.9515358

Biosolids as in the solids left over from wastewater treatment plants. Human waste applied to the ground. In this case, next to Cat Creek.

There’s another little creek under SW 107th Ave. a bit south of 53rd St SW, that I’m calling Biosolids Branch, because it crosses 53rd St. SW heading north, veers east long the edge of the Biosolids Site, and ends up in Bell Creek.

Movie: Not much flow through here, 15:48:10, 0.4818980, -82.9553120

But that culvert is so tiny there can’t ever be much flow going through there.

So Cat Creek is upstream from the Biosolids Site, and Bell Creek at SW 107th Ave. is downstream.

Also downstream of the Jasper Wastewater Treatment Plant (JWTP), which is north of the landfill.

Jasper Wastewater Treatment Plant sign, 15:33:35, 30.5051755, -82.9493553

And downstream of the county park north of JWTP. I’d hope that is not a source of contaminants, although I wonder what the bare area in the southeast of the park next to the creek was previously used for.

Hamilton County Parks & Recreation, Jasper, FL, 14:38:12, 30.5097270, -82.9528040

A further complication is that both Bell Creek and Cat Creek are downstream from the Nutrien White Springs Phosphate Mine.

Map: Nutrien White Springs Phosphate Mine
in the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT)

People near Bell Creek say the flow I saw is very unusual, and has flooded houses downstream.

There isn’t much upstream other than the mine. I couldn’t go onto mine property to see what’s going on, but I wonder.

 -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: