Update 2024-11-16: Withlacoochee River and Two Mile Branch better, Hightower and Sugar Creeks very bad 2024-11-14.

Water quality was bad for the Withlacoochee River at Sullivan Launch for Tuesday in results from Madison Department of Health.

Bad for One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek in results from the City of Valdosta for Wednesday and from WWALS tester Scotti Jay.

And bad for the Alapaha River at Sheboggy for Sunday in results from WWALS tester Heather Brasell.

Plus the Withlacoochee River is still in Action Stage around Valdosta, and not coming down fast.

So it’s best to avoid the Withlacoochee River for a few more days at least. Probably the Alapaha River, as well.

Better luck with the Suwannee or Santa Fe Rivers, or the Ichetucknee if any park entrances are open there.

Remember, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene. So check before you go.

Bad Withlacoochee River 2024-11-12 Bad Sugar Creek 2024-11-13 Bad One Mile Branch 2024-11-13 Bad Alapaha River 2024-11-10

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida.

Valdosta’s flash flood spills finally showed up today in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

Valdosta 2024-11-07 spills in 2024-11-14 GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report

It shows all the Valdosta spills starting on November 7, not 6.

It adds 215 Knob Hill, 9,500 gallons, into Withlacoochee River (not Three Mile Branch). Because that is separate from the 9,500 gallons for 300 Knob Hill Road, neither is more than the 10,000-gallon major spill limit, so Valdosta is not required to do followup testing for them.

It omits 817 Gornto Road, 4,000 gallons, into Two Mile Branch. I don’t know why.

It has 201 Magnolia St., 3,000 gallons, into Withlacoochee River, rather than Browns Canal.

Since the only two spills reported as having more than 10,000 gallons are those at Wainwright Drive and the WWTP, only those show followup testing in Valdosta’s November 2024 overflow testing results.

Once again I commend Valdosta for posting those results on its website. Valdosta is the only sewage spill reporter I know of that does that.

One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek

Plates, Sustella Ave., One Mile Branch 2024-11-08

For last Friday, November 8, WWALS tester Scotti Jay took samples at three One Mile Branch locations, and Sara Jay plated them. All three came out TNTC, Too Numerous to Count. That usually means upwards of 2,500 cfu/100 mL E. coli, where 1,000 is the alert limit.

Sustella Ave. is upstream from the big spill from the manhole just below Wainwright Drive.

Plates, Wainwright Drive, One Mile Branch 2024-11-08

Scotti’s Wainwright Drive sample was “Taken at the apartments approximately 40ft downstream from the spill.” Valdosta’s Wainwright Drive samples presumably were taken at the bridge, which would explain why they are much lower.

Plates, Gordon Street, One Mile Branch 2024-11-08

However, most of Valdosta’s downstream results for One Mile Branch at Gordon Street are higher than the 410 one-time sample limit,

All of Valdosta’s results farther downstream at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek are far above the 1,000 alert limit.

Even Valdosta’s St. Augustine Road samples, which are actually on Hightower Creek are far above the 1,000 alert limit. Which makes me wonder if there were not more spills in the flooded area on Hightower Creek.

Valdosta’s Withlacoochee River results at GA 133, which is downstream from One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek, nonetheless came out less than 410.

As did Valdosta’s samples at US 84.

Nonetheless, Madison Department of Health got 776 at CR 150 (Sullivan Launch) for Tuesday.

There may be several waves of contamination moving downriver.

Their test report is on the WWALS website.

Detection Summary

The locations in that report are:

• Boundary Bend Ramp on the Suwannee River, upstream from Dowling Park
• SR6 is FL 6, just upstream from Madison Blue Spring on the Withlacoochee River.
• CR 150 is at Sullivan Launch, the first public landing on the Withlacoochee River in Florida.
• CR 150 is State Line Boat Ramp, aka Mozell Spells or Madison Highway Boat Ramp.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed Scotti and Sara’s results.

WWALS Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered testing materials to some testers.

This contamination and flooding was largely caused by the foot of rain on Valdosta from the fringe of Hurricane Rafael.

Alapaha River

Outflow Creek, Alapaha Wastewater Treatment Plant 2024-11-10

WWALS tester Heather Brasell got unusual results for the Alapaha River for Sunday.

Plates, Outflow Creek, Alapaha WWTP 2024-11-10

For the outflow creek of the Alapaha, GA, Wastewater Treatment Plant, she got 3 + 0 + 3 = 200 cfu/100 mL, which is not bad.

Alapaha River above Sheboggy Boat Ramp 2024-11-10

But for the Alapaha River itself just upstream of Sheboggy Boat Ramp, she got 9 + 7 + 5 = 700 cfu/100 mL, which is above the 410 one-time test limit.

Plates, Alapaha River above Sheboggy Boat Ramp 2024-11-10

That’s backwards to what we often see, but that’s what the plates read.

Chart: Bad Withlacoochee River 2024-11-12, Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch 2024-11-13, Alapaha River 2024-11-10
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 for orientation.

Map: Valdosta to Sullivan Launch and Boundary Bend Ramp in the WWALS map of all public landings in the Suwannee River Basin.

Water quality testing training and funding

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

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.

 -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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