Update 2024-12-04: Horrid Sugar Creek 2024-12-02.

Update 2024-12-02: Valdosta Sewage Spill, Meadowbrook Drive, Two Mile Branch 2024-11-26.

Sugar Creek was even nastier Saturday, near the Withlacoochee River, according to a WWALS test result.

The Alapaha River was questionable at US 82, that same day.

There has been no rain to speak of for a week, so rain is not washing contamination into the creeks.

It is very hard to see what could be causing such Sugar Creek E. coli numbers other than a sewage spill.

Nasty Sugar Creek near Withlacoochee River Questionable Sheboggy @ US 82, Alapaha River 2024-11-30

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

Valdosta does have a sewage spill warning sign up at Sugar Creek below Berta’s Kitchen, and it is needed there.

Valdosta Sewage Spill sign, Sugar Creek 2024-11-30

Suzy Hall’s result for Saturday of 7,500 cfu/100 mL is more than seven times the 1,000 alert limit, and almost twice as high as Valdosta’s result for last Tuesday.

WaterGoat, Sugar Creek 2024-11-30

She remarked, “Just nasty. …

Plates, Sugar Creek 2024-11-30

“Interestingly, that big air blob on #3 was NOT there when I plated. My best count is 62, 70, 93 but many are tiny, however I feel ok that this is pretty close enough. That would be 7500 cfu which is worse than the last sample by double!”

She suggests sampling upstream. If Valdosta isn’t going to do it, I guess WWALS will.

Upstream, Sugar Creek 2024-11-30

Where is the leak? We don’t know, because Valdosta Utilities has not returned our calls about that, and the City of Valdosta has not made any announcement.

It could be somewhere along Sugar Creek, or on one of its feeder creeks. See also below.

Map: Sugar Creek in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT) 2024-12-02

Alapaha River

Also for Saturday, WWALS tester Heather Brasell got 5+4+3 for 400 cfu/100 mL for the Alapaha River just above Sheboggy Boat Ramp at US 82.

Above Sheboggy Boat Ramp, US 82, Alapaha River 2024-11-30

Plates, Above Sheboggy Boat Ramp, US 82, Alapaha River 2024-11-30

That’s higher than her 2+0+1 for 100 cfu/100 mL for the outflow creek from Alapaha, Georgia’s, wastewater treatment plant.

Alapaha WWTP outflow creek 2024-11-30

Plates, Alapaha WWTP outflow creek 2024-11-30

That seems backwards, but it’s not the first time she has gotten higher E. coli on the river than on that outflow creek.

Map: Alapaha, GA, WWTP and Sheboggy Boat Ramp, US 82, Alapaha River in the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

Both results are below the 410 one-time limit, so it’s probably OK.

Chart: nasty Sugar Creek and questionable Alapaha River 2024-11-30
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.

Maybe this contamination was caused by the foot of rain on Valdosta from the fringe of Hurricane Rafael. But why has it not been stopped?

The contamination could be coming down Hightower Creek. Valdosta had a leak there some months ago, and much of that area was flooded this time, with St. Augustine Road partly closed.

Map: Hightower and Sugar Creeks in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT) 2024-12-02

Even though USGS and googlemaps claim that’s Sugar Creek, according to SGRC’s map of impervious surface in Valdosta, it’s Hightower Creek.

Hightower Creek in SGRC impervious surface map 2022-04-04

According to the Valdosta Master Stormwater Management Plan, it’s Hightower Creek.

Hightower Creek in Valdosta Master Stormwater Management Plan
PDF

According to the street sign on St. Augustine Road, it’s Hightower Creek.

St. Augustine Road Culvert, Hightower Creek –Google Streetview 2022-03

According to the street sign on Norman Drive, it’s Hightower Creek.

Norman Drive Culvert, Hightower Creek –Google Streetview 2022-03

According to the Valdosta Master Stormwater Management Plan, Hightower Creek joins Sugar Creek downstream from the Remerton Pump Station.

Sugar Creek in Valdosta Master Stormwater Management Plan
PDF

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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