Update 2024-01-04: Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02.

Where is the contamination in Sugar Creek coming from in Valdosta, Georgia?

Apparently mostly from somewhere between Baytree Road and Gornto Road, according to recent water quality results.

One way to narrow down the source is to collect water quality samples at more places between those city roads.

And likely places to check would be just below where sewer lines cross Sugar Creek.

Valdosta sewer mains crossing Sugar Creek between Baytree Road and Gornto Road towards the Withlacoochee River, Valdosta, GA

It would be very useful to know if anybody has seen or smelled sewage just west of Sugar Creek on Spring Creek Circle, Wooddale Drive, Westbrook Circle, or on South Sherwood Drive.

Or just east of Sugar Creek, on Park Lane or the west ends of W. Park Ave. or McRee Drive.

Or anybody just upstream (south) of Gornto Road at Outdoor Living or Window World or the liquor store.

Here’s how to report it to WWALS and to the City of Valdosta:
https://wwals.net/report/

2024 12 29 Map: Sugar Creek Sewer — VALORGIS
Green lines: sewer mains
Blue lines mostly straight lines: water mains
Darker blue curving lines: waterways, including Sugar Creek running south to north to the Withlacoochee River.

Apparently Valdosta sewer lines only cross Sugar Creek in five places:

1. Behind Target and Home Depot, just downstream of Hightower Creek, and downstream of the Remerton Pump Station.
2. Below Spring Creek Circle, a bit north and downstream of Baytree Road.
3. Below Westbrook Cricle, farther north and downstream of Baytree Road.
4. Just upstream of the train trestle about a third of the way north and downstream from Baytree Road to Gornto Road.
   • A sewer line crosses under the railroad slightly north and downstream of the train trestle.
5. Just upstream of Two Mile Branch, in front of Berta’s Kitchen, north and downstream of Gornto Road.

That first sewer line crossing is visible towards the bottom of the above map.

Sample site upstream of sewer line across Sugar Creek, 2024-12-12, 12:18:58, 30.8427092, -83.3123106

2024 12 29 Map: Sugar Creek north of Baytree Road –VALORGIS

In this map we can see three Sugar Creek sewer line crossings:

2. Spring Creek Circle
3. Westbrook Circle
4. railroad trestle

These are all easily accessible from the railroad access road beside the tracks.

Context, Open manhole cover, Sugar Creek 2024-12-12, 13:11:48, 30.8491914, -83.3139671
2 Spring Creek Circle

Drainpipe, logjam, and trash on bank, Sugar Creek 2024-12-12, 13:08:26, 30.8508059, -83.3144571
3 Westbrook Circle

Context, sewer line, NSFRR, Sugar Creek 2024-12-12, 13:04:52, 30.8518670, -83.3147960
4 railroad trestle

2024 12 29 Map: Sugar Creek south of Gornto Road –VALORGIS

In this map, you can see a sewer line crosses a feeder creek just south and upstream of 1420 Gornto Road. It’s not clear how to get there, though.

For number 5 (just upstream from Two Mile Branch, north and downstream of Gornto Road), the usual WWALS sampling sites in front of Berta’s Kitchen and at the WaterGoat get above and below that sewer line and Two Mile Branch.

Sugar Creek @ Berta’s Kitchen, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2024-12-26

Upstream past Two Mile Branch, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat other 2024-12-26

 -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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