Update 2025-01-06: Valdosta has found the Sugar Creek sewage leak 2024-01-06.

Sugar Creek is still filthy at Gornto Road to the Withlacoochee River, and at a sewer line upstream. It’s not as bad farther upstream, so that sewer line could be the creek contamination source. It’s time to fix it.

The Withlacoochee River is also filthy 62 river miles downstream, only 4 miles from the Suwannee River.

Yet Valdosta Utilities reported OK water quality in between at GA 133 and at US 84.

Did the downstream contamination wash that far down from Sugar Creek after last Sunday’s rains? Or did the downstream contamination come from somewhere else, such as from Quitman, GA, down Okapilco Creek into the Withlacoochee River? Valdosta used to test on Okapilco Creek at US 84 and on the Withlacoochee River at Knights Ferry just below Okapilco Creek, but they stopped that a year ago, so we don’t know.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia. But sometimes reports come late or not at all.

This weekend, I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River downstream from it all the way to the Suwannee River. If you like cold, this weekend may be good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, on other rivers, such as the Alapaha, Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, or Suwannee.

Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02, No rain, no reported sewage spills. What is the contamination source?

Sugar Creek

On Thursday, WWALS tester John S. Quarterman drew five Sugar Creek samples, from Baytree Road north (upstream) past the railroad trestle.

Map: Sugar Creek north of Baytree Road –VALORGIS

At Baytree Road, the results were OK, with 233 cfu/100 mL, well below the 410 one-time test limit for E. coli.

Closeup downstream, Baytree Road, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:18:14, 30.8470252, -83.3140411

I also planted a WWALS warning sign near the side of the bridge with easy access to Sugar Creek: “CAUTION: High Fecal Bacteria Detected by citizen sampling or government agency. Avoid Drinking, Swimming, Wading, Fishing, or other contact with river water”

WWALS Warning Sign, Baytree Road, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:17:13, 30.8470692, -83.3135572

It was too difficult to get a sample at the Spring Creek Circle sewer line.

Spring Creek Circle sewer line, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:27:32, 30.8486837, -83.3136738

The manhole pictured with its lid off two times previously has its lid on and very recently had concrete put around it.

Fixed Manhole, Spring Creek Circle sewer line, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:27:50, 30.8486837, -83.3136738

A sample just above the Westbrook Circle sewer line should suffice for below Spring Creek Circle. It showed OK 166 cfu/100 mL.

Westbrook Circle sewer line, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 13:10:17, 30.8504847, -83.3143962

Sampling just below the Westbrook Circle sewer line was also too difficult.

But a sample above the sewer line just above the Norfolk Southern railroad trestle should do.

Looking upstream from sewer line above NSRR, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:39:13, 30.8519224, -83.3148713

That result was too high: 600 cfu/100 mL, above the 410 one-time sample limit.

Plates, above RR Trestle, Sugar Creek 2025-01-02

Results just below that railroad sewer line were surprisingly lower, 133 cfu/100 mL.

Sewer line above Norfolk Southern RR, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:39:09, 30.8519224, -83.3148713

We have seen this strange circumstance seen before at another sewer line.

Plates, RR trestle, Sugar Creek 2025-01-02

There’s a tiny feeder creek that comes in from the left (west) bank and goes into Sugar Creek under the railroad trestle.

Sample site, feed creek across exposed sewer line, Sherwood Drive by RR trestle, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 12:51:09, 30.8525808, -83.3149904

Despite two nearby manholes and exposed sewer pipe, that one tested clean, 33 cfu/100 mL.

Two manholes, sewer line exposed, Sherwood Drive, RR trestle, 2025:01:02 12:52:49, 30.8527033, -83.3150779

On Wednesday, WWALS tester Suzy Hall rummaged through the jungle upstream (south) of Outdoor Living south of Gornto Road, where a sewer line crosses a tiny runoff feeder from the left (west) bank. The water was green with an oily film, and stank.

Film on green water upstream from sewer line behind Outdoor Living, Sugar Creek 2025-01-01 16:18:51

She got Too Numerous to Count (TNTC) both above and below that sewer line.

Plates, upstream from sewer line behind Outdoor Living 2025-01-01

Nice creek beach.

Beach across Sugar Creek behind Outdoor Living 2025-01-01 16:04:57

But I wouldn’t visit it with the water that filthy.

Plates, downstream from sewer line behind Outdoor Living, 2025-01-01

Also trash in logjams that according to google-earth have been there for several years.

Trash at deadfalls behind Outdoor Living, Sugar Creek 2025-01-01 16:05:41

This illegible sign may have something to do with the sewer line.

Sign behind Outdoor Living, Sugar Creek 2025-01-01 15:58:52

Suzy Hall drew a map, which may help Valdosta Utilities find that place again:

Map: manhole, logjam, runoff, Sugar Creek behind Outdoor Living –Suzy Hall 2025-01-02

You can also see the location in VALORGIS.

Map: Sugar Creek south of Gornto Road –VALORGIS

At Gornto Road, there was what looked like oily runoff from the eroded parking lot.

Oily sheen above Gornto Road, Sugar Creek P1020613 2025-01-01

The Gornto Road results were also TNTC.

Plates, Gornto Road, Sugar Creek 2025-01-01

On Thursday, jsq hung a WWALS warning sign on the Gornto Road Bridge. That’s a drinking water line next to the bridge.

WWALS warning sign, Gornto Road Bridge, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 13:51:11, 30.8596618, -83.3173416

On Wednesday, Suzy Hall tested in front of Berta’s Kitchen.

Beach in front of Berta’s Kitchen, Sugar Creek P1020608 2025-01-01

She got 4,433 cfu/100 mL, which if more than four times the 1,000 alert limit.

Plates, Bertas Kitchen, Sugar Creek, 2025-01-01

On Thursday, at her suggestion, jsq put a WWALS warning sign next to the path back to the Sugar Creek beach in front of Berta’s Pizza Kitchen.

WWALS warning sign in front of Berta’s Kitchen, Sugar Creek, 2025:01:02 13:40:32, 30.8610111, -83.3184862

On Wednesday, Suzy Hall tested at the WaterGoat.

WaterGoat, Sugar Creek P1020605 2025-01-01

She got 3,367, almost as bad as in front of Berta’s.

Both at Berta’s and at the WaterGoat, those results are slightly lower than last week, but still way too high.

Watergoat Plates, Sugar Creek 2025-01-01

Suzy Hall remarked, “Suffice it to say that poor Sugar Creek and the wildlife in it are stewing in sewage. This must be found and fixed!”

Withlacoochee River

For Thursday, Valdosta Utilities showed 290 at GA 133, downstream from Sugar Creek, and 260 at US 84, downstream from the Little River.

But for Wednesday, WWALS tester Russ Tatum tested at Holly Point, four miles upstream from the Suwannee River.

Holly Point, Withlacoochee River @ NE Withla Bluffs Way 2025-01-02

He got a very unusual result: 4,730 cfu/100 mL, even higher than at the WaterGoat on Sugar Creek.

Plates, Holly Point, Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02

Where did that contamination come from?

Quitman, do you read?

Valdosta, can you help?

Chart: Filthy Sugar Creek Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02
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 context on where these Sugar Creek locations are.

Map: Gornto Road Sugar Creek Bridge in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS Water Quality Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered sampling materials to a tester.

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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