Update 2025-01-17: OK Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, Dirty New River, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-01-15.

Update 2025-01-13: Sugar Creek still filthy Saturday in Valdosta test results 2025-01-11.

Update: 2025-01-11: Samantha Carr, WWALS Intern and water quality tester 2025-01-10.

Sugar Creek is still filthy from the sewer line break upstream of Gornto Road on down to the Withlacoochee River.

The Little River tested clean at Troupville Boat Ramp Sunday, and the Withlacoochee River tested clean Thursday at Langdale Park upstream of Valdosta and OK Wednesday at Holly Point, a few miles from the Suwannee River.

The Alapaha River tested clean Thursday at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach.

Valdosta Utilities has not yet posted its Withlacoochee River results for this week.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia the Valdosta Sugar Creek broken sewer pipe finally showed up today.

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

Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Alapaha River, 2025-01-09

Sugar Creek

For Thursday, WWALS tester John S. Quarterman (jsq) got OK results of 133 cfu/100 mL at Baytree Road, well below the 410 one-time test limit for E. coli.

Sugar Creek @ Baytree Road 2025-01-09

The sewage-spilling pipe in Sugar Creek between Baytree and Gornto Road appeared in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report today.

Valdosta Sugar Creek Spill 2025-01-06 in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report 2025-01-10

The location of the spill is highlighted in this map.

Map: Sugar Creek from Baytree Road north to the Withlacoochee River in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

WWALS tester Suzy Hall for Sunday got Too Numerous to Count (TNTC) for Sugar Creek at Gornto Road, downstream from the spill.

Plates, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-01-05

The creek water was still green.

Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road other, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-01-05

Upstream from the bridge.

Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-01-05

On Thursday, Valdosta had put up a Sewage Spill sign by the Gornto Road bridge.

Valdosta Sewage Spill Sign, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-01-09

The WWALS warning sign was lying face down, still on the post with the bridge sign.

WWALS Sign, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-01-09

The bridge workers had taken it down because they had completely removed the approach to the bridge, and were working down below.

Bridge workers, Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-01-09

One of the workers suggested I could climb on the water pipe and hop to the bridge from there. I told him I didn’t want to get there that bad.

So I sampled slightly downstrem, in front of Berta’s Kitchen, and got TNTC.

Plates, Berta’s Kitchen, Sugar Creek 2025-01-09

I did not take any pictures there, because I was preoccupied with realizing I had stepped in the creek water without boots. I’m never using those shoes again.

Withlacoochee River

For Thursday, jsq got zero (0) for Langdale Park Boat Ramp.

Valdosta Sewage Spill and WWALS water trail signs, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2025-01-09

The water is a good level for paddling, although I suspect you won’t get far before encountering deadfalls.

Sky dog, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2025-01-09

Sign, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2025-01-09

Plates, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-01-09

As mentioned, Valdosta Utilities has not yet posted its river results for this week.

WWALS tester Russ Tatum tested Wednesday at Holly Point.

Holly Point, Withlacoochee River @ NE Withla Bluffs Way 2025-01-07, 2025:01:08 11:06:50, 30.4137139, -83.2069639

That’s four miles upstream from the Suwannee River.

Holly Point other, Withlacoochee River @ NE Withla Bluffs Way 2025-01-07

He got 177 cfu/100 mL: not bad.

Plates, Holly Point, Withlacoochee River 2025-01-07

Little River

For Sunday, Suzy Hall got very clean 66 cfu/100 mL at Troupville Boat Ramp.

Upstream, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River @ GA 133 2025-01-05

Across, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River @ GA 133 2025-01-05

Clean Your Gear, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River @ GA 133 2025-01-05

Trash, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River @ GA 133 2025-01-05

Plates, Troupville Boat Ramp 2025-01-05

Alapaha River

For Thursday, WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner got very clean 33 cfu/100 mL at Lakeland Boat Ramp.

Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2025-01-09

Downstream, Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2025-01-09

Across, Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2025-01-09

Plates, Lakeland Boat Ramp 2025-01-09

Kim got cleanest zero (0) at Naylor Park Beach.

Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2025-01-08

Upstream, Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2025-01-08

Downstream, Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2025-01-08

Plates, Naylor Park Beach 2025-01-08

Chart: Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River, Good Alapaha River 2025-01-09
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.

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS Water Quality Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered a test kit to a new 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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