Update 2025-01-31: Clean New, Withlacoochee, Alapaha Rivers; Sugar Creek finally OK 2025-01-29.

As Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes promised Friday, results from the Valdosta water quality samples that day are on the city’s website.

There’s good news and bad news.

Cleaner but still dirty, Sugar Creek 2025-01-24, Baytree Road bad, Gornto Road worse

The good news is: E. coli counts at Gornto Road are down to 2,500 from 8,900 cfu/100 mL a week before.

Gornto Road, Valdosta Sewage Spill sign, 12:42:03, 30.8595984, -83.3174196

So maybe the sewer line break with the bypass is the only one between Baytree Road and Gornto Road on Sugar Creek.

Bypass and sewer main break, 12:25:20, 30.8538479, -83.3153636

The bad news is: that’s still 2.5 times the alert limit of 1,000.

Contamination signs and Sugar Creek at Baytree Road, 11:55:55, 30.8469788, -83.3135502

And upstream at Baytree Road this Friday’s result of 520 is barely lower than 570 a week before. Both results are above the one-time test limit of 410. So maybe there is a sewer line break somewhere upstream of Baytree Road.

Valdosta Sugar Creek Spill Testing 2025-01-24

Valdosta Utilities also tested the Withlacoochee River at US 41 (North Valdosta Road), upstream of Sugar Creek, and at US 84, downstream of Sugar Creek. Upstream is stil OK. Downstream is down to 360 from 420 the week before, so that’s good.

Valdosta Withlacoochee River Sugar Creek Spill Testing 2025-01-24

The results Valdosta Utilities posted are part of the testing GA-EPD requires after a major spill: each day for a week, then once a week for four weeks. So we probably won’t see more results from Valdosta Utilities until at the earliest Thursday for Wednesday.

Here are some pictures of the Sugar Creek sewer main bypass that I took Saturday.

South end of the bypass, south towards Baytree Road, 12:28:11, 30.8527546, -83.3149894

Bypass under the railroad trestle, 12:27:21, 30.8531808, -83.3153108

Bottom (north) end of bypass, 12:11:57, 30.8545575, -83.3154468

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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