Update 2025-02-16: Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River at State Line 2025-02-14.

Sugar Creek wasn’t as horrible this week as last, but it still tested too high in E. coli at Gornto Road and downstream for Wednesday.

That was before an inch or two of rain Thursday, which most likely washed more contamination into Sugar Creek and on into the Withlacoochee River.

Dirty Sugar Creek & Clean Withlacoochee 2025-02-12, Clean Alapaha River 2025-02-13, Before the rains

But Valdosta Utilities got good results for the Withlacoochee River both upstream and downstream of Sugar Creek.

And WWALS got excellent results for the Alapaha River at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach.

One new sewage spill was reported in the last week in Georgia, by Ashburn, into Hat Creek upstream on the Alapaha River. See other post:
https://wwals.net/?p=66982

None were reported in Florida.

Saturday is supposed to be partly sunny, with thunderstorms Sunday.

So other than near Sugar Creek, happy fishing, swimming, paddling, and boating this weekend, before the rain!

We did cancel the chainsaw cleanup tomorrow, due to high water level and Sugar Creek contamination.

But there’s another one on Sunday, February 23:
https://wwals.net/?p=66972

Sugar Creek

Valdosta Utilities for Wednesday got 700 cfu/100 mL of E. coli at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek. That’s above the 410 one-time test limit.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall got 466 that same day downstream at the WaterGoat.

In good news, Suzy reported, “Saw a school of mullet upstream of the goat. They were good sized. Also countless “minnows”. Large. Not sure what type. Good to see life back down there again.”

Also Wednesday, Valdosta Utilities got 120 upstream at Baytree Road, below the 126 three-test average limit, so that’s very good. So there’s still something wrong between Baytree Road and Gornto Road.

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

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities got good results for the Withlacoochee River at US 41, just upstream from Langdale Park, which is upstream of Sugar Creek.

They also got good results downstream of Sugar Creek at GA 133 and US 84. Apparently the much larger volume of river water is diluting the Sugar Creek water.

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner got excellent results at both Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach: zero (0). She noted, “Cannot get better than this.”

Chart: Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee & Alapaha Rivers 2025-02-13
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

Suzy Hall reviewed the results. Such review is part of every WWALS tester’s ongoing training.

WWALS Water Quality Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman was on vacation.

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.

There are more images below.

 -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/

LBR

Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2025-02-13

NPB

Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2025-02-13

WG

Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2025-02-12

 -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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