Clean Withlacoochee River and Ty Ty Creek 2025-03-19

It’s a good weekend for boating, if you are experienced and like water high and fast.

WWALS and Valdosta Utilities got good water quality results both upstream and downstream of Sugar Creek for Wednesday, and there has only been a sprinkle of rain since.

No new sewage spills were reported in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is predicted until Monday.

The Withlacoochee River at Pinetta is too high to paddle, as is the Suwannee at Fargo and the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers near where they join.

Avoid those spots, and happy high and fast water fishing, swimming, paddling, or boating this weekend.

If you are experienced, join us on Saturday, March 22, 2025, for the Expert paddle with jon boats: Troupville to Knights Ferry, Withlacoochee River.

The Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle has been rescheduled to April 19th.

For these and other WWALS outings and events, see: https://wwals.net/outings/

Clean Withlacoochee River and Ty Ty Creek 2025-03-19, No new sewage spills, No rain this weekend

Ty Ty Creek

WWALS Intern and water quality tester Samantha Carr got a pretty clean 133 cfu/100mL E. coli at the US 319 bridge southwest of Tifton. Ty Ty Creek flows into Warrior Creek, which joins the Little River between Kinard Bridge Landing and Red Roberts Landing.

Withlacoochee River

WWALS tester Cindy Vedas got very clean 33 cfu/100 mL at Staten Road, upstream from US 41. She noted, “River back in the banks here. Looks clean and was!”

Valdosta Utilities good results at GA 133 and US 84: 60 and 40 cfu/100 mL, both well below the 126 three-test average limit. Cindy’s tests were upstream of Sugar Creek, and Valdosta Utilities’ were downstream.

Also for Wednesday, downstream at Holly Point, almost to the Suwannee River, WWALS tester Russ Tatum got “Interesting results this week, cleaner than I anticipated:” 66 cfu/100 mL.

Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River, OK Ty Ty Creek 2025-03-19
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.

Map: NOAA River Gauges 2025-03-21

Water quality testing training and funding

Kimberly Godden Tanner reviewed the results. Such review is part of every WWALS tester’s ongoing training.

WWALS Water Quality Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered supplies 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.

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/

-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/

Short Link:

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.

Ty Ty Creek

Withlacoochee River

Water quality testing training and funding

tyty

staten

HP

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