Sugar Creek was too high at Baytree Road and at the WaterGoat in WWALS E. coli tests. However, Valdosta Utilities and WWALS got clean results for the Withlacoochee River downstream. And WWALS got excellent results for the Alapaha River.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is predicted until Wednesday.

So avoid Sugar Creek, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15, Happy Paddling this weekend

Sugar Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman sampled four Sugar Creek location Wednesday and got 900 at Baytree Road, 200 at the railroad, 233 at Gornto Road, and 500 at the WaterGoat. Those first and last results are above the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test limit for E. coli.

Something is still not right in Sugar Creek.

See also Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass, Valdosta Utilities 2025-05-14.
https://wwals.net/?p=67642

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities reported nothing for US 41, because it was only testing there as part of the major spill followup testing. It got a pretty clean 190 at GA 133 and a very clean 40 cfu/100 mL E. coli at US 84.

WWALS tester Russ Tatum got cleanest zero (0) at Holly Point, downstream in Florida almost to the Suwannee River. “Clean Withlacoochee!” he wrote.

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner wrote, “Both sites look good. Bia and I concur on the following results.” They got clean 66 at Lakeland Boat Ramp and cleanest zero (0) at Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River.

Chart: Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee Alapaha Rivers 2025-05-14-15
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: Sugar Creek from Baytree Road north to the Withlacoochee River in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS Water Quality Tester Kimberly Godden Tanner and others reviewed the results. Such review is part of every WWALS tester’s ongoing training.

WWALS water quality testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman held refresher training for testers who need it.

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

Across, Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 –Kim Tanner for WWALS, 2025-05-15

NPB

Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 –Kim Tanner for WWALS, 2025-05-15

BR

Baytree Road, Sugar Creek –John S. Quarterman for WWALS, 2025:05:14 13:22:48, 30.8472178, -83.3139584

RR

Railroad, Sugar Creek –John S. Quarterman for WWALS, 2025:05:14, 13:35:00, 30.8519000, -83.3148300

GR

Gornto Road, Sugar Creek –John S. Quarterman for WWALS, 2025:05:14 13:09:45, 30.8598663, -83.3173125

WG

WaterGoat, Sugar Creek –John S. Quarterman for WWALS, 2025:05:14 12:58:23, 30.8624724, -83.3185764

HP

Holly Point, Withlacoochee River –Russ Tatum for WWALS, 2025-05-14

 -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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