We had heard a report from Wednesday of a fish kill on Swift Creek, apparently at the Suwannee River.

So yesterday three of us went there and tested the water. We didn’t see any dead fish, and the Swift Creek Confluence doesn’t look much like what was in the Wednesday report video, so we’re not sure where that was.

We tested for E. coli, which was pretty clean, pH, which was slightly towards the base end, and Dissolved Oxygen (DO), which was low, but not fish-killing low. Probably it’s worth testing again.

Swift Creek comes down from the huge phosphate mine north of White Springs, which has previously gotten the mine’s owner into trouble with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Swift Creek, Florida Trail, Water Quality Testing 2025-06-21, Suwannee River, Hamilton County, FL

Gee Edwards drew a sample from Swift Creek just below the bridge on the Florida Trail.

Movie: Gee retrieving the sample bucket, 2025:06:21 15:15:48, (20M) –jsq for WWALS 30.3460400, -82.8267459

That bridge is marked on this map.

Map: Swift Creek Florida Trail on the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT)

Here’s the bridge.

Bridge from below, Swift Creek, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3460400, -82.8267459

Gee read from the instructions while I did the first Dissolved Oxygen test. Then Jason Deloach did the second DO test. They were within the required 0.6 parts per million, averaging about 4.2. That’s low, but not really low. Especially considering DO goes down with temperature, and the water was 27 Celsius or 80.6 Fahrenheit (the air was 36C, almost 97F).

Jason Deloach doing second Dissolved Oxygen test, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3460970, -82.8267500

Meanwhile, Gee walked down to the Swift Creek Confluence with the Suwannee River. No dead fish.

Swift Creek Confluence, Suwannee River, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3457500, -82.8271000

Both pH results came out 7.5, so clearly within the +/-0.25 tolerance. That’s a bit towards the base end of the scale. Perhaps all that limestone in the creekbed caused that.

Form: Swift Creek water quality results, 2025-06-21 –jsq for WWALS
PDF

The E. coli result was 66 cfu/100 mL, which is far below the 410 one-time test limit, and even below the 126 three-test average limit. So pretty clean.

There are more pictures below of the testing and of where we went on Swift Creek.

In 2009, the phosphate mine owner at the time, PCS, told the EPA about a huge wastewater spill. This caused a 2010 Consent Order.

Sinkhole 2009-12-10: EPA Enforcement Action – RCRA-04-0210-4250: Consent Order regarding Management of Phosphogypsum Stack Systems
PDF

One result of the Consent Order was the “New lined Swift Creek PGSS” shown towards the upper left of this map.

Map: New, lined Swift Creek PGSS
PDF

PGSS is an acronym for Phosphogypsum Storage Stack, or, in this case, apparently an associated detention pond.

You can see that two-part pond towards the upper left of this map.

Map: Swift Creek in the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT)

We know about that 2009 incident and 2010 Consent Order because of materials in the Hamilton County permit renewal application in 2023 by the Nutrien, the current owner of the mine.

It is not inconceivable that there was some other incident last week.

Whatever happened, we did not find much evidence of it Saturday on Swift Creek down by the Suwannee River.

 -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/

SCT

Swift Creek Tract CR 25A Entrance, 2025:06:21 14:54:35, –jsq for WWALS 30.3507633, -82.8165642

OttSR

Movie: Onwards to the Suwannee River, 2025:06:21 15:01:03, (26M) –jsq for WWALS 30.3423100, -82.8248300

AtSR

At the Suwannee River, 2025:06:21 15:03:30, –jsq for WWALS 30.3421539, -82.8262533

PFT

Movie: Palmetto on the Florida Trail, 2025:06:21 15:08:57, (40M) –jsq for WWALS 30.3442970, -82.8258590

ST

Movie: Swamp Titi, Cyrilla racemiflora, 2025:06:21 15:10:15, (14M) –jsq for WWALS 30.3445400, -82.8259460

DSFT

Downstream, Swift Creek, Florida Trail, 2025:06:21 15:12:55, –jsq for WWALS 30.3460970, -82.8267459

SCSR

Far bank of Suwwannee River visible downstream from Swift Creek, FT, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3460970, -82.8267459

USFT

Upstream, Swift Creek, Florida Trail, 2025:06:21 15:13:04, –jsq for WWALS 30.3460970, -82.8267459

GEtb

Movie: Gee Edwards tossing the bucket for a sample, 2025:06:21 15:15:40, (20M) –jsq for WWALS 30.3460400, -82.8267459

BfB

PDSCB

Pine deadfall and Swift Creek Bridge, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3457500, -82.8271000

USR

Upstream Suwannee River at Swift Creek Confluence, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3457500, -82.8271000

RS

Rope swing, Swift Creek Confluence, Suwannee River, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3457500, -82.8271000

TDO

jsq testing for Dissolved Oxygen, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3460970, -82.8267500

DOTS

jsq with DO test sample, 2025-06-21, –Gee Edwards for WWALS 30.3460970, -82.8267500

SCCR25AB

Movie: Upstream, Swift Creek, CR 25A Bridge, 2025:06:21 16:36:04, (10M), 30.3460970, -82.82675 –jsq for WWALS 30.3509910, -82.8178770

IB

Movie: Incubating the biological samples, 2025:06:21 17:59:40 (110M) –jsq for WWALS

SCResults

EPA Action

 -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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