Best to stay away from Sugar Creek, and the Withlacoochee River near it, although downstream near the Suwannee River the Withlacoochee tested clean.

The Alapaha River tested clean.

As noted yesterday, the Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill finally showed up yesterday in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. That was the only sewage spill reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia, and no new sewage spills were reported in the past week in Florida.

No rain is predicted for this weekend, so avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River upstream, and happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.

Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream, but clean downstream

Depending on water levels and river contamination, join us Tuesday for Chainsaw again upstream from Troupville towards Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22.
https://wwals.net/?p=67969

Those interested in Sugar Creek or sewage spills, come to Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30.
https://wwals.net/?p=67990

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner tested her usual two Alapaha River sites at Lakeland Boat Ramp on GA 122 and Naylor Park Beach at US 84, and got zero (0) E. coli for both.

“Both sites looked great,” she said.

Sugar Creek

Since Valdosta Utilities reported the Sugar Creek sewage spill as a major spill, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) requires testing every day for a week, then once a week for three weeks, then again on the twelfth month. That testing is why it’s a good thing they did report it as a major spill.

Sewage Spills Report with Valdosta 2025-07-13 Sugar Creek Spill, 2025-07-17 —GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report

The report says the spill started Sunday the 13th, although Suzy Hall’s test for WWALS for Saturday the 12th already found Too Numerous to Count (TNTC) E. coli down at the WaterGoat. Nobody actually knows when the spill started, but it was earlier than Sunday.

Table: Sugar Creek @ Baytree Road and Gornto Road, 2025-07-17 –Valdosta Utilities

As you can see, Valdosta’s results continue to be higher than the alert limit of 1,000 downstream of the spill at Gornto Road.

Surprisingly, they are also higher upstream at Baytree Road.

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes tells me they are looking upstream to be sure there are no more spills.

Map: Sugar Creek from Baytree Road north to the Withlacoochee River in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT) 2025-01-09

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes also wrote me that, “We have a plan in place to move the sewer pipe to the other side of the railroad side out of sugar creek should start very soon waiting on the approval from the railroad.”

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta’s followup testing also shows higher than the 410 one-time test limit on the Withlacoochee River upstream from Sugar Creek, at US 41 (North Valdosta Road).

Table: Withlacochee River at GA 133 and US 84, 2025-07-17 –Valdosta Utilities

And on the most recent two days, also above 410 downstream at US 84.

However, downstream almost to the Suwannee River, WWALS tester Russ Tatum sampled both Wednesday and Thursday at Holly Point, and got zero (0) E. coli each time. So maybe the contamination hasn’t gotten there yet, which is possible, since there has been little rain. Or it got diluted before it got that far.

Chart: Filthy Sugar Creek, Dirty Withlacoochee River but clean downstream, Clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17
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

WWALS testers Suzy Hall and John S. Quarterman reviewed the other tester’s results. Such review is part of every WWALS tester’s ongoing training.

If you want to get trained by WWALS water quality testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman 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 2025-07-17 –Kim Tanner for WWALS

NPB

Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2025-07-17 –Kim Tanner for WWALS

GAEPD

Sewage Spills Report with Valdosta 2025-07-13 Sugar Creek Spill, 2025-07-17 –GA-EPD

HP

Holly Point, Withlacoochee River @ NE Withla Bluffs Way 2025-07-16 –Russ Tatum for WWALS

 -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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