Clean Alapaha River 2025-08-03, Dirty Creeks 2025-08-06, Withlacoochee River Clean downstream 2025-08-07

Valdosta Utilities got very bad E. coli results Monday, after its sewage spill into One Mile Branch. But not just bad on Sugar Creek. Also bad upstream of Sugar Creek at US 41 on the Withlacoochee River, and downstream at both GA 133 and US 84.

Very bad, as in more than 9,000 cfu/100 mL, for each of the five locations they tested. That’s 9 times the 1,000 alert limit.

With Wednesday samples, WWALS got higher than the 410 one-time test limit for Cat Creek and Beatty Branch at Cat Creek Road, and for Franklinville Road on the Withlacoochee River, which is upstream of those creeks.

Surprisingly, the WWALS Wednesday test result for Langdale Park Boat Ramp was OK at 166. Surprising because that’s downstream from the other WWALS results of the same day, and just downstream from Valdosta Utilities’s sky-high Monday result at US 41.

Farther downstream for Thursday, WWALS got zero near the Suwannee River.

Meanwhile, for Sunday on the Alapaha River near Alapaha, GA, WWALS got very good results. There was one tiny sewage spill on Tuesday way upstream at Rochelle, GA, but that spill “Did not enter state waters.” No other sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

Storms and thunderstorms are predicted for the next ten days.

If you can avoid the weather, and avoid the Withlacoochee River upstream and near Sugar Creek, happy paddling, motoring, fishing, and swimming this weekend.

Filthy Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee 2025-08-04, Dirty Cat Creek and Beatty Branch 2025-08-06, Clean Alapaha River 2025-08-03, Clean Withlacoochee downstream 2025-08-07

Or come to the WWALS Social tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 6PM at Banks Lake west of Lakeland, Georgia.
https://wwals.net/?p=67844

Later that same evening, you can also join the Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle on Banks Lake.
https://wwals.net/?p=67607

Cat Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman (jsq) got 833 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Cat Creek at Cat Creek Road. That’s twice the 410 one-time test limit.

WWALS is working on a grant strategy to do systematic testing of Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek to get at the bottom of that. It will be expensive, because it will require DNA testing in addition to many frequent E. coli tests.

Cat Creek @ Cat Creek Road, 2025:08:06 11:47:05, –jsq for WWALS 30.9900219, -83.2449536

Beatty Branch

For Beatty Branch at Cat Creek Road, jsq 433 cfu/100 mL, which is also above the 410 one-time test limit.

Beatty Branch @ Cat Creek Road, 2025:08:06 12:05:03, –jsq for WWALS 30.9801179, -83.2463424

Beatty Branch runs into Cat Creek, which joins the Withlacoochee River below Franklinville.

Map: Beatty Branch highlighted, Cat Creek, Withlacoochee River
in the WWALS map of the withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

Withlacoochee River upstream

For Franklinville Landing at Tyler Bridge, upstream from Cat Creek, jsq unexpectedly got too-high 466 cfu/100 mL.

Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River, 2025:08:06 12:41:27, –jsq for WWALS 30.9817584, -83.2680860

At Langdale Park Boat Ramp, jsq got 166 cfu/100 mL, which is pretty good.

Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, 2025:08:06 13:19:17, –jsq for WWALS 30.8876729, -83.3235665

Chart: Dirty Creeks, Withlacoochee River Clean Downstream 2025-08-07
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.

For Monday at US 41, just upstream from Langdale Park, Valdosta Utilities got 9,600 cfu/100 mL, which is higher than anyone would like.

Withlacoochee River @ US 41 & US 84, 2025-08-04 –Valdosta Utilities

Sugar Creek

Valdosta Utilities’ Sugar Creek results for Monday were still way too high, 9,676 cfu/100 mL at Baytree Road, and also 9,676 downstream at Gornto Road. Once again, 1,000 is the alert limit.

Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road & Baytree Road –Valdosta Utilities, 2025-08-04 –Valdosta Utilities

Withlacoochee River downstream

Valdosta Utilities for Monday also got very high for GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River: 9,600 cfu/100 mL. And 9,676 farther downstream at US 84.

Withlacoochee River @ GA 133 & US 84, 2025-08-04 –Valdosta Utilities

Downstream on the Withlacoochee River in Florida at Holly Point, not far up from the Suwannee River, WWALS tester Russ Tatum for Thursday got zero (0) cfu/100 mL, which is as clean as could be.

He remarked, “Surprisingly good results with all the rain in the area.”

The rain may explain both the contamination it washed into the waterways, and why at Langdale Park a few days later and downstream at Holly Point the Withlacoochee River was cleaner.

Valdosta Gauge, 2025-08-08 –NOAA

A huge amount of rainwater came down the Withlacoochee River, and also into it down the Little River, after the rains early in the week. The sheer volume of rainwater probably diluted the contamination and washed it downstream.

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Heather Brasell sampled Sunday at her two Alapaha River locations, and got a clean 100 at the Town of Alapaha’s wastewater plant outflow.

Alapaha Settlement Pond Stream, Alapaha River @ US 82 2025-08-03 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

And a cleanest zero (0) on the Alapaha River just above Sheboggy Boat Ramp at US 82.

Sheboggy Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ US 82 2025-08-03 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS testers Cindy Vedas, Suzy Hall, and Kim Tanner reviewed the results. Such review is part of WWALS quality control.

WWALS water quality testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman trained some new volunteers in Jasper, Florida, Wednesday.

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.

Cat Creek

Beatty Branch

Withlacoochee River upstream

Sugar Creek

Withlacoochee River downstream

Alapaha River

Water quality testing training and funding

CCCCR

BBCCR

FL

FVM

LP

GR

HP

Spills

AWWTP

SBR

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