E. coli is the canary in the coal mine for other contaminants in waterways.

For years WWALS has been asking the state of Florida to test frequently in many places on all rivers, to very little response FDEP did do some testing for chemical and biological tracers, including DNA tests, after Valdosta’s huge December 2019 spill, but that petered out. While FDEP was doing that, those results helped identify another source of contamination that was not Valdosta.

WWALS did test the Withlacoochee River for PFAS forever chemicals and round some, although much less than many other rivers, and no higher below the outfall of Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant or PCA’s package plant.

FDEP continued with quarterly tests for a while, and put at least its fecal bacteria results online. But it stopped doing that last year.

The 2020 GA-EPD Consent Order on Valdosta required bacterial testing of the Withlacoochee River over 40 river miles three times a week, for four years. Once those four years were up, Valdosta dropped back to two locaitons once a week.

USGS ceased financial support for nitrate and pH monitoring in eight Florida springs this year. It is not clear whether SRWMD picked up the slack.

We need more testing, not less.

Need more river testing, and more types of testing, DNA, PFAS, metals, etc., by FDEP and others

Treated wastewater still has PFAS and other contaminants, as Joe Squiteri of Lee, Florida, pointed out in the recent meeting of the Florida Rivers Task Force with the City of Valdosta.

2025-08-14–pfas-in-treated-wastewater-joe-squiteri-lee-fl

• PFAS in treated wastewater –Joe Squitieri, Lee, FL
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/SciQgkROzJw

  Treated wastewater still has PFAS and other contaminants –Joe Squitieri, Lee, FL

  
  

He asked for Valdosta to post its test results for such contaminants in treated wastewater so we can all see them.

As Jeff Greenberg pointed out on facebook recently, “Coliform bacteria is only one important, dangerous component. How about herbicides, pesticides, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, petroleum distillates, suspended solids, fertilizers…..? We need to do much more analyses over all our freshwaterways.🤔”

Here’s an example of what can be done, WWALS Summary of FDEP chemical and biological tracers, Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers 2020-08-05.

Human and Ruminant DNA markers + FDEP sampling map

These results from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) helped determine that Withlacoochee River contamination for the first few weeks after that huge December 2019 sewage spill was definitely from Valdosta.

Table 3: Human DNA markers

But further contamination in later weeks came from ruminants. Which turned out to be cows in Brooks County, Georgia.

Table 4: Ruminant DNA markers

After we confirmed that diagnosis with much more waterway E. coli testing, I approached some of the cattle owners or managers. They were shocked, horrified, and wanted to be part of the solution. They have been: the numbers are way lower now. See Current Situation of Water Quality Testing, Suwannee River Basin 2020-08-02.

FDEP used to publish at least its bacterial results online here:
https://publicfiles.dep.state.fl.us/DEAR/DEARweb/Event_Response/

With a map of sampling locations here (click on Suwannee River Basin Sampling): https://floridadep.gov/dear/watershed-monitoring-section/content/suwannee-river-basin-sampling-locations

But that FDEP spreadsheet has not been updated since April 2024. Maybe you’d like to ask FDEP and your Florida statehouse delegation to resume that.

WWALS has also done some DNA testing, which revealed that there is also a problem with wild hogs. See Cattle and hogs: Withlacoochee River water quality status 2021-06-27.

Map: Quitman, Valdosta, Okapilco Creek, Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee-River in the WWALS map of all public landings in the Suwannee River Basin.

As part of a nationwide initiative by Waterkeeper Alliance, WWALS tested for PFAS forever chemicals in the Withlacoochee River on June 30, 2020.

Dr. Tom Potter, WWALS Science Committee Chair, 2022-06-30, 09:58:16, –jsq for WWALS 30.8932587, -83.3185618

WWALS Science Committee Chair Dr. Tom Potter and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman sampled upstream and downstream from the outflow of Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Georgia PFAS results: US 41 and Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River

We sampled the outflow on Jumping Gully Creek in north Florida from the Packaging Corporatiion of America (PCA) plant in south Georgia.

Florida PFAS results: State Line Boat Ramp and Sullivan Launch, Withlacoochee River

In both cases, PFAS was no higher downstream than upstream.

We know that some PFAS came from Moody Air Force Base, on Beatty Branch, upstream from Valdosta down Cat Creek and the Withlacoochee River. See Testing for firefighting chemicals in wells and waterways 2019-01-18.

Debra Tann and John Quarterman look at the site where water runs off from Moody Air Force Base. Photo: Derrek Vaughn, The Valdosta Daily Times.

However, Forever chemicals contaminate Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida 2022-10-18, including sewage sludge and even rainwater. PFAS concentrate in fish; see PFAS in fish in Alapaha River 2023-01-17.

For much more about PFAS, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/pfas/

Then there’s the issue of contaminants from strip mining.

See SRWMD purchased Rayonier tract with mineral rights leased to Chemours for TiO2 mining –SRWMD to Carol Mosley 2025-07-11. Chemours tells me that their wastewater has nothing harmful in it. But FDEP has complained of numerous exceedances, including of radium.

Is Chemours to blame for flooding rural Santa Fe River Basin? –Grist 2025-09-04

The Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) this month approved another huge ten-year Water Use Permit for the Nutrien White Springs Phosphate Mine, nevermind a recent fish kill in Swift Creek and many previous creek contamination events.

Nutrien water withdrawals approved, Consent Agenda unchanged, Letters from WWALS and OSFR ignored –SRWMD 2025-09-09

The U.S. Geographical Survey (USGS) told SRWMD that it was halting funding for nitrate and pH testing in eight Florida springs, as well as some other testing. SRWMD staff said the District might be able to pick up the slack. I have not seen

No Nitrate, Beginning July 1, 2025, 2025-07-08 –SRWMD

Yet SRWMD and SJRWMD are willing to spend a billion dollars over the next decade or so to pipe Jacksonville treated wastewater into swamps in the Suwannee River Basin to recharge aquifers. Nevermind the PFAS and other contaminants still in that water.

SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08, What about PFAS? and limits on water withdrawals?

The state of Florida is also spending billions of dollars for the Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) that after five years so far have resulted in worse nitrate contamination in the Santa Fe River.

Santa Fe River BMAP Meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28 Better communication than last time

It seems to me that the state of Florida, and Georgia, and the city of Valdosta, should be doing more waterway testing, not less.

If you agree, please contact your elected and appointed officials, as well as any people you know that they listen to.

Meanwhile, WWALS continues to write grant proposals for more testing, including another problem area upstream from Valdosta on Cat Creek.

We continue to do what we can with current funding. If you’d like to participate in the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program, please look here:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

 -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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