Heather Brasell got WWALS water quality testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman invited to talk about water quality with students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). They did this in the classroom at the Gaskins Forest Education Center (GFEC) and onsite at streams coming from the Town of Alapaha Wastewater Treatment Plant.

WWALS teaching ABAC students about water quality @ GFEC, Watersheds and microbes, plants and animals 2025-11-21

They did the classroom part at Gaskins Forest Education Center (GFEC), 3359 Moore Sawmill Rd, Alapaha, GA 31622, in Berrien County. Gretchen talked about what watersheds are, about the watersheds of the Suwannee River Basin, about WWALS, and generally about Georgia Adopt-A-Stream water quality testing such as WWALS does.

Map: Gaskins Forest Education Center (GFEC) on the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)

Then for the hands-on part they went to the creek running out of the wastewater plant for the Town of Alapaha, Georgia, upstream from Sheboggy Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River at US 82. You may recognize that location as one of the ones where Heather samples for water quality once a month. On the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT) map we call these Alapaha Elementary School Stream because the main branch comes down from that school before passing the wastewater plant.

Map: Streams from Town of Alapaha Wastewater Treatment Plant — ARWT

They split up into three groups on three branches of the creek to do a watershed survey to get the big picture of the site, and a visual survey, to look for sedimentation, erosion, excess nutrients, sewage leaks, etc. They looked for plants and animals living in the streams.

Gretchen went with one group of students, Heather with another, and ABAC Professor David Ray with the third.

Classroom

Students noting what Gretchen Quarterman says, 2025:11:21 09:27:29 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

Heather Brasell and students, 2025:11:21 09:43:24, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3452889, -83.1771472

Heather leading the class, 2025:11:21 09:43:35, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3452889, -83.1771472

Picking a site, 2025:11:21 09:58:19 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

Gretchen with WWALS banner, 2025:11:21 10:09:57 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

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WWALS banner, Gretchen, Heather, and class, 2025:11:21 10:28:50, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3452861, -83.1770694

Onsite

Student asking a question, 2025:11:21 11:03:44, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3894722, -83.2175611

Students inventorying a creek, 2025:11:21 11:03:50, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3895889, -83.2175222

John the caretaker of the AWTP, 2025:11:21 11:20:26 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

Through the broken fence to the AAWTP dam, 2025:11:21 11:26:31, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3888139, -83.2180944

Students on the AAWTP dam, 2025:11:21 11:27:23, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3886694, -83.2182222

Heather, students, AAWTP, 2025:11:21 11:27:33, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3887194, -83.2182778

Heather explaining, 2025:11:21 11:29:00, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3887444, -83.2182528

Gretchen and students at AAWTP, 2025:11:21 11:33:06 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

Students at AAWTP, 2025:11:21 11:33:16 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

OK at AAWTP, 2025:11:21 11:35:06 –Heather Brasell for WWALS

Heather at a deer stand, 2025:11:21 11:41:18, –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS 31.3893472, -83.2170556

 -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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