For once every river WWALS tested came out clean, and Valdosta Utilities concurs.

And even Sugar Creek tested clean at the WaterGoat, just above the Withlacoochee River.

No new sewage spills have been reported this week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this sunny warm weekend.

Come join us today, Saturday, for the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge 2026-03-07.

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for the details.

Clean Santa Fe, New, and Withlacoochee Rivers, and Sugar Creek, 2026-03-05

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet.

Chart: Clean Santa Fe, New, Withlacoochee Rivers and Sugar Creek, 2026-03-05 –WWALS composite spreadsheet
For context see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing
 
Previous WWALS water quality reports are here:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results
 
Also follow that link for the underlying spreadsheet of water quality, sewage spills, and rainfall from Georgia and Florida sources for the Suwannee River Basin.

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.

New River

Isis Swartz got a bit higher results for Wednesday for the New River at 18th Street, 300 cfu/100 mL. That’s still well below the 410 one-time test limit.

Plates, 716 18th Street, Tifton, GA 2026-03-04 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

And once again she got an even cleaner 33 downstream at US 82.

Plates, US 82 New River Bridge, Tifton, GA 2026-03-04 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler got clean 33 cfu/100 mL for Wednesday at Mills Dock, slightly upstream from Poe Spring.

Also Air Temp. 21.2; Water Temp. 21.5.

They remarked, “We remain in a drought, low river levels with hyacinths, duckweed, and some patches of algae along shoreline.”

Mills Dock, Santa Fe River @ NW 282nd Dr 2026-03-04 –Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler for WWALS

Withlacoochee River upstream

WWALS tester Cindy Vedas sampled Thursday at two Withlacoochee River sites.

At Staten Road she got a cleanest zero (0) cfu/100 mL. She noted, “Staten results were good.”

Staten Road, Withlacoochee River @ Staten Road 2026-03-05 –Cindy Vedas for WWALS

At Langdale Park, she got a clean 100. She noted, “There was no trash. He only sampled at the ramp. On Facebook I saw pictures of where a concerned citizen or citizens were cleaning it up . Huge amount of trash picked up.”

Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2026-03-05 –Cindy Vedas for WWALS

Sugar Creek

Suzy Hall tested at the Watergoat on Sugar Creek, slightly upstream from the Withlacoochee River, and got a pretty clean 200 cfu/100 mL for Thursday.

Southern dewberry, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2026-03-05 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

Withlacoochee River downstream

Valdosta Utilities posted results for Tuesday at GA 133 and US 84: a clean 120 and a very clean 80.

Table: GA 133 and US 84, Withlacoochee River, 2026-03-03 — Valdosta Utilities

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman sampled at GA 133 Friday. Final results will finish incubating after this report, but it looks like they will be very clean.

He also sampled at Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River, a third of a mile upstream from the Little River Confluence with the Withlacoochee River, and it looks like that result will be even cleaner.

WWALS tester Russ Tatum got a cleanest zero (0) cfu/100 mL for Wednesday at Holly Point, four Withlacoochee River miles upstream from the Suwannee River.

He noted, “Clean Withlacoochee down here.”

He also has native wild azaleas.

Holly Point other, Withlacoochee River @ NE Withla Bluffs Way 2026-03-04 –Russ Tatum for WWALS

FDEP Public Notice of Pollution

Apparently the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has given up on its map for its Public Notice of Pollution.

Going to that map now get this error message:

Retired
Public Notice of Pollution has been retired.

Public Notice of Pollution
Owned by: FDEPAGO

Public Notice of Pollution Retired, 2026-03-06 –FDEPAGO

Following the link to the description still gets no reason why.

Public Notice of Pollution Description, 2026-03-02 –FDEPAGO

Fortunately, you can still get a spreadsheet of reports.

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS testers Christiaan Ard, Kim Tanner, Suzy Hall, and John S. Quarterman reviewed the WWALS results. Such review is part of the WWALS standard ongoing testing quality analysis.

If you want to get trained by WWALS 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/

staten

Plates, Staten Road 2026-03-05 –Cindy Vedas for WWALS

LPBR –Cindy Vedas for WWALS

Plates, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2026-03-05 –Cindy Vedas for WWALS

WG

HP

MillsDock

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