Sugar Creek is filthy again, according to a WWALS sample of Thursday.

All the Withlacoochee River results we have are clean, but the most recent are from Monday, so we don’t know what conditions are like now.

The Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean for Thursday samples.

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 weekend, but I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River downstream from Sugar Creek.

Come join us today, Saturday, at the WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival 2026-03-14, in Drexel Park, on One Mile Branch, in Valdosta, Georgia.

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

Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2026-03-12, Clean Santa Fe River, Withlacoochee unknown

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: Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers, 2026-03-12 –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.

Sugar Creek

Suzy Hall sampled Thursday at the Watergoat on Sugar Creek, slightly upstream from the Withlacoochee River, and got a filthy 2,600 cfu/100 mL. That’s more than twice the alert limit of 1,000. She noted, “Not good. Figured it wouldn’t be as I could smell a sewagey smell just upstream from the Goat. Sewage line was checked with no noticeable compromise this time.”

Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2026-03-12 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

She added, “Plates looks like the measles.”

Plates, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2026-03-12 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

Withlacoochee River

Last Friday before the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, John S. Quarterman sampled the Withlacoochee River at GA 133 and got a clean 66 cfu/100 mL.

Under GA 133 Bridge, Withlacoochee River, 2026:03:06 09:08:25, –jsq for WWALS 30.8500744, -83.3398013

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 got a clean 100 cfu/100 mL.

Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River, 2026:03:06 08:55:26, –jsq for WWALS 30.8514214, -83.3475450

Valdosta Utilities sampled Monday and got a pretty good 170 at GA 133 and a very clean 10 at US 84. But all that was before the horrid Sugar Creek result.

Table: GA 133 and US 84, 2026-03-09 –Valdosta Utilities

Alapaha River

Kim Tanner sampled her usual two Alapaha River sites Thursday, Lakeland Boat Ramp at GA 122 and Naylor Park Beach above US 84.

She remarked, “Great results from samples taken at both sites. Water is much higher than it was the last couple of times I visited.”

Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2026-03-12 –Kim Tanner for WWALS

Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2026-03-12 –Kim Tanner for WWALS

She added, “Unfortunately, some of the same people who enjoy Naylor Park Beach to sit around a fire left so much trash that had been thrown into the fire. I did not have the time or tools to get it cleaned up. I will try to get back there with both.”

Trash, Naylor Park Beach, Alapaha River @ US 84 2026-03-12 –Kim Tanner for WWALS

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler got a cleanest 0 cfu/100 mL for Thursday at Mills Dock, slightly upstream from Poe Spring. They noted, “Full test run and all parameters good after 1/2″ rain.”

Air Temp 26.9
Water Temp 23.9
pH 7.5
DO 5.0 5.2
Conductivity 22.3 C 0.52

Mills Dock, Santa Fe River @ NW 282nd Dr 2026-03-12 –Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler 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 Cindy Vedas, 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/

WG

TBR

GA133

LBR

NPB –Kim Tanner for WWALS

MillsDock

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