Here’s a plan to find creek and river contamination and fix it. “This Nine-Element Plan for Cat Creek, HUC 0311020303, facilitates finding and fixing contamination that is getting into the Withlacoochee River upstream from Valdosta, Georgia, from Cat Creek and its feeder creeks in Berrien and Lowndes Counties, Georgia.”

Cat Creek Nine Element Plan, Find and fix contamination into Withlacoochee River, WWALS, VSU, USDA NRCS 2026-05-14

Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update

This Plan is featured on two pages of the 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update for Lowndes County and the Cities of Dasher, Hahira, Lake Park, Remerton, & Valdosta.

The Lowndes County Commission will vote tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 5:30 PM, on transmitting that update to the state of Georgia.

WWALS is also mentioned a few other places in that Update, such as under Natural Resources, Opportunities & Existing Resources, “WWALS has a water quality testing program that trains people how to conduct water tests following spills.”

And under Natural Resource, Policies, “Lowndes County and the Cities should collaborate with local outdoor groups, such as WWALS, to market and promote local outdoor events and cleanups.”

Executive Summary

Contamination coming down Cat Creek into the Withlacoochee River is the reason for this Plan. GA-EPD has listed the subject stream stretches in TMDLs for low Dissolved Oxygen (DO). Further testing has revealed fecal bacteria as a related problem. To find the contamination sources so they can be fixed requires more testing and of more types, including DNA testing, which is expensive. Such a plan will facilitate applications for grants to fund such testing, as well as education, outreach, and fixes to the problems.

Initial evidence for fecal contamination getting into the Withlacoochee River upstream from Valdosta came from water quality tests by the City of Valdosta at North Valdosta Road (US 41). Lowndes County has tested upstream on Cat Creek to the Berrien County line and confirmed the problem. WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) has demonstrated that the contamination usually does not come from farther upstream on the Withlacoochee River than Cat Creek, and that various parts of Cat Creek and its feeder creeks are contaminated at various times. Frequent testing of all those creeks, especially after heavy rains, is needed to determine the sources of contamination and low DO.

Such testing will inform outreach to landowners and other stakeholders about potential Best Management Practices (BMPs) to fix the sources of the contamination. Once potential BMPs are identified, various sources of grant and other funding can come into play. This Plan includes metrics to determine initial and target reductions in contamination and increases in DO in Cat Creek and its feeder creeks.

The Nine Elements

This document describes the Cat Creek contamination problem and how to deal with it, in the form of a Nine-Element Plan for Cat Creek:

1. Identify causes and sources of pollution
2. Estimate pollutant loading into the watershed and the expected load reductions
3. Develop management measures to achieve goal
4. Identify technical and financial assistance needed to implement plan
5. Develop an information/education component
6. Develop a project schedule
7. Describe the interim, measurable milestones
8. Identify indicators to measure progress
9. Develop a monitoring component

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires a Nine Element Plan to apply for grants under the Clean Water Act section 319 Nonpoint Source Program. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) has a similar requirement.

 -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/

2026-05-14–Cat-Creek-Nine-Element-Plan

Cat Creek Nine Element Plan
PDF

Table of Contents

Executive Summary & Overview of the Problem

Page 4

The Nine Elements, A. Identify indicators to measure progress

Table 1: Water Quality Impairments and TMDLs

Table 2: Ranking of Contamination Sources

B. Estimate pollutant loading expected load reductions; Table 3: Implementation and Education Strategy

C. Develop management measures to achieve goal; Table 4: Existing Management Measures

Page 10

Table 5: Additional Management Measures

Page 12

Page 13

D. Identify technical and financial assistance needed to implement plan; E. Develop an information/education component

F. Develop a project schedule; Table 6: Implementation Schedule

Page 16

G. Describe the interim, measurable milestones

H. Identify indicators to measure progress

I. Develop a monitoring component

AppA

Appendix A: Example E. coli test results

AppB

Appendix B: Maps; Overview Map

Lowndes County Character Area Map

Berrien County Character Area Map

Lanier County Character Area Map

Most Upstream Cat Creek Map

Batterbee Branch to Beaverdam Creek Map

Beaverdam Creek Map

Beaverdam Creek to Beatty Mill Creek Map

Ice Castle Creek Map

Manna Creek Map

Harlee Lane Run Map

Dowdy Lane Creek Map

Possum Creek Map

Beatty Mill Creek Map

Beatty Mill Creek to Withlacoochee River Map

Peters Creek Map

Beatty Branch Map

Lower Cat Creek Map

LCP

2026 Comprehensive Plan Update for Lowndes County and the Cities of Dasher, Hahira, Lake Park, Remerton, & Valdosta

WWALS Cat Creek Nine Element Plan

Physical water quality monitoring

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