Update 2025-06-12: Sampling Sugar Creek 2025-06-12.

Finally, a good E. coli result on Sugar Creek!

Also clean results for the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers.

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

It’s likely to rain this weekend and more likely every day this coming week.

Nobody tested after yesterday’s rain, so we don’t know what effect that had.

But as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

Clean Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, Rain coming, 2025-06-04

Maybe join us Wednesday evening for Full Strawberry Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-06-11.
https://wwals.net/?p=67603

Sugar Creek

Suzy Hall sampled Monday, and got 200 cfu/100 mL, which is below the one-time test limit of 410, so that’s good..

She remarked:

“I was actually surprised. I will make an effort to test again when we have a good rain to rush through.

“I picked up one can lid and a couple pieces of Styrofoam. I picked up a net full Memorial day from the general area.”

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities reported nothing for US 41, because it was only testing there as part of the major spill followup testing.

Table: Withlacoochee River —Valdosta Utilities 2025-06-04

But for Wednesday Valdosta Utilities got a clean 90 at GA 133 and a very clean 20 cfu/100 mL E. coli at US 84.

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Heather Brasell sampled Monday and got 166 at the Alapaha WWTP Outflow and zero (0) at Sheboggy Boat Ramp at US 82 on the Alapaha River. That’s an OK result and an excellent result.

Chart: Clean Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-04
For context, see: https://wwals.net/issues/testing

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.

This is a context map showing where the Alapaha WWTP Outflow is in the Suwannee River Basin, about 130 creek and Alapaha River miles upstream from the Suwannee River.

Map: Alapaha WPCP in the WWALS map of all public landings in the Suwannee River Basin.

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS Water Quality testers Suzy Hall and John S. Quarterman reviewed the results. Such review is part of every WWALS tester’s ongoing training.

WWALS water quality testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered testing supplies to a tester.

If you want to get trained 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/

AWWTP

Alapaha Settlement Pond Stream, Alapaha River @ US 82 –Heather Brasell for WWALS, 2025-06-02, 11:45:11, 31.3894194, -83.2178361

SBR

Sheboggy Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ US 82 –Heather Brasell for WWALS, 2025-06-02, 12:19:27, 31.3860111, -83.1936333

WG

Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat –Suzy Hall for WWALS, 2025-06-02, 17:13:21

 -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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