WWALS and Valdosta Utilities test results agree for Wednesday and Thursday: clean Withlacoochee River downstream. But avoid it near GA 133.

A WWALS tester sampled Sugar Creek at Gornto Road and the Alapaha River at Berrien Beach Boat Ramp Saturday, and found them pretty clean and very clean. We have to wonder about Sugar Creek again because of that Valdosta Utilities GA 133 result.

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

It hasn’t rained in days, and no rain is predicted for the next ten days.

So avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, and happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-09-11, Clean Sugar Creek and, Alapaha River 2025-09-06

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 Downstream Withlacoochee River 2025-09-11
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.

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities tested the Withlacoochee River Thursday and got too-high 780 at GA 133 but OK 140 cfu/100 mL at US 84. These are both lower than last week, but still higher at GA 133 than the one-time test limit of 410.

Once again, the City of Valdosta is the only one in Georgia I know of that posts its water quality test results on its own website.
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/2025-withlacoochee-river-bacteriological-monitoring

Table: Withlacoochee River Water Quality, 2025-09-11 — Valdosta Utilities

WWALS tester Russ Tatum sampled Wednesday at Holly Point, only a few miles upstream from the Suwannee River, and got 66, “Good results this week.” That’s higher than last week, but still pretty clean.

Holly Point, Withlacoochee River @ NE Withla Bluffs Way 2025-09-10

Sugar Creek

As reported previously, WWALS tester Suzy Hall sampled Saturday from Gornto Bridge on Sugar Creek and got an OK 300 cfu/100 mL.

Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-09-06 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

But now there’s the complication that only 2.5 Withlacoochee River miles downstream at GA 133, Valdosta Utilities got way-too-high 1,203 Thursday a week ago and too-high 780 this Thursday. Did something get into Sugar Creek and go away on Saturday?

Did the contamination come from farther upstream? That seems unlikely due to WWALS tester Cindy Vedas’ two clean upstreamm river datapoints on Wednesday of last week, both 33, at Staten Road and Langdale Park Boat Ramp.

Seems like Valdosta maybe should keep testing Sugar Creek.

Alapaha River

Suzy Hall also sampled the Alapaha River Saturday at Berrien Beach Boat Ramp, on GA 168 northeast of Nashville, Georgia. She got cleanest zero (0).

Berrien Beach Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 168 2025-09-06 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS testers Suzy Hall and John S. Quarterman reviewed the results. Such review is part of WWALS quality control.

WWALS water quality testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman delivered test kits to take to new Florida testers.

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/

HP

BBBR

 -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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