The Santa Fe River and the Withlacoochee River downstream tested clean for Wednesday.

But WWALS got too-high results at the WaterGoat on Sugar Creek for Monday, and both WWALS and Valdosta Utilities got too-high results upstream on Hightower Creek at St. Augustine Road. In addition, Valdosta Utilities got too high at GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River downstream from Sugar Creek.

These continuing high Sugar Creek results are still mysterious, especially given no rain to wash residue downstream.

No sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in the past week in Georgia or Florida, except a small spill from a force main break Monday in downtown Chiefland, Levy County, Florida.

No rain is expected for the next week.

So I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it. Other than that, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend. If you can find enough water to do those things. Maybe far downstream on the Withlacoochee or Suwannee Rivers.

Or join us next Saturday, November 22, for Knights Ferry to Nankin Clean Up, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-22.

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

Clean Santa Fe River and Withlacoochee downstream, Dirty Hightower and Sugar Creek, 2025-11-12

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, Withlacoochee Downstream; Filthy Hightower, Sugar Creeks 2025-11-12
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.

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Kurt Hurzeler and Bob Mills got a pretty clean 33 cfu/100 mL at Mills Dock, which is slightly upstream from Poe Springs.

Hightower Creek and Sugar Creek

For Monday, November 10, 2025, WWALS tester Suzy Hall got 1,200 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Sugar Creek at the WaterGoat. That’s above the 1,000 alert limit.

So she sampled again Wednesday, and got 600 upstream at St. Augustine Road on Hightower Creek. That’s above the one-time test limit of 410, so it’s bad.

Valdosta Utilities also sampled at St. Augustine Road, I think Wednesday, and got 1,160, which is above the alert limit, so it’s worse than what Suzy got. That Valdosta Utilities result is not in
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/2025-sugar-creek-spill-testing

I asked Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes and he told me the number.

Suzy also sampled Wednesday at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek, and got 366, which is an OK number. That is strange, because that site is between the too-high sites at St. Augustine Road and the WaterGoat. It seems like there is variation over time in bad results, even though there has been no rain. Like something is from time to time spilling sewage.

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities got 460 cfu/100 mL for Wednesday on the Withlacoochee River at GA 133, downstream from Sugar Creek.

But they got 320 at US 84, farther downstream, below the Little River Confluence.

See:
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/2025-withlacoochee-river-bacteriological-monitoring.

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.

If you want to get trained by WWALS water quality testing 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/

HT

Plates, St. Augustine Road, Hightower Creek, 2025-11-12 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

GR

Sugar Creek @ Gornto Road 2025-11-12 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

WG

Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2025-11-10 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

Tables

Table: Withlacoochee River Results 2025-11-12 –Valdosta Utilities

MillsDock

Mills Dock, Santa Fe River @ NW 282nd Dr 2025-11-12 –Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler for WWALS

Short Link: