Filthy Hightower Creek 2026-01-08 but clean upstream ILM Pond 2026-01-09

Thanks to the landowners, on Friday John S. Quarterman tested ILM Pond at the top of Hightower Creek, west of I-75, and found its level well below its outflow pipes. Also, it tested pretty clean, despite the geese that land there. So that can’t be the source of contamination into Hightower Creek.

On Thursday, Suzy Hall tested Hightower Creek at St. Augustine Road and found it still dirty. Downstream, she also tested Sugar Creek at the WaterGoat and found it OK, not far upstream from the Withlacoochee River.

There’s no water in Hightower Creek all the way from ILM Pond under I-75. Until just below the Sam’s Club detention pond. So that seems like a good place to test next.

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

Dirty Hightower Creek 2026-01-08, Clean ILM Pond 2026-01-09, Sugar Creek OK, Where is the source?

This is an update to the WWALS Friday Weekly Water Quality Report in which we found the Withlacoochee River clean, and the Santa Fe River.

The inch of rain Saturday last week had little effect, and the drizzle this Saturday probably even less.

No new sewage spills have been reported since then in Georgia or Florida.

The weather is supposed to be fine but cold today, so if you can find a river with enough water, and happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.

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: Dirty Hightower Creek, 2026-01-08, Clean ILM Pond, 2026-01-09 –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.

Creeks

John S. Quarterman got 166 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Friday at ILM Pond, which is below the 410 one-time test limit.

Looking west, Hightower Creek @ ILM Pond, 2026-01-09 –jsq for WWALS, 2026:01:09 15:43:27, 30.8264304, -83.3274007

Plates, Hightower Creek @ ILM Pond, 2026-01-09 –jsq for WWALS

Suzy Hall got 700 for Thursday at St. Augustine Road, which is above that limit.

Plates, Hightower Creek at St. Augustine Road 2026-01-08 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

And she got 366 at the WaterGoat on Sugar Creek, which is again below that limit.

Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2026-01-08, 2026:01:08 10:38:52 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

Plates, Sugar Creek @ WaterGoat 2026-01-08 –Suzy Hall for WWALS

We know from previous testing by Suzy that Hightower Creek at Norman Drive also tends to be above the 410 limit.

Here’s a map of Hightower Creek. (Ignore that googlemaps labels it Sugar Creek; pay attention to the signs on the roads.)

Map: Hightower Creek 2026-01-12 in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS testers Suzy Hall and John S. Quarterman reviewed each other’s WWALS results. Such review is part of the WWALS standard ongoing testing quality analysis.

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/

Zoomed, Hightower Creek Culvert under I-75, 2026:01:09 15:51:29, –jsq for WWALS 30.8289751, -83.3232932

Short Link:

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.

Creeks

Water quality testing training and funding

ILMP

HCWI75 –jsq for WWALS

HCC –jsq for WWALS

HCCI75 –jsq for WWALS

HCE75 –jsq for WWALS

BN –jsq for WWALS

SCDP –jsq for WWALS

SW –jsq for WWALS

HCBSGRC –jsq for WWALS

WFHC –jsq for WWALS

WMHC –jsq for WWALS

MHN

WG

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