Avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River from there to the Little River Confluence.

We’ve postponed the chainsaw cleanup on that stretch for a week, to February 28.

https://wwals.net/?p=69438

The Alapaha, Little, and Santa Fe Rivers tested good. The New River tested OK at US 82, but as usual bad upstream.

This is all from WWALS results for Thursday (and Wednesday for the Santa Fe). We have no new results from Valdosta Utilities since our last report, when they got horrible numbers for the Withlacoochee at GA 133 and US 84.

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

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this sunny Saturday, before the cold snap sets in.

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

Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers; Cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers; Avoid Withlacoochee River below Sugar Creek 2026-02-19

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 Alapaha, Little, and Santa Fe Rivers; Dicey New and Withlacoochee Rivers, 2026-02-19 –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.

Alapaha River

You may recall Mike Paulk’s video of Nasty water, Alapaha River, GA 135 2026-02-16.

https://wwals.net/?p=69417

That was at GA 135, south of Willacoochee, Georgia.

WWALS tester Isis Swartz has good news from her samples of Thursday.

At Sheboggy Boat Ramp at US 82, she got an OK 166 cfu/100 mL.

Plates, Sheboggy Boat Ramp 2026-02-19 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

At GA 135, she got a clean 33 cfu/100 mL.

Plates, Willacoochee Landing, ALapaha River, 2026-02-19 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

And there was no discoloration in the river.

Across, Willacoochee Landing, Alapaha River @ GA 135 2026-02-19 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

What caused what Mike Paulk saw? We have a candidate, which we will post soon.

New River

Isis Swartz got a too-high 500 cfu/100 mL at 18th Street for the New River. It’s ditch by the street there, and nobody will be boating on it.

Plates, 716 18th Street, Tifton, GA 2026-02-19 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

Isis got a clean 33 for the New River at US 82. If you could find enough water, you could boat there.

Plates, US 82 New River Bridge, Tifton, GA 2026-02-19 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler got a clean 33 cfu/100 mL for Wednesday at Mills Dock, slightly upstream from Poe Spring.

Mills Dock, Santa Fe River @ NW 282nd Dr 2026-02-18 –Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler for WWALS

Creeks

We have no new creek results, but after Suzy Hall’s TNTC for Tuesday at the Watergoat on Sugar Creek, and the WWALS Thursday too-high result downstream at GA 133, best to avoid Sugar Creek.

Withlacoochee River

For Thursday at Langdale Park Boat Ramp, WWALS tester John S. Quarterman got an OK 200 cfu/100 mL, much better than his 2,066 for Monday.

Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2026-02-19 –jsq for WWALS

The access road is missing its potholes! Thanks, we presume to Lowndes County Public Works.

Access Road, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2026-02-19 –jsq for WWALS

At GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River downstream from Sugar Creek, he got 833 cfu/100 mL. That’s way lower than Valdosta’s 9,210 for Tuesday, but still too high.

Plates, GA 133, Withlacoochee River, 2026-02-19 –jsq for WWALS

He forgot to get pictures under the bridge, but here you can see somebody fixed up the access road off of St. Augustine Road to Troupville Boat Ramp, probably Lowndes County Public Works.

GA 133, Withlacoochee River, 2026-02-19 –jsq for WWALS

Little River

For Thursday at Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River, jsq got a clean 100 cfu/100 mL.

Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River @ GA 133 2026-02-19 –jsq for WWALS

Water quality testing training and funding

WWALS testers Suzy Hall and Kim Tanner reviewed the WWALS results. Such review is part of the WWALS standard ongoing testing quality analysis.

If you want to get trained by WWALS 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/

WL

Willacoochee Landing, Alapaha River @ GA 135 2026-02-19 –Isis Swartz for WWALS

LPBR

GA133

TBR

MillsDock

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