Thanks to Georgia Power for another generous grant for water quality testing!

Thanks to Don F. Hutchinson, Area Manager, Southwest Region, Georgia Power, and his Admin Assistant Peyton Avrett for coming to Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River so we could thank them.

For more about the WWALS Volunteer Water Quality Testing Program, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/testing

Thanks, Georgia Power, for a water quality testing grant, At Troupville Boat Ramp, April 16, 2026

Here’s the video:

https://youtu.be/NZbmlRY7CyM

Gretchen Quarterman, WWALS Finance Committee Chair and grants administrator said WWALS puts the Georgia Power grants to good use buying water quality testing kits and supplies.

Don Hutchinson said, “It is a privilege to partner with an organization like WWALS to help protect the environment that we all love to play in.”

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said he does advocacy. And WWALS does water trails, see these nice signs for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

Water Trails, 2026-04-16 –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS

Sara Squires Jones, WWALS Treasurer and Chair of the Gala Committee, who is also a water quality tester, said that sit-down dinner with a songwriting competition this year is Saturday, September 12, at the 4-H Center in Lake Park, Georgia.

https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2026/

Scotti Jay Jones is the Co-Chair of the Outings Committee, and he’s also on the Testing Committee and the Gala Committee. “Come paddle with us this Saturday: see the tupelos bloom in the Okefenokee Swamp.”

https://wwals.net/?p=70035

Peyton Avrett, who handled the logistics of the grant and this meeting, said “I am happy to be here as well.”

Suwannee Riverkeeper also mentioned the fish kill that Scotti discovered. The water quality samples Scotti took and Sara processed led to a GA-EPD Consent Order on the City of Valdosta.

https://wwals.net/?p=63524

Gretchen Quarterman said each bacterial test costs between $10 and $12 dollars, done weekly, and chemical tests are done monthly.

Movie: Thanks Georgia Power and WWALS does water quality testing, advocacy, and water trails, 2026-04-16 –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS

Scotti Jay said, “So not only with water testing are we able to help detect the usual sewage spills after storms, and different types of storm water intrusion, but we’ve also been able to assist, help the city [of Valdosta] locate where different leaks and different parts of the pipe integrity might be damaged in the sewage system.”

Suwannee Riverkeeper added, “Despite what people in Florida think, it’s not always Valdosta. Way back in 2020, partly with the help of the state of Florida, believe it or not, we determined that a lot of what was getting into the Withlacoochee River was coming down Okapilco Creek from Brooks County from dairy farms.” The dairy took steps to correct the problem, and it’s much better now: this is a success story.

https://wwals.net/?p=53260

Gretchen Quarterman added, “Plus, we occasionally do DNA testing, if we’re not sure of the origin of the contamination was… Is it human, dog, or ruminant.”

Suwannee Riverkeeper said we’re working up a test program and grant applications for Cat Creek to find where contamination is coming down it into the Withlacoochee River.

Scotti Jay said contact us at wwals.net and we can get you trained to do testing.

Movie: Helped Valdosta find leaks, also cattle, DNA and PFAS testing, Cat Creek testing project, Gretchen is the testing trainer (61M), 2026-04-16 –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS

Suwannee Riverkeeper said Gretchen Quarterman, our water quality testing trainer, recently did an invited talk at the statewide Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Confluence conference on Jekyll Island. They heard that our testers post their results first on an internal email list where the rest of the Testing Committee reviews their slides and sometimes tunes the numbers due to different reads.

Movie: Water Quality Testing Trainer Gretchen Quarterman gave an invited talk to the statewide Georgia Adopt-A-Stream conference on Jekyll Island, 2026-04-16 –Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS

 -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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