Mixed Withlacoochee River 2026-04-13, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-04-14

Valdosta Utilities got a high E. coli number for Monday at GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) on the Withlacoochee River, but a good result at US 84 that same day.

WWALS results for the Santa Fe River for Tuesday were cleanest.

Still no rain, and still no new sewage spills have been reported this week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.

As always, we can only advise with the results we have. I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River above the Little River Confluence. Happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can find any water.

Maybe join us for >Tupelo Blossom Paddle, Suwannee River Sill Ramp 2026-04-18.

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

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

Mixed Withlacoochee River 2026-04-13, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-04-14, Very low water, Avoid Withlacoochee above Little River

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: Mixed Withlacoochee River, 2026-04-13, Clean Santa Fe River, 2026-04-14 –WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results
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 for Monday got 860 cfu/100 mL for GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River. That’s over the 410 one-time test limit. But they got a very clean 20 at US 84, below the Little River Confluence.

Table: GA 133 and US 84, Withlacoochee River, 2026-04-13 –Valdosta Utilities

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler got a cleanest zero for Tuesday at Mills Dock on the Santa Fe River, a bit upstream from Poe Springs Ramp.

They remarked, “Algae coating the entire river bottom.”

Also:
Air Temp 25.2 C
Water Temp 23.3 C

Mills Dock, Santa Fe River @ NW 282nd Dr 2026-04-14 –Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler

Water quality testing training and funding

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

WWALS testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman and testers Scotti and Sara Jay, along with Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Thanked Georgia Power for a water quality testing grant 2026-04-16.

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.

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/

Map: Suwannee River Basin Water Levels, 2026-04-18 –NOAA