Category Archives: creeks

Clean Alapaha River 2026-08-28, Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-09-02

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Much better results this week. The Alapaha River tested clean for last Friday, the Withlacoochee River for Monday and Wednesday, and the Santa Fe River for Wednesday.

We have no new results for Sugar Creek, so I’d still avoid it.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia, but in Florida there was the Lake City WTP Spill of 149,904 gallons of “Treated Effluent” maybe into Alligator Lake above Ichetucknee Headspring.

https://wwals.net/?p=71000

So according to the results we have, still avoid Sugar Creek and its tributaries One Mile Branch and Hightower Creek. But on the rivers, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating, if you can avoid the rains.

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

[Clean Alapaha River 2026-08-28, Withlacoochee 2026-08-31 and 2029-09-02, and Santa Fe River 2026-09-02, Happy paddling, boating, swimming, & fishing]
Clean Alapaha River 2026-08-28, Withlacoochee 2026-08-31 and 2029-09-02, and Santa Fe River 2026-09-02, Happy paddling, boating, swimming, & 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. Continue reading →

Bottom of Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2026-09-20

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Come help clear passage for kayaks, canoes, and jon boats, especially at the bottom of Langdale Park, where there are several logjams on the Withlacoochee River, down past Three Mile Branch. That’s as far as we got last time. If we’re lucky, this time we’ll get down to Sugar Creek before we turn back.

Everyone is invited to paddle along to pick up trash, photograph, pull aside sawed limbs, or just experience the river. You do not have to saw.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 1 PM, Sunday, September 20, 2026

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, at the end of Hyta Mederer Drive.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Bottom of Langdale Park, Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sunday, September 20, 2026]
Bottom of Langdale Park, Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sunday, September 20, 2026

Continue reading →

Lake City WTP sewage spill, 149,904 gallons 2026-09-02

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Lake City’s wastewater plant on SW Saint Margarets Street had a major sewage spill today, of “Treated Effluent.”

The FDEP Public Notice says, “Waterbody Effected: Montgomery Creek”. I’m not sure what that creek is, unless it runs north into Montgomery Lake, aka Hamburg Lake. I thought that WTP drained east into Alligator Lake.

This after last December I remarked that this wastewater plant apparently did not spill. Well, apparently it does.

Received today, 12:34 PM.

[Lake City WTP sewage spill, 149,904 gallons, 2026-09-02]
Lake City WTP sewage spill, 149,904 gallons, 2026-09-02

FDEP Pollution Notice

Pursuant to Section 403.077, F.S., the Department of Environmental Protection has received the following Public Notice of Pollution for a reportable release. All information displayed was submitted by the reporting party.

Type of Notice: Initial Report
Date of Notice: 09/02/2026

Incident Information
Name of Incident: Saint Margarets Effluent
State Watch Office Case Number: 20268626
Start of Incident: 09/02/2026 02:10 AM
End of Incident: 09/02/2026 05:50 AM

Incident Description Continue reading →

Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River 2026-08-26 Clean Santa Fe River 2026-08-27

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Update 2026-09-04: Clean Alapaha River 2026-08-28, Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-09-02.

Something is wrong with Sugar Creek that is hard to explain by first flush, yet no sewage spills have been found.

WWALS tested Sugar Creek filthy Saturday and Wednesday at the WaterGoat. Valdosta Utilities corroborated that for Wednesday at Gornto Road. Upstream on Hightower Creek at Gornto Road, Valdosta Utilities got too high for Monday, and way-too high for Wednesday, matching WWALS the result for that site. Valdosta also got too high for Wednesday on One Mile Branch at West Gordon Street, but not nearly as high as on Hightower Branch. More on all that below.

Meanwhile, Valdosta Utilities got OK results for the Withlacoochee River upstream at US 41 (North Valdosta Road) and downstream at GA 133 and US 84. WWALS got clean results at Holly Point, only four miles upstream from the Suwannee River.

And WWALS got clean Thursday results for the Santa Fe River.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.

So according to the results we have, avoid Sugar Creek and its tributaries One Mile Branch and Hightower Creek. But on the rivers, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating, if you can avoid the rains.

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

[Filthy Sugar Creek 2026-08-26, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-08-27]
Filthy Sugar Creek 2026-08-26, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-08-27

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. Continue reading →

Diesel spill, Racetrac, US 84, I-75 Exit 16, Valdosta 2026-08-22

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A truck this afternoon leaked quite a bit of diesel into a storm drain at the Racetrac on US 84, West Hill Avenue, just west of I-75 Exit 16, Valdosta Georgia.

That’s near the Briarwood Road exit from the Racetrac service station. That area drains into Mud Swamp Creek, to the Alapahoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee Rivers.

According to Racetrac staff inside, who were reviewing CCTV video, the spill started about 2:30 PM and the Valdosta Fire Department was there by about 3:30 PM.

I was alerted to this event by texted pictures from a WWALS member at 4 PM. And I got there about 5:15 PM. VFD personnel did not have an estimate of gallons spilled.

Valdosta City Engineer Ben O’Dowd responded at 6:39 PM, “EPD was notified immediately following the incident by VFD as well as the gas station and are coordinating cleanup directly with the responsible party.”

[Diesel spill, Racetrac, Valdosta, GA, US 84, I-75 Exit 16, 2026-08-22, Drains to Mud Swamp Creek, Alapahoochee, Alapaha, Suwannee Rivers]
Diesel spill, Racetrac, Valdosta, GA, US 84, I-75 Exit 16, 2026-08-22, Drains to Mud Swamp Creek, Alapahoochee, Alapaha, Suwannee Rivers

Here are some video snippets.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/27808538962171760/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DcXIVPFoe1q/

https://youtu.be/8RdEQEXXhYY

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/

Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-08-19

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Update 2026-08-28: Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-08-27.

The Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean this week.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia, but there was an update on the August 5 Tifton spill.

So according to the results we have, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating, if you can avoid the rains.

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

[Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers, No new sewage spills, Happy paddling 2026-08-19]
Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers, No new sewage spills, Happy paddling 2026-08-19

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. Continue reading →

Songs for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest on Scott James radio 2026-08-13

Last call, songwriters, tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19, 2026:

https://forms.gle/fihLNVC2xbD1SXBB6

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman discussed the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest last Thursday at the Mayor’s day job, the radio show he owns and hosts on talk921.fm.

Songs can be about any waterbody in the 10,000-square mile Suwannee River Basin or Estuary in Georgia or Florida, including the Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, Alapahoochee, or Suwannee Rivers, or the Okefenokee Swamp, or any other river, creek, swamp, or sink. Plus underground waters such as the Floridan Aquifer.

Songwriters can be from anywhere; they come from as far as Tennessee and south Florida.

[Songs for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest by August 19, on Scott James radio, Finalists play September 12, 2026]
Songs for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest by August 19, on Scott James radio, Finalists play September 12, 2026

Here are WWALS videos from that radio show:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2118859655696045

https://www.instagram.com/p/DcL-5a7I2nc/

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSTFinxTNQsw&si=u4CDRXlSjW5tCIl6

Once we get those last few songs from the procrastinating songwriters, the organizing committee will select Finalists.

The Finalists will play at WWALS River Revue, 5-9 PM, Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Lowndes County 4-H Club in Lake Park, Georgia, on Long Pond.

https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2026

When you buy a ticket, you get to hear them along with the three judges, who will select the winners.

And you get a sit-down dinner with cash bar, Headliner Joe First, who is last year’s winner, and two speakers:

  • Amy Sharma of Science for Georgia, talking about hyper-scale AI datacenters.
  • Rick Davis, Chair of the dozen-county Florida Task Force, talking about Water First North Florida (WFNF), the currently-hibernating scheme to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into wetlands in the Suwannee Basin.

Plus a silent auction! Continue reading →

Florida Governor Candidates: Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17

Here’s what six people running for Florida Governor have to say about clean water. The other candidates did not respond.

We got a variety of answers about WFNF, desalination, potable reuse, WMDs, datacenters, and RTCW. For what these candidates wrote about those and other issues, see below.

[Florida Governor Candidates, Clean Water Questionnaire, WFNF, Datacenters, WMDs, etc. --WWALS 2026-08-17]
Florida Governor Candidates, Clean Water Questionnaire, WFNF, Datacenters, WMDs, etc. –WWALS 2026-08-17

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is conducting a Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire: #WWALSCleanWaterQuestionnaire

We already reported responses from statehouse District 9 and District 10, and also U.S. Congress Florida District 2.

For much more about Water First North Florida (WFNF), see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

If you are a candidate for state or national office in Florida this year, in the Suwannee River Basin, we sent you a questionnaire. If you didn’t get it, please let us know.

https://wwals.net/donations/contact/

Primary Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18. Continue reading →

Florida U.S. House District 3: Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17

Update 2026-08-17: Florida Governor Candidates: Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17.

Here’s what some of those running for U.S. Congress from Florida District 3 have to say about clean water: Troy Albers and Seth Harp.

Kat Cammack (the incumbent), Georgia Hubac, Mike Klein, and Tom Wells did not respond.

FL-03 covers Hamilton, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist, Suwannee, (most of ) Lafayette, Dixie, Levy, Counties, and part of Marion County. That’s almost all of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, except not Madison County.

[Florida U.S. House District 3, Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire --WWALS 2026-08-17]
Florida U.S. House District 3, Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire –WWALS 2026-08-17

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is conducting a Political Candidate Clean Water Questionnaire: #WWALSCleanWaterQuestionnaire

We already reported responses from statehouse District 9 and District 10.

In FL-03 also WFNF is not popular, WMDs in their current form are problematical, hyper-scale AI datacenters are looked upon ascance, and these candidates support RTCW. For these candidates’ answers to those and other questions, see below.

For much more about Water First North Florida (WFNF), see:

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

If you are a candidate for state or national office in Florida this year, in the Suwannee River Basin, we sent you a questionnaire. If you didn’t get it, please let us know.

https://wwals.net/donations/contact/

Primary Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18.

Our source for who is running is Continue reading →

Black Creek treated waste creek water pipeline broke after less than a week 2026-08-11

Update 2026-08-15: It’s treated creek water, not human wastewater.

It broke four days after SJRWMD bragged about it working: the Black Creek treated waste creek water pipeline into Alligator Creek.

This is the prototype for the 60+-mile Water First North Florida (WFNF) pipeline from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

We should trust SJRWMD and JEA to build a pipeline?

There’s an election going on. No candidate seems to want to support WFNF.

WWALS sent a clean water questionnaire to all Florida candidates for office. It also got answers on many other water topics. Some of those answers may help you choose who to vote for.

Here are the answers from Statehouse District 9:

https://wwals.net/?p=70813

And the answers from Statehouse District 10:

https://wwals.net/?p=70829

[Black Creek treated creek water pipeline broke 2026-08-11, after less than a week, Prototype for WFNF]
Black Creek treated creek water pipeline broke 2026-08-11, after less than a week, Prototype for WFNF

WCJB Staff, WCJB, August 11, 2026, Pipe burst, eroded underneath State Road 21 in Clay County, lanes blocked,

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, Fla. (WCJB) – The Black Creek pipeline burst and eroded underneath State Road 21 between State Road 16 and Sharron Road in Clay County Tuesday morning.

Clay County Fire Rescue officials say the pumps that supply the water are secured. State Road 21 is currently down to one lane.

Fire rescue officials are at the scene and FDOT officials are mobilizing to repair the damage. Officials say there are no injuries or accidents at this time.

Continue reading →