Update 2020-12-27: Same pictures on facebook.
During the Suwannee River camping at Dowling Park River Camp last summer, two intrepid paddlers joined me to paddle up Bethel Creek to the quarry in Lafayette County, Florida, and up to the other quarry, and again, and over.
![[Bethel Creek rapids, boats, downstream]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-07-18--dowling-park-camping-suwannee-river-pictures/many.jpg)
Bethel Creek rapids, boats, downstream
Megan Parker has had the full experience, and Jose helped. Continue reading
Eagle-eye WWALS member Amy Hope Jackson spotted trucks next to Bevel Creek off of Loch Laurel Road near Lake Park, in Lowndes County Georgia, on GA 376, on September 2, 2020. This is upstream from Jumping Gully Creek and the Withlacoochee River.
![[Location, Bevel Creek Lift Station, manhole collapse, trucks, RPI]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-09-02--ga-376-pump-station/many.jpg)
Location, Bevel Creek Lift Station, manhole collapse, trucks, RPI
Turns out they were implementing the $82,000.00 Bevel Creek Manhole Emergency Repair approved by the Lowndes County Commission on June 22, 2020.
This seemed likely since one of the trucks said RPI, and the winning bidder was RPI Underground. I confirmed with Lowndes County Utilities Director Steve Stalvey that this was indeed that repair.
Please remember Lowndes County has a separate sewer system from Valdosta, and Lowndes County has not spilled sewage in many months, apparently due to proactively upgrading the county sewer system. Continue reading
Update 2020-12-23: Watch out: contamination washing downstream, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-21.
This is not the best weekend for boating, fishing, swimming on the Withlacoochee River, considering the very high E. coli results at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp for Thursday by WWALS testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach.
![[Rain, Bad Knights Ferry, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-17--wq/many.jpg)
Rain, Bad Knights Ferry, Swim Guide
Apparently the rains Wednesday washed something into the river. Quite likely down Okapilco Creek from Brooks County, Georgia. Whatever it is, it’s likely to continue downstream. Continue reading
Update 2020-12-19: Bad Knights Ferry Thursday, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-17.
Valdosta’s downstream test results show the Withlacoochee River still clean on the day of the Quitman sewage spill, Wednesday, December 9, and on that Friday and Monday, just as Madison Health and WWALS results showed for the Friday.
![[Clean downstream, and likely spill sites]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-09--quitman-spill/many2.jpg)
Clean downstream, and likely spill sites
Valdosta did show quite high E. coli on Okapilco Creek at US 84 for the Friday, higher than WWALS saw on the Saturday.
If the spill location really was the South Highland Road Lift Station, maybe it took a few days for the contamination to ooze Okapilco Creek. Continue reading
Update 2020-12-16: Valdosta data: Quitman sewage spill, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River
Quitman had a 125,000-gallon raw sewage spell Wednesday, December 9, 2020, appearing five days leter in yesterday’s GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. That’s larger than the 87,000-gallon Quitman spill of 2020-04-24, when Valdosta’s downstream results that same day showed 6,000 cfu/100 mL E. coli on Okapilco Creek, KF 15,000, Nankin 5,200, State Line 1,000; remember the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream alert limit is 1,000. We have reason to believe that April spill travelled all the way to the Gulf.
In the data we have at the moment, astonishingly this recent Wednesday spill does not seem to have affected the Withlacoochee River, much less the Suwannee River. However, we are still awaiting Wednesday and Friday data from Valdosta.
![[Quitman, lift station, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-09--quitman-spill/many.jpg)
Quitman, lift station, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River
Here’s the report, as highlighted by WWALS automated software: Continue reading
Update 2020-12-19: Bad Knights Ferry Thursday, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-17.
Update 2020-12-15: Big sewage spill, Quitman, GA, also bad downstream previous week, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-09.
As near as we can tell, the Withlacoochee River was still clean this weekend. With very little rain, it will probably stay that way for awhile.
FDEP today posted results for Thursday from Madison Health that corroborated Continue reading
Adel spilled 9,000 gallons of raw sewage Monday, from its sewage collection system, due to equipment failure. Although downstream from that sewage is the Little River between Cook County Boat Ramp and Folsom Bridge Landing, apparently it had little or no effect on the Withlacoochee River.
According to the December 11, 2020, GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report,
![[Adel spill in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-07--adel-spill-w-9th-st/2012-12-07--ga-spills-report-adel.jpg)
Adel spill in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report
the location was Continue reading
“Something looking funny at one mile,” reported Scotti Jay Jones last night, from the Wainwright Drive bridge over Onemile Branch.
Soon, from Baytree Road, he added: “There’s workers neck deep in this stuff. I saw workers neck deep. In this water main break. Repair. How does this affect our drainage system?”
I would like to compliment Valdosta Utilities and its Director Darryl Muse for being on site and dealing with the situation. We do have a few questions, though.
![[From Onemile Branch to Baytree Road]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-09--valdosta-spill/many.jpg)
From Onemile Branch to Baytree Road
Here’s what Scotti saw that tipped him off: Continue reading
Stew, Sam, and Dave from south Florida brought fast kayaks to the most upstream put-in on the Withlacoochee River. It was a tad twistier and deadfalled than they expected, but after making only seven miles the first day, they sped up all the way to the Suwannee River.
![[Boats, Leak, Paddlers, River, Yellow Jessamine]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2018-02-18--ga-37-withlacoochee/many.jpg)
Boats, Leak, Paddlers, River, Yellow Jessamine
Update 2020-11-27: All green with Withlacoochee River water quality 2020-11-26.
Something bad was in the Withlacoochee River at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp Thursday, which is a big change since our post earlier today. And there is yet another possible source.
WWALS testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach got 933 cfu/100 mL E. coli at Knights Ferry, which is well above the 410 one-time limit.
![[Bad at Knights Ferry]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-11-19--wq/2020-11-13-19--kf-bad.jpg)
Bad at Knights Ferry
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of Georgia and Florida water quality results, see
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/
Yet downstream they got 0 and 33 at Nankin and State Line Boat Ramps, which is very good. And Monday and Wednesday Valdosta got good results at US 41, GA 133, and US 84.
So what caused that bad KF result?
It could be Continue reading
![[Chart, Plates, Map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-12--wq/many.jpg)
![[Adel Spill to Little River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-07--adel-spill-w-9th-st/many.jpg)
![[Maps and Chart]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-11-19--wq/many.jpg)
![[Knights Ferry PetriFilms]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-11-19--wq/Knights-Ferry-nov-19-2020.jpg)