Category Archives: FDEP

Waterkeepers Florida Sues U.S. EPA to protect Florida’s Waters 2025-08-19

Suwannee Riverkeeper is a member of Waterkeepers Florida.

Lawsuit Filed to Protect Florida Anglers

[Waterkeepers Florida Sues U.S. EPA to protect Florida's Waters, August 19, 2025]
Waterkeepers Florida Sues U.S. EPA to protect Florida’s Waters, August 19, 2025

Florida, Statewide | August 19, 2025 — The Environmental Defense Alliance and Waterkeepers Florida have filed a lawsuit against Lee M. Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for failing to adopt water quality protections concerning toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in Florida’s waters.1

Water quality criteria for dozens of toxic chemicals that affect human health are supposed to be reviewed and updated by state environmental protection agencies, like the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), every three years in order to keep pace with updates in scientific research and new information. These toxic pollutants include known carcinogens like benzene and other chemicals found in fumigant pesticides and industrial solvents. However, many of Florida’s water quality criteria have remained woefully outdated since the 1990s.

Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers, Bad Sugar Creek, Worse Hightower Creek 2025-08-28

Update 2025-08-31: Filthy Creeks and Withlacoochee River 2025-08-29.

The Withlacoochee River remains clean upstream and down in test results for yesterday by Valdosta and FDOH. One Mile Branch showed less E. coli. Sugar Creek remained bad. Hightower Creek jumped up above the 1,000 alert limit.

The Alapaha River tested clean, but the Town of Alapaha’s wastewater outflow could be better, according to results by WWALS tester Heather Brasell.

[Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-08-28, Bad Sugar Creek, Worse Hightower Creek]
Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-08-28, Bad Sugar Creek, Worse Hightower Creek

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

Rain is very likely Saturday, decreasing into next week.

So happy paddling, fishing, swimming, and boating, although I’d steer clear of Sugar Creek.

The Florida agencies are ceasing testing, the WWALS results are posted for this week, and you now know where to look for Valdosta’s results. So this concludes this week’s WWALS Water Quality Test Reports.

Here is the WWALS composite spreadsheet with all these results, plus rainfall: Continue reading →

Better Sugar Creek water quality; Withlacoochee River still good 2025-08-27

Update 2025-08-29: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers, Bad Sugar Creek, Worse Hightower Creek 2025-08-28.

Update 2025-08-29: Now with WWALS Tester Russ Tatum’s Holly Point results.

According to test results for Wednesday from Valdosta, One Mile Branch and Hightower Creek were worse, above the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test limit for E. coli, while Sugar Creek continued to improve, although still above that limit.

According to results from Valdosta, Madison Health, and WWALS, The Withlacoochee River upstream and down remained clean, from North Valdosta Road through GA 133, US 84, State Line, and Sullivan Launch, to Florida 6 just above Madison Blue Spring, and on to within a few miles of the Suwannee River.

[Better Sugar Creek water quality, Withlacoochee River still good, Valdosta and Madison Health, Wednesday, August 27, 2025]
Better Sugar Creek water quality, Withlacoochee River still good, Valdosta and Madison Health, Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Thanks to Valdosta Utilities for posting their test results on their website. So far as I know, Valdosta is the only wastewater permit holder in Georgia that puts its water quality results on its own web pages.
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/august-2025-sanitary-sewer-spills

Thanks to Madison Health for emailing their results as they get updates.

Not so much to the Florida Department of Enviromental Protection (FDEP), which is still working through its FOIA process two days after I sent a request; see below.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. The GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report did have an update on the August 5, 2025 Rochelle spill: turns out it was two spills, and now they have the gallons; see below. But that was way upstream on the Alapaha River and the reports say “Did Not Enter State Waters”.

So at the moment the Withlacoochee River seems good for paddling, fishing, swimming, and boating, although I’d steer clear of Sugar Creek.

Here are Valdosta’s test results to date: Continue reading →

Filthy Sugar Creek, OK One Mile Branch, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-08-26

Update 2025-08-29: Wednesday results, Better Sugar Creek water quality; Withlacoochee River still good 2025-08-27.

Update 2025-08-27: Now includes Valdosta Tuesday test results.

After the recent Valdosta sewage spills, One Mile Branch tested barely OK Monday below the Wainwright Drive manhole spill location.

But Sugar Creek tested very bad at Gornto Road. That makes me wonder whether there is some other, as yet unreported, spill into Sugar Creek.

The Withlacoochee River so far tested OK both upstream at US 41 and downstream at US 84 and into Florida at State Line Boat Ramp, Sullivan Launch, and Florida 6.

[Filthy Sugar Creek, OK One Mile Branch, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-08-26, After Valdosta sewage spills]
Filthy Sugar Creek, OK One Mile Branch, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-08-26, After Valdosta sewage spills

Valdosta has put up a new web page for followup results:
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/august-2025-sanitary-sewer-spills

[Table: Creeks and Withlacoochee River test results, 2025-08-26 --Valdosta Utilities]
Table: Creeks and Withlacoochee River test results, 2025-08-26 –Valdosta Utilities

So far as I know, Valdosta is the only wastewater permit holder in Georgia that puts its water quality results on its own web pages.

That 4,360 cfu/100 mL E. coli Monday result at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek is more than 4 times the 1,000 alert limit. I suppose that could just be the One Mile Branch spill washing downstream. Or is it something else?

The reduced 1,500 result for Tuesday may indicate it actually was One Mile Branch contamination washing downstream.

The Madison, Florida, Department of Health (FDOH) upon request sent their results from Monday, and the Florida Department of Environmental Proteciton (FDEP)’s results from Tuesday. Both FDOH and FDEP sampled today, for results tomorrow. Continue reading →

Live Oak Sinkhole 2025-08-25

A sinkhole opened in U.S. 90 in the middle of Live Oak, Florida, yesterday. FDOT says it’s fixed since yesterday evening.

But chronic overpumping of groundwater produces such cavities, and increasintly big rains wash them open.

[Live Oak Sinkhole, U.S. 90, 2025-08-25, Between Dowling Ave. and Union Ave.]
Live Oak Sinkhole, U.S. 90, 2025-08-25, Between Dowling Ave. and Union Ave.

Live Oak Police Department yesterday reported with a video of the sinkhole opening: Continue reading →

SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08

Update 2025-08-31: SRWMD purchased Rayonier tract with mineral rights leased to Chemours for TiO2 mining –SRWMD to Carol Mosley 2025-07-11.

A billion dollars to run Jacksonville and JEA treated wastewater through wetlands in the Suwannee River Basin and into the Floridan Aquifer: this proposal was presented to the SRWMD Board this month.

Nevermind that sewage effluent carries PFAS forever chemicals into wetlands. After contaminating all the wetland wildlife, PFAS would continue into the Florida Aquifer, from which we all drink.

[SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08, What about PFAS? and limits on water withdrawals?]
SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08, What about PFAS? and limits on water withdrawals?

A SRWMD Board member pointed out that desalination of seawater would cost less. Another pointed out that Jacksonville would just suck the water back out of the aquifer. More on board comments below.

Instead, how about Jacksonville and JEA treat their effluent to drinking water standards and reuse it for themselves? The money they save from pumping it to any of those recharge areas would be enormous. That would use less groundwater, so there would be less need for recharge.

The excuse for this project is increasing population needing more water. Continue reading →

Florida Triennial Review –FDEP 2025-06-27

Every three years Florida reviews its standards for surface water quality.

The comment period this time is open from June 27 to July 18, 2025.
https://flrules.org/Gateway/View_notice.asp?id=29715385

[Florida Triennial Review --FDEP 2025-06-27 to 2025-07-18, Threatened and Endangered Species in Suwannee, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, New Rivers]
Florida Triennial Review –FDEP 2025-06-27 to 2025-07-18, Threatened and Endangered Species in Suwannee, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, New Rivers

This Triennal Review is being conducted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There was a public workshop back on September 10, 2024; best to review its agenda, presentation, and Public Comment Compilation. That presentation notes there is at least one proposed rule change for springs, in RULE 62-303.354, F.A.C., NITRATE-NITRITE IN FRESHWATER SPRING VENT.

The only upcoming public meeting about this Triennial Review in FDEP’s Water Quality Standards Meeting Calendar is ERC Adoption Public Hearing for the Triennial Review of Florida’s Water Quality Standards, 9 AM, September 25, 2025, at FDEP’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, Conference Room 137, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32399.

So get your comments in during the comment period.

Most of it is about the rest of Florida outside the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, but a few rules and documents under review are specifically about those. Continue reading →

Questions and call for Public Hearing on Chemours permit application to mine SRWMD land –WWALS to USACE 2025-06-12

Update 2025-06-16: Additional documents for Chemours permit application to mine SRWMD land 2025-06-16.

This is what I filed by the Thursday deadline as public comments on the latest Chemours mining permit application. This one is to expand the Trail Ridge South Mine onto land owned by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD). I continue to wonder why SRWMD bought this land, allegedly for conservation, if they were going to let Chemours mine on it?

Several other organizations also filed comments, some of them also calling for a Public Hearing.

[Questions and call for Public Hearing, Chemours application to mine SRWMD land, Santa Fe River Basin --WWALS to USACE 2025-06-12]
Questions and call for Public Hearing, Chemours application to mine SRWMD land, Santa Fe River Basin –WWALS to USACE 2025-06-12

Continue reading →

How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar, by Dennis J. Price, P.G., 2025-06-19

Dennis Price, P.G., of Hamilton County, Florida, says, “I plan on going through the history of surface and ground water in the flatwoods in south Georgia and north Florida in the Suwannee River Basin. Historic water levels and how we have changed these levels. Changes beginning with forestry then farming, and population growth. Ideas for correcting the problems.”

This applies to the Floridan Aquifer proper and the other aquifers above it, all below the Suwannee, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers, the Okefenokee Swamp, and their tributaries.

When: 12-1 PM, Thursday, June 19, 2025

Put In: Register to join with zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/FdxNg0QeSB-ngQLGUaIWKw
WWALS Board Member Janet Martin will give a brief introduction.
Questions and answers will be at the end.

[How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar 2025-06-19, in north Florida and south Georgia, by Dennis J. Price P.G.]
How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar 2025-06-19

Continue reading →

Additional Project Drawings for Chemours application to mine on SRWMD land –USACE 2025-01-02

I got these additional figures indicate that Chemours wants to mine right up to Double Run Creek, upstream from the Santa Fe River.

I got them by following up on the Chemours application to the Army Corps for a permit to mine TiO2 on SRWMD land,

[Additional Project Drawings, Chemours application to USACE to mine on SRWMD land --SWCA 2025-01-02]
Additional Project Drawings, Chemours application to USACE to mine on SRWMD land –SWCA 2025-01-02

Chemours can’t continue mining without this permit, which it must get from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), because of the successful lawsuit by Miami Waterkeeper, St. Johns Riverkeeper, et al., to revoke the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) takeover of federal Clean Water Act permit applications.

See the third page of the USACE application form:

This project was originally review[sic] and approved by the USACE in 2020 pending the issuance of the State Water Quality Certification. Prior to USACE receiving the State Water Quality Certification, the EPA approved Florida’s State 404 Program, which became effective on Dec. 22, 2020, and all USACE pending permits were transferred to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for processing.

This project was subsequently reviewed, and Phase 1 was approved on June 6, 2022, under the FDEP State 404 Program, Permit no. ST404_137482-022. A portion of the Phase 1 approved impacts have been completed. The approval of Phase 2 is needed for Chemours to continue mining operations without any disruptions. Due to the FDEP being divested of its authority to issue State 404 Program permits on Feb 15, 2024, Chemours has requested the USACE review and approve the entire project for compliance consistency.

For that lawsuit, see Continue reading →