Category Archives: Quality

Reissuance, Quitman WPCP, GAJ020022 –GA-EPD 2025-12-15

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Quitman has applied for renewal of its wastewater treatment permit. It is lacking a major item: a Watershed Protection Plan (WPP). GA-EPD is giving Quitman about one year to produce such a plan.

Quitman’s wastewater plant consists of ponds on Highland Ave. which pipe waste to a Land Application Site (LAS), aka spray field, east of town, south of US 84. Both parts are next to Okapilco Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River between US 84 and Knights Ferry Boat Ramp.

This application was acknowledged December 15, 2025, for NPDES Permit No. GAJ020022 by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD). The comment period extends for one month from that date.

[Reissuance, Quitman WPCP, GAJ020022 --GA-EPD 2025-12-15, Lacks Watershed Protection Plan, Must supply one]
Reissuance, Quitman WPCP, GAJ020022 –GA-EPD 2025-12-15, Lacks Watershed Protection Plan, Must supply one

The application packet:
https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Public/EnSuite/Shared/pages/util/StreamDoc.ashx?id=1162182&type=PERMIT_FILLED_OBJECT&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

The WPP must include monitoring and assessment of streams in the Assessment Area (which does not seem to be defined). Also, methods to identify waters not up to designated water uses, i.e., contaminated. And “water sresource concerns and priority issues.”

The WPP must establish a baseline, include long-term monitoring, and a schedule for correcting current water quality problems, with ongoing monitoring to verify such correction. Plus best management practices (BMPs) to prevent future problems, and monitoring to verify BMPs.

Quitman also lacks an industrial pretreatment program for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). But GA-EPD has not yet determined whether Quitman needs an Industrial Pretreatment Program.

But Quitman does need a WPP, and here’s where the permit document first mentions the WPP: Continue reading →

Filthy Hightower Creek 2026-01-08 but clean upstream ILM Pond 2026-01-09

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Thanks to the landowners, on Friday John S. Quarterman tested ILM Pond at the top of Hightower Creek, west of I-75, and found its level well below its outflow pipes. Also, it tested pretty clean, despite the geese that land there. So that can’t be the source of contamination into Hightower Creek.

On Thursday, Suzy Hall tested Hightower Creek at St. Augustine Road and found it still dirty. Downstream, she also tested Sugar Creek at the WaterGoat and found it OK, not far upstream from the Withlacoochee River.

There’s no water in Hightower Creek all the way from ILM Pond under I-75. Until just below the Sam’s Club detention pond. So that seems like a good place to test next.

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

[Dirty Hightower Creek 2026-01-08, Clean ILM Pond 2026-01-09, Sugar Creek OK, Where is the source?]
Dirty Hightower Creek 2026-01-08, Clean ILM Pond 2026-01-09, Sugar Creek OK, Where is the source?

This is an update to the WWALS Friday Weekly Water Quality Report in which we found the Withlacoochee River clean, and the Santa Fe River.

The inch of rain Saturday last week had little effect, and the drizzle this Saturday probably even less.

No new sewage spills have been reported since then in Georgia or Florida.

The weather is supposed to be fine but cold today, so if you can find a river with enough water, and happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and 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 →

Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-01-07

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Update 2026-01-12: Filthy Hightower Creek 2026-01-08 but clean upstream ILM Pond 2026-01-09.

The Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean for this Wednesday.

We have no new creek results since last week.

The inch of rain last Saturday seems to have little effect on the rivers, neither level nor water quality.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in Georgia or Florida.

The weather is supposed to be fine this weekend, so if you can find a river with enough water, and happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.

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

[Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers; No new creek results, 2026-01-07]
Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers; No new creek results, 2026-01-07

Maybe you’d like to join us tomorrow for Ichetucknee Polar Plunge and Paddle to see SPZ 2026-01-10. Meet us at Ichetucknee State Park North Entrance: 9 AM to dip in the spring; 10 AM for the paddle.

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 →

Hightower Creek dirty upstream at Norman Drive 2026-01-01

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Update 2026-01-09: Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-01-07.

It sure looks like there is some sort of leak upstream of Norman Drive on Hightower Creek.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall got 833 cfu/100 mL for Thursday, only slightly lower than her 866 half a mile downstream at St. Augustine Road. Both results are above the one-time test limit of 410. Both WWALS and Valdosta Utilities have been getting too-high results at St. Augustine Road for many weeks.

And Valdosta Utilities got 880 at GA 133 for Wednesday on the Withlacoochee River.

That could be the contamination Suzy saw Tuesday washing downstream. If so, where is the water coming from to wash it down? There was no rain until today.

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

[Hightower Creek dirty upstream at Norman Drive 2026-01-01, And Withlacoochee River at GA 133 2025-12-31]
Hightower Creek dirty upstream at Norman Drive 2026-01-01, And Withlacoochee River at GA 133 2025-12-31

Suzy’s Norman Drive number is way worse than when I sampled the same location a year ago, December 12 02, 2024. That was part of a ten-site effort with Suzy Hall all the way down Hightower Creek and Sugar Creek to just above the Withlacoochee River. That project localized a likely sewer leak within 2,000 feet.

And a month later, the City of Valdosta found that major sewage spill in Sugar Creek that had been spilling for months.

Will Valdosta Utilities find this sewer system leak?

Fortunately, Valdosta Utilities got an OK 200 downstream at US 84 on the Withlacoochee River for Wednesday.

Today’s rain is supposed to be gone by tomorrow.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

Maybe you’d like to join us, weather permitting for Full Wolf Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Gather 5 PM, launch 5:30 PM, moonrise 6:07 PM, sunset 5:55 PM, end 7 PM, Saturday, January 3, 2026.

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 →

Ask Florida statehouse and Water Districts to explain JAX treated wastewater into the Suwannee Basin or to stop it, 2026-01-02

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Do you think a billion dollars to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee Basin is a bad idea?

If so, please ask your statehouse delegation and Water Management District Board to explain why limiting water withdrawals would not be a better idea, or to stop this project.

Everybody is downstream from somebody else. But we don’t need the Suwannee River Basin to be downstream from Jacksonville. Sure, we’re poorer than Jacksonville, but we’re not their sacrifice zone.

Two Water Management Districts say this Water First North Florida project would replenish levels and flows in the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers, including the Ichetucknee Headspring, by sending water into the Upper Floridan Aquifer through wetlands.

How can this expensive and risky project be the best way to conserve levels and flows in these Outstanding Florida Waters, which are supposed to be worthy of special protection because of their natural attributes?

How can risking the source of our drinking water be a good idea?

[Why is piping treated JAX wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin, better than limiting water withdrawals? Ask FL statehouse and WMD boards]
Why is piping treated JAX wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin, better than limiting water withdrawals? Ask FL statehouse and WMD boards

Here’s how to find your legislators:

https://pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator/

Also ask SRWMD to hold a Public Hearing explaining why this project is better and safer than limiting water withdrawals.

Let’s see the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Including evidence about how much JEA’s Buckman Wastewater Treatment Facility actually removes PFAS forever chemicals, drugs, and artificial sweeteners. Plus single points of failure such as sole-source contractors.

Suwannee River Management District
9225 CR 49
Live Oak, FL 32060
Phone: 386.362.1001
Toll Free: 1.800.226.1066
Hugh Thomas, Executive Director
Hugh.Thomas@SRWMD.org

Also ask your SRWMD Board members:
https://mysuwanneeriver.com/134/Current-Board-Members

The Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) seems to know surprisingly little Continue reading →

Hightower Creek still dirty; Alapaha River clean 2025-12-30

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Update 2026-01-03: Hightower Creek dirty upstream at Norman Drive 2026-01-01.

Update 2026-01-02: And clean Santa Fe River. At Mills Dock for Wednesday, Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler got 0 E. coli at 7 C air temp. and 17.9 C water temp.

Yet again, Hightower Creek tested dirty with E. coli at St. Augustine Road for Tuesday in Valdosta.

It still appears there is some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.

Sugar Creek at the WaterGoat tested much cleaner, but the next rain will wash down whatever that is upstream.

The most recent results we have for the Withlacoochee River are for last week, but they were clean.

The Alapaha River tested clean upstream for Wednesday.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. The Florida Pollution Notices Map is broken again: “Unable to create map: Cannot read properties of null (reading ‘insertBefore’)”.

Rain is predicted for Saturday.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

Maybe you’d like to join us, weather permitting for Full Wolf Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Gather 5 PM, launch 5:30 PM, moonrise 6:07 PM, sunset 5:55 PM, end 7 PM, Saturday, January 3, 2026.

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

[Hightower Creek still dirty 2025-12-30, Alapaha River clean 2025-12-31, Withlacoochee River Clean last week]
Hightower Creek still dirty 2025-12-30, Alapaha River clean 2025-12-31, Withlacoochee River Clean last week

Valdosta Creeks

Continue reading →

Valdosta fixing sewer system problems before they break @ VCC 2025-12-11

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Update 2026-01-01: Hightower Creek still dirty; Alapaha River clean 2025-12-31.

The Valdosta City Council approved two sole-source vendor items among seven water and wastewater items at its December 11, 2025, Regular Session.

A sole-source vendor is a single point of failure, and sometimes a very expensive one, as we saw with the Valdosta drinking water meter sole-source issue 2025-10-19.

In that case Valdosta had to completely replace 25,000 water meters.

Sole-source vendors can also be expensive, due to lack of competition.

[Valdosta fixing sewer system problems before they break, Still, sole-source vendors are a problem @ VCC 2025-12-11]
Valdosta fixing sewer system problems before they break, Still, sole-source vendors are a problem @ VCC 2025-12-11

The sole-source vendor items were 6.d) about the Force Main Pump Stations, and 6.d) about a new Decanter Unit for the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant, among these seven water and wastewater items:

  • 5.e) about the Knights Academy Road and Goodyear Lift Stations,
  • 5.f) also about the Knights Academy Road Lift Station,
  • 5.g) about cost recovery for those same two Lift Stations,
  • 5.h) about the Barack Obama Boulevard North Widening Project, with an agreement with LEA for a 16-inch water main,
  • 6.b) about emergency repairs at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Station (WWTP),
  • 6.c) about rebuilding pumps at the Gornto and Remer Master Lift Stations on the Force Main, and
  • 6.d) about a new Decanter Unit for the WWTP.
Continue reading →

Valdosta groundbreaking on additional drinking water plant 2025-12-18

Valdosta has been talking about building a second drinking water plant for a long time, and this week they broke ground for it, just south of Valdosta Airport.

That’s a good thing, since it helps direct development close in to Valdosta, instead of sprawling into agricultural and forestry land.

Everyone please note: drinking water plant. Not wastewater plant.

[Valdosta groundbreaking on additional drinking water plant, on Race Track Road SE, South of Valdosta Airport]
Valdosta groundbreaking on additional drinking water plant, on Race Track Road SE, South of Valdosta Airport

Here’s hoping Valdosta’s contractors tested sufficiently to be sure the new wells will not draw in river water, like what happened at the old drinking water plant on Guest Road, where they had to sink the wells twice as deep.

Also, we shall see what effect withdrawing 2.5 million gallons a day of groundwater will have. This plant appears to be under the same permit number, GA1850002, as the old one.

Valdosta posted a YouTube video, with voiceover by Mayor Scott James Matheson:

https://youtu.be/8x-mtomtSX8?si=uGSwUsWMCJCj_Q5G

The Mayor said the plant may help direct growth to the south side of Valdosta. That is something that has been lacking for a long time.

The Mayor posted some pictures on facebook, including this one. Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek 2025-12-17

Update 2026-01-01: Hightower Creek still dirty; Alapaha River clean 2025-12-31.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean upstream and down this week, and Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch in Valdosta tested pretty clean.

But Hightower Creek remained dirty in Valdosta Utilities’ result.

It still appears there is some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.

Downstream on the Withlacoochee River near the Suwannee, WWALS tester Russ Tatum got a near-perfect 33 cfu/100 mL E. coli. All these results are for Wednesday.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. FDEP’s Pollution Notice reporting is still half broken: see below.

After a little drizzle yesterday, no rain is predicted for the next ten days.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek, 2025-12-17]
Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek, 2025-12-17

Valdosta Utilities sampled its creeks again this week after its August 23, 2025 20,000 gallon sewage spill into One Mile Branch at Wainwright Drive. Valdosta has since replaced both manholes at Wainwright Drive with taller ones, so maybe that is finally starting to have an effect of reduced sewage in the creeks.
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/august-2025-sanitary-sewer-spills

Thanks again for those tests, and thanks for posting results earlier this week.

Also, Valdosta could take back up testing the Withlacoochee River down to the state line, plus Okapilco Creek, as they stopped doing after the four years required in the 2020 GA-EPD Consent Order. This would be to the advantage of the City of Valdosta, because such results help find sewage spills, and they also demonstrate when the creeks and rivers are clean, and when there are problems that are not Valdosta’s fault.

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 →

Water First North Florida wetland locations: unknown –SRWMD 2025-12-17

Update 2026-01-08: SJRWMD hired a consultant to plan piping treated Jacksonville wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin (Water First North Florida) 2025-11-12.

Update 2026-01-03: Ask Florida statehouse and Water Districts to explain JAX treated wastewater into the Suwannee Basin or to stop it 2026-01-02.

Here’s a bit more about the Water First North Florida (WFNF) billion dollar project to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

The Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) seems to know surprisingly little about this joint project with the St Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD).

They don’t know where the water would go into wetlands to “clean” it up some more, and they don’t know where it would go to infiltrate into the Floridan Aquifer.

They don’t have a pilot study and they don’t have wetland site assessments.

Turns out there are a couple of reasons why SRWMD does not know or have those things. But I have found out a few things.

And I have leads to find out much more.

[Water First North Florida wetland locations: unknown, No Pilot Study or Wetland Assessments, But here is the RFQ --SRWMD]
Water First North Florida wetland locations: unknown, No Pilot Study or Wetland Assessments, But here is the RFQ –SRWMD

Back on July 8, 2025, SRWMD Deputy Executive Director of Water Resources Amy Brown gave her board a Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Project Update. It included a few slides on the WFNF, aka North Florida Regional Recharge Project. Continue reading →