Category Archives: Quantity

Nutrien water withdrawals approved –SRWMD 2025-09-09

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After SRWMD Chair Virginia Johns took the oath of office due to being reappointed, the Board at its September 9, 2025, meeting approved the agenda unchanged and then approved the Consent Agenda with the Nutrien White Springs phosphate mine water use permit still in there, for withdrawal of up to 64.1621 million gallons per day (MGD) of groundwater.

Plus, “The executive director may authorize the use of groundwater for back-up mining/dewatering use in excess of 11.0000 mgd in emergency circumstances.”

For comparison, the City of Gainesville is permitted 30.0 mgd by SJRWMD.

This strip mine water use permit was approved despite the fish kill WWALS notified SRWMD of and despite frequent violations of the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

[Nutrien water withdrawals approved, Consent Agenda unchanged, Letters from WWALS and OSFR ignored --SRWMD 2025-09-09]
Nutrien water withdrawals approved, Consent Agenda unchanged, Letters from WWALS and OSFR ignored –SRWMD 2025-09-09

I wonder if the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) Board or Staff looked at EPA ECHO, which shows Clean Water Act (CWA) Violations Identified in 5 of 12 quarters and 1 Significant Noncompliance, as well as Significant Noncompliance in all 12 quarters of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). It’s true that these EPA ECHO quarters do not seem to include 2025, but such previous results are troubling. This is for PCS PHOSPHATE WHITE SPRINGS, 15843 SE 78TH PL, WHITE SPRINGS, FL 32096, which is the permit holder for NPDES permit FL0000655, which is cited in the SRWMD Board packet on page BCS 66: Continue reading →

Chemours to blame for flooding rural Santa Fe River Basin? –Grist 2025-09-04

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Update 2025-09-05: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-09-04.

What is overflowing in that floodwater from those five Chemours mines on Trail Ridge at the top of the Santa Fe River Basin?

“If I lived near Chemours, I’d be paranoid too,” said John Quarterman, who serves as the Suwannee Riverkeeper, a staff position for an organization of the same name that advocates for conservation of the numerous watersheds within the Suwannee River Basin. “Some of the stuff they’re paranoid about is probably actually happening, but it’s hard to document which of it is and which of it isn’t.”

Until the Florida Department of Environmental Protection takes frequent measurements up and down the state’s rivers, Quarterman said, it will be difficult to pin down the impact of Chemours’ activities. And without such studies, he said, it’s difficult to identify bad actors — let alone hold them accountable.

WWALS has a volunteer water quality monitoring program, and two recently-trained testers may start testing in the Santa Fe River Basin soon.
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

[Is Chemours to blame for flooding rural Santa Fe River Basin? --Grist 2025-09-04]
Is Chemours to blame for flooding rural Santa Fe River Basin? –Grist 2025-09-04

Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Ayurella Horn-Muller, Grist, September 4, 2025, Waterlogged and contaminated: In rural Florida, locals suspect a mining company is to blame for their flooding troubles: Residents are trying to connect the dots between hurricanes, high radium levels, and a mineral mining giant next door.

The storm had passed, but the water kept rising. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma slammed into Florida, causing tides to surge and dumping about a foot of water across much of the state. A few days later, Jane Blais stood on a bridge with her neighbors near her High Springs ranch, watching the Santa Fe River below swell higher and higher.

“We had zero notice,” Blais said, Continue reading →

Filthy Creeks and Withlacoochee River 2025-08-29

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Update 2025-09-03: Better Withlacoochee River, Worse Sugar Creek 2025-09-01.

Update 2025-09-02: New manhole at Wainwright Drive on One Mile Branch 2025-08-31.

All too high: One Mile Branch, Hightower Creek, and the Withlacoochee River, upstream and down.

The worst result in Valdosta Utilities’ Friday water quality results was at North Valdosta Road (US 41), upstream from most of Valdosta.

All were above the 1,000 cfu/100 mL alert limit.

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

There’s a 30% chance of rain today, then mostly sunny Monday and Tuesday.

Friday I said I wasn’t doing daily water quality reports after good Thursday results, but we’d best not ignore these

This is a prime example of why frequent water quality testing, especially by the City of Valdosta, is very useful. Nobody would have known about this contamination without these tests.

I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River for a few days at least, for paddling, fishing, swimming, or boating. Try the Alapaha or the Suwannee River upstream from the Withlacoochee, or farther downstream, or the Santa Fe or Ichetucknee.

[Filthy Creeks and Withlacoochee River after rain, 2025-08-29]
Filthy Creeks and Withlacoochee River after rain, 2025-08-29

Or join us Monday, September 1, 2025, for Little River Labor Day Paddle, Reed Bingham St Pk West Ramp 2025-09-01.

Thanks to Valdosta Utilities for posting their test results on their website, even on a holiday Saturday. 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 Continue reading →

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

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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

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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

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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

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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 →

Overflowing Catch Basin at Valdosta Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant 2025-08-24

Update 2025-08-27: Stopped: Overflow from Valdosta Withlacoochee Wastewater Treament Plant 2025-08-27.

Valdosta’s Withlacoochee WWTP catch basin is overflowing again, into Spring Branch to the Withlacoochee River.

Seems like the catch basin is not big enough.

[Overflowing Catch Basin, at Valdosta Withlacoochee, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sunday, August 25, 2025]
Overflowing Catch Basin, at Valdosta Withlacoochee, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sunday, August 25, 2025

Received 9:30 PM, Sunday, August 24, 2025, and currently on Valdosta’s website. We also got the same release at 9:10 PM, Sunday, August 24, 2025.

Sanitary Sewer overflow at the Withlacoochee WWTP

On Sunday, August 24, 2025, the City of Valdosta Utilities Department and City Management were notified that the secondary Equalization (EQ) Basin at the Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) had begun to overflow.

The Utilities Department immediately mobilized the appropriate divisions to assess and respond. The overflow was determined to be the result of excessive Infiltration and Inflow (I&I), which caused a hydraulic overload of the sanitary sewer collection system. This condition followed a significant weather event in which the City of Valdosta received more than eight inches of rainfall within a 48-hour period.

WPCP operators have worked tirelessly Continue reading →

Dirty Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee River @ US 84, 2025-08-13, Clean Alapaha River & Withlacoochee River, Upstream & Downstream 2025-08-14

Update 2025-08-22: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-08-21.

Update 2025-08-18: Videos: Florida River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop 2025-08-14.

Sugar Creek still tested bad for E. coli Wednesday, but not as bad as last week. The Withlacoochee River was bad at US 84, but OK at US 41 and upstream, and downstream near the Suwannee River.

The Alapaha River tested clean for Thursday.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

There’s a chance of storms through Monday, but mostly in the afternoon.

So if you can get in and out before the rains, avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, and happy swimming, fishing, paddling, and boating this weekend.

[Dirty Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee River @ US 84, 2025-08-13, Clean Alapaha River & Withlacoochee River, Upstream & Downstream 2025-08-14]
Dirty Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee River @ US 84, 2025-08-13, Clean Alapaha River & Withlacoochee River, Upstream & Downstream 2025-08-14

Or join us tomorrow (Saturday) upstream from Valdosta in Lowndes County, Georgia, for Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16.

Withlacoochee River upstream

Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha River 2025-08-03, Dirty Creeks 2025-08-06, Withlacoochee River Clean downstream 2025-08-07

Update 2025-08-15: Dirty Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee River @ US 84, 2025-08-13, Clean Alapaha River & Withlacoochee River, Upstream & Downstream 2025-08-13.

Valdosta Utilities got very bad E. coli results Monday, after its sewage spill into One Mile Branch. But not just bad on Sugar Creek. Also bad upstream of Sugar Creek at US 41 on the Withlacoochee River, and downstream at both GA 133 and US 84.

Very bad, as in more than 9,000 cfu/100 mL, for each of the five locations they tested. That’s 9 times the 1,000 alert limit.

With Wednesday samples, WWALS got higher than the 410 one-time test limit for Cat Creek and Beatty Branch at Cat Creek Road, and for Franklinville Road on the Withlacoochee River, which is upstream of those creeks.

Surprisingly, the WWALS Wednesday test result for Langdale Park Boat Ramp was OK at 166. Surprising because that’s downstream from the other WWALS results of the same day, and just downstream from Valdosta Utilities’s sky-high Monday result at US 41.

Farther downstream for Thursday, WWALS got zero near the Suwannee River.

Meanwhile, for Sunday on the Alapaha River near Alapaha, GA, WWALS got very good results. There was one tiny sewage spill on Tuesday way upstream at Rochelle, GA, but that spill “Did not enter state waters.” No other sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

Storms and thunderstorms are predicted for the next ten days.

If you can avoid the weather, and avoid the Withlacoochee River upstream and near Sugar Creek, happy paddling, motoring, fishing, and swimming this weekend.

[Filthy Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee 2025-08-04, Dirty Cat Creek and Beatty Branch 2025-08-06, Clean Alapaha River 2025-08-03, Clean Withlacoochee downstream 2025-08-07]
Filthy Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee 2025-08-04, Dirty Cat Creek and Beatty Branch 2025-08-06, Clean Alapaha River 2025-08-03, Clean Withlacoochee downstream 2025-08-07

Or come to the WWALS Social tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 6PM at Banks Lake west of Lakeland, Georgia.
https://wwals.net/?p=67844

Later that same evening, you can also join the Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle on Banks Lake.
https://wwals.net/?p=67607

Cat Creek

Continue reading →