Category Archives: Quantity

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 However, many of Florida’s water quality criteria have remained woefully outdated since the 1990s.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 →

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 →

OK Withlacoochee River, Cleaner Sugar Creek, Dirty Beatty Branch, 2025-07-30

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

Update 2025-08-04: Yet another Wainwright Drive sewage spill 2025-08-04.

WWALS got pretty clean water quality results for the Withlacoochee River upstream and down for Wednesday, and even Sugar Creek seems cleaner.

This is surprising after Valdosta’s much worse results for Monday.

Also surprising is the dirty winner of Wednesday: Beatty Branch, which runs into Cat Creek before that gets to the Withlacoochee River.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia since the report of the Valdosta Sugar Creek spill for July 13.

If you can avoid the thunderstorms predicted this weekend, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing. At least the temperature is predicted to be somewhat lower.

[OK Withlacoochee River, Cleaner Sugar Creek, Dirty Beatty Branch, 2025-07-30]
OK Withlacoochee River, Cleaner Sugar Creek, Dirty Beatty Branch, 2025-07-30

Maybe join us tomorrow for Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-03.

Cat Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman (jsq) got 300 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Cat Creek at Cat Creek Road. That’s well below the 410 one-time test limit. He did hear from a neighbor that there aren’t nearly as many fish in Cat Creek as there used to be.

WWALS is working on a grant strategy to do systematic testing of Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek to get at the bottom of that. It will be expensive, because it will require DNA testing in addition to many frequent E. coli tests. Continue reading →

More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-31

Update 2025-08-04: Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31.

Update 2025-07-29: If you can’t come Thursday afternoon, join us Sunday morning, Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-03.

Join us to float down about a 1/3 of a mile to a cluster of 4 trees where we stopped last trip, still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

The Withlacoochee River is very low, so we will be taking a canoe, and you can too, or a kayak.

Nobody has to saw. You can come pick up trash, photograph, or just float along.

This will be a very brief paddle. We’ll be back Saturday for more. You can join us then, too.

When: Gather 4:30 PM, launch 5 PM, end 7 PM, Thursday, July 31, 2025

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, downstream from the North Valdosta Road (US 41) Bridge, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31, Canoes or kayaks, Saw, photograph, or pick up trash]
More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31, Canoes or kayaks, Saw, photograph, or pick up trash

Continue reading →

Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River after rain 2025-07-23

Update 2025-08-01: Rescheduled: Florida River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop 2025-08-14.

It’s not a good week for Sugar Creek or the Withlacoochee River.

Not all of the river contamination can be coming from Sugar Creek, since E. coli readings are also sky-high at North Valdosta Road, which is upstream of Sugar Creek.

Most likely some of it is coming down Cat Creek, as we discovered in previous exploratory testing. WWALS is working on a grant strategy to do systematic testing of Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek to get at the bottom of that. It will be expensive, because it will require DNA testing in addition to many frequent E. coli tests.

[Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River, after big rain, 2025-07-23]
Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River, after big rain, 2025-07-23

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia since the report of the Valdosta Sugar Creek spill for July 13.

No rain is predicted for this weekend, but avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River. Remember rain could be washing other contamination into other rivers. But other than that, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing. Continue reading →