Category Archives: VWW

Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-02-04

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WWALS got good river results on the Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers for Wednesday.

Valdosta Utilities also got good E. coli results for the Withlacoochee for Monday.

We have no new creek test results.

No new sewage spills have been reported this week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia.

But there were two in Florida. The Florida Pollution Notices map is broken again, but WWALS is signed up for alerts so we got them by email. High Springs spilled Monday near the Santa Fe River, and Live Oak spilled Tuesday near the Suwannee River. Both were small spills and not very near any major waterway.

The weather prediction for Saturday and Sunday is warmer and sunny. So if you can find a river with enough water, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

Or come with WWALS tomorrow (Saturday), to find the site of the old Drew Mansion, on Ellaville Hike, Withlacoochee River 2026-02-07.

https://wwals.net/?p=69082

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

[Clean Alapaha and Santa Fe, Rivers 2026-02-04, Clean Withlacoochee River 2026-02-02]
Clean Alapaha and Santa Fe, Rivers 2026-02-04, Clean Withlacoochee River 2026-02-02

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Heather Brasell got a pretty good 333 cfu/100 mL for the Town of Alapaha wastewater plant outflow creek, and 166 for the Alapaha River just upstream from Sheboggy Boat Ramp on US 82, both for Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler for Wednesday at Mills Dock, a bit upstream from Poe Springs Ramp, bot a quite clean 66 cfu/100 mL, with 12.8 C air temperature and 16.3 C water temperature.

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities for Monday (we don’t know why not for Wednesday) got pretty good 320 at GA 133 and pretty clean 100 at US 84, both below the 410 one-time test limit.

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 →

Sewage Spill, Live Oak, Florida, WTP 2026-02-06

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Update 2026-02-06: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-02-04.

Received this morning from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Pollution Notices.

Apparently it was 2,500 gallons of sewage, not near any major waterway. The closest river is the Suwannee.

[Sewage Spill, Live Oak, Florida, Wastewater Plant 2026-02-06, 2,500 gallons, Not near any major waterway]
Sewage Spill, Live Oak, Florida, Wastewater Plant 2026-02-06, 2,500 gallons, Not near any major waterway

Pollution Notice

Pursuant to Section 403.077, F.S., the Department of Environmental Protection has received the following Public Notice of Pollution for a reportable release. All information displayed was submitted by the reporting party.


Type of Notice: Initial Report
Date of Notice: 02/06/2026

Incident Information
Name of Incident: Live Oak WWTP Headworks Overflow
State Watch Office Case Number: 20261159
Start of Incident: 02/03/2026 05:00 PM
End of Incident: 02/03/2026 05:35 PM

Incident Description
Mechanical barscreen control issue causing influent launders to overflow onto deck of headworks and onto lawn/driveway below. Water leak at facility called into City Fire, City Fire dispatched and notified Public Works provider who then contacted site PM. Spill gallonage to State Watch Office reported as 20,000 Gal, photos of site following review have estimate adjusted to ~2,500 Gallons.

Incident Location
Facility/Installation Name: City of Live Oak WWTF
Address Line 1: 701 Lime Ave NW
Address Line 2:
Directions:
City: Live Oak
State: FL
Zip Code: 32064
Coordinates (in decimal degrees):
Lat: 30.3074307765754, Long: -82.9923627665505 Click to view Incident Location
Impacted Counties: Suwannee
Updated Impact:

Incident Reported By Continue reading →

JEA approved $400 million for WFNF treated wastewater into Suwannee Basin 2025-11-19

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JEA already approved 40% of the purported cost of $1 billion for the Water First North Florida plan to pipe Jacksonville treated wastewater into the Suwannee River Basin.

This paragraph is interesting:

According to JEA, minimum flows and water levels stipulate how much water can be drawn from certain sources to avoid environmental damage from groundwater pumping. Because the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers have not met those MFLs, the region has created Water First as its solution.

Who is this “the region”?

Floridians, do you remember voting for this project?

Do you remember voting for any candidate who said they were for this project?

So who is this “the region” who created WFNF?

And why should the Suwannee Basin provide wetlands for “further purification” of Jacksonville wastewater?

Those are more questions you can ask your elected officials, local, state, and national.

https://wwals.net/?p=69143

[JEA approved $400 million for treated wastewater 2025-11-18 into Suwannee Basin, Water First North Florida]
JEA approved $400 million for treated wastewater 2025-11-18 into Suwannee Basin, Water First North Florida

Marcela Camargo, new4jax.com, November 19, 2025, JEA board approves $400M for project to recharge Floridan Aquifer, restore springs, ensure sustainable water supply: The board also approved $260.3 million increase to power purchase agreement with FPL,

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The JEA Board of Directors approved on Tuesday millions of dollars in funding for a project that aims to recharge the Floridan Aquifer, restore springs and river flows, and ensure the region’s sustainable water supply.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board gave its approval to participate in the Water First North Florida Partnership, a long-term project that will help North Florida meet the upcoming Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) rule by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Continue reading →

High Springs sewage spill, Railroad Ave. near SE Douglas Street 2026-02-02

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Update 2026-02-06: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, and Santa Fe Rivers 2026-02-04.

Received yesterday from FDEP:

[High Springs sewage spill, Railroad Ave. near SE Douglas Street, 4,500 gallons, 4,000 recovered, Not near any waterway 2026-02-02]
High Springs sewage spill, Railroad Ave. near SE Douglas Street, 4,500 gallons, 4,000 recovered, Not near any waterway 2026-02-02

Pollution Notice

Thank you for submitting a Public Notice of Pollution for a reportable Incident in compliance with Section 403.077, F.S.

All information displayed was submitted by the reporting party.

Type of Notice: Initial Report Date of Notice: 02/02/2026

Incident Information
Name of Incident: 2026-1112
State Watch Office Case Number: 2026-1112
Start of Incident: 02/02/2026 06:30
End of Incident: 02/02/2026 11:00
Incident Description: Break in 6″ Ductile Iron Pipe, believe caused by the freeze that occurred overnight. Leak has been repaired, dig site is backfilled, has lime and signs posted.
Wastewater Type: Untreated
Cause: Extreme Weather
Spill Volume: 4500
Volume Recovered: 4000
Waterbodies Impacted: NA
Clean-up Status: Complete
Clean-up Actions: Vacuumed/pump truck, Applied lime, Signs posted
Agencies Notified: Alachua County Environmental Protection

Incident Location
Facility/Installation Name: High Springs WWTF
Address Line 1: 23007 NW Railroad Ave
Address Line 2:
Directions: SE Douglas St
City: High Springs
State: FL
Zip Code: 32643
Coordinates (in decimal degrees):
Lat: 29.821958862943603, Long: -82.58891036880728
Impacted Counties: Alachua

Incident Reported By Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee Rivers 2026-01-28

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Update 2026-02-03: High Springs sewage spill, Railroad Ave. near SE Douglas Street 2026-02-02.

WWALS got good river results on Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers for Wednesday, and on the Santa Fe River for Thursday.

Valdosta Utilities also got good E. coli results for the Withlacoochee for Wednesday.

We have no new creek test results.

No new sewage spills have been reported this week in Georgia or Florida. The Florida Pollution Notices map is even finally working!

So if you can it being really cold, and you can find a river with enough water, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee Rivers 2026-01-28, Very cold this weekend, But happy paddling!]
Clean Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee Rivers 2026-01-28, Very cold this weekend, But happy paddling!

Alapaha River

Please welcome back WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner. For Wednesday she a very good 33 cfu/100 mL at both Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach for Wednesday.

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler for Thursday at Mills Dock, a bit upstream from Poe Springs Ramp, bot a quite clean 100, with 4.7 C air temperature and 17.0 C water temperature.

Withlacoochee River

Valdosta Utilities for Wednesday got 360 at GA 133 and 50 at US 84, both below the 410 one-time test limit.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall for Wednesday got a perfect zero (0) for State Line Boat Ramp, aka Mozell Spells.

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 →

Santa Fe River Clean, Withlacoochee Clean Upstream, Bad Downstream 2026-01-22

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Update 2026-01-30: Clean Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee Rivers 2026-01-28.

WWALS got good river results on the Santa Fe River for Wednesday and upstream on the Withlacoochee River for Thursday.

Valdosta Utilities got bad E. coli results downstream at GA 133 and US 84 for Thursday.

We have no new creek test results.

I wonder if some of the contamination I detected Sunday on feeder creeks just upstream from Langdale Park Boat Ramp had not washed downstream to GA 133 and beyond by Thursday. Or did something else come down Hightower Creek and Sugar Creek into the Withlacoochee River?

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

So if you can find a river with enough water, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend before the big freeze next week.

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

[Santa Fe River Clean, Withlacoochee Clean Upstream, Withlacoochee Bad Downstream at GA 133 & US 84, 2026-01-22]
Santa Fe River Clean, Withlacoochee Clean Upstream, Withlacoochee Bad Downstream at GA 133 & US 84, 2026-01-22

Withlacoochee River

Please welcome back WWALS tester Cindy Vedas. For Thursday she got:

  • a very clean 33 cfu/100 mL at Franklinville Landing, “Looks great at this location.”
  • a perfect zero (0) at Staten Road, “River looks good here.”
  • and 66 at Langdale Park Boat Ramp, “River not flowing much at all. New No Hunting signs are posted.”

Valdosta Utilities for Thursday got 770 at GA 133 and 650 at US 84, both above the 410 one-time test limit.

Santa Fe River

WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler for Wednesday at Mills Dock, a bit upstream from Poe Springs Ramp, bot a very clean 33, with 6.2 C air temperature and 17.0 C water temperature. And a beaver!

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 →

Valdosta Force Main alongside Hightower Creek 2026-01-09

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It’s not obvious that Valdosta’s Force Main from its Remer Pump Station on Sugar Creek runs alongside Hightower Creek up across St. Augustine Road, Norman Drive, and I-75, then along various county roads, to the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), whose treated wastewater outfall is to the nearby Withlacoochee River.

Here are some pictures in the other direction, west to east, across the land just west of I-75 (thanks to the landowners), across I-75, to Norman Drive.

[Valdosta Force Main alongside Hightower Creek, Across I-75 and Norman Drive 2026-01-09]
Valdosta Force Main alongside Hightower Creek, Across I-75 and Norman Drive 2026-01-09

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

https://wwals.net/?p=69215

You can find this force main on the VALORGIS map. You have to turn on the layer ValdostaEasements. Then it appears in black.

Also turn on Streams to make the creeks show up, although VALORGIS only shows Hightower Creek as far as St. Augustine Road.

And turn off Zoning to reduce distractions. Continue reading →

OK One Mile Branch 2026-01-13, Filthy Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2026-01-18

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Update 2026-01-23: Santa Fe River Clean, Withlacoochee Clean Upstream, Bad Downstream 2026-01-22.

People in the Foxborough subdivision have been complaining of smells coming from Lowndes County’s Foxborough Lift Station. Turns out there’s also a downstream water quality issue. We don’t know that’s because of that lift station, but it needs further investigation.

I went out there Sunday afternoon with one such neighbor. We could smell the lift station in the woods. Apparently hanging big urinal cakes on the fence was not adequate.

I also took water quality samples downstream, and the results were far worse than I expected. All results were several times the 1,000 cfu/100 mL alert limit for E. coli.

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

[OK One Mile Branch 2026-01-13, Filthy Foxborough Lift Station Run and creek to Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2026-01-18]
OK One Mile Branch 2026-01-13, Filthy Foxborough Lift Station Run and creek to Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2026-01-18

I took samples from the tiny run just downhill from the lift station, from the creek it runs into just before it joins the Withlacoochee River, and across the river and slightly downstream near Langdale Park Boat Ramp. Results: 5,533, 5,133, and 2,700. This may help explain why results at Langdale Park Boat Ramp are often higher than at the North Valdosta Road Bridge: this creek that comes in between those two points.

Now this does not mean that the lift station caused this contamination. There was rain that same morning. It could simply be first flush, which is a utilities term for when the first rain after a drought washes the woods that animals have been using as a latrine. In this case, probably plus domestic pets in Foxborough.

But these results warrant further investigation.

Please note that Lowndes County has its own sewer system, which has not reported a sewage spill in years. It is separate from Valdosta’s sewage system.

Also, the previous Tuesday, January 13, WWALS tester Scotti Jay noticed a strange coloration in One Mile Branch. He sampled at Wainwright Drive Bridge. The result was OK: 266 cfu/100 mL.

And Valdosta Utilities has finally posted its Withlacoochee River results from Wednesday last week: an OK 280 at GA 133 and a quite clean 50 at US 84. These were before the Sunday morning rain.

No new sewage spills have been reported since our last Friday water quality report in Georgia or Florida.

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 Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, Withlacoochee Rivers 2026-01-14

Update 2026-01-20: OK One Mile Branch 2026-01-13, Filthy Langdale Park Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2026-01-18.

WWALS testers found the Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Ichetucknee Rivers clean for this Wednesday.

We have no new creek results and no results this week from Valdosta Utilities.

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

The weather is supposed to be sunny Saturday, but colder and rainy Sunday. If you can find a river with enough water and you don’t mind cole, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.

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

[Clean Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee Rivers; No Valdosta Utilities results, 2026-01-14]
Clean Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, and Withlacoochee Rivers; No Valdosta Utilities results, 2026-01-14

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 →

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

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 →