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

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

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

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

Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22

Started in 100F heat index, finished in a rainstorm, but Phil Hubbard and I got passage cleared through three big deadfalls and a little one, and started on another.

More of these chainsaw cleanups. Join us next time!

[Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22, 100F heat index, thunderstorm, Still got several deadfalls]
Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22, 100F heat index, thunderstorm, Still got several deadfalls

The Withlacoochee River was too low to even get the WWALS jon boat in the water at Langdale Park Boat Ramp, where we rerouted to be upstream of the continued high E. coli in Sugar Creek.

Either outboard would have been of little use, anyway.

So we used one of the Suwannee Riverkeeper fleet of canoes. Thanks to Bob and Sue Raffaele, who donated the Old Town Camper canoe to WWALS 2021-05-29. And thanks to Dr. Dennis Marks for linking us up.

As the rain started to fall, Phil asked, how many miles did we get? Well, about a third of a mile. But we got more deadfalls cleared in that stretch than anybody else did.

While I was the one taking videos and Phil did indeed to most of the chainsaw work, I also chainsawed with two different saws.

Don’t worry: we left plenty of deadfalls for habitat. We cut passage, not everything out of the river.

We collected a bit of trash. Anybody who wants to collect more in this stretch can now get through to do so. And they can come along next chainsaw cleanup and pick up trash then.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the grant that paid not only for the two outboard motors that we did not use this time, but also for the 86lb-thrust trolling motor and the LiFePO4 batteries that we did use to get back up the river quickly in the thunder and lightning. No pictures of that; we were busy trying to get to port. Continue reading

Cancelled: Florida Rivers Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-21

Received this afternoon.

[Cancelled: Florida Rivers, Task Force meeting, with Valdosta City Council, 2025-07-21]
Cancelled: Florida Rivers, Task Force meeting, with Valdosta City Council, 2025-07-21

River Task Force Members, Interested Persons and News Media,

JOINT WORKSHOP CANCELLATION NOTICE

Please be advised that the City of Valdosta City Manager informed us today that City of Valdosta City Council members and city officials will be attending a change of command ceremony at Moody Air Force Base on July 30, 2025.

Therefore, the Middle and Lower Suwannee River and Withlacoochee River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop at the City of Valdosta City Hall Annex, 300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia scheduled for July 30, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. has been CANCELLED.

The Joint Workshop will be rescheduled for a later date. Continue reading

Come to the WWALS River Revue and WWALS Paddles, 2025-07-08 –Suwannee Riverkeeper to LCC 2025-07-08

I invited the County Commissioners and staff of the most populous county in the Suwannee River Basin, Lowndes County, Georgia, to the 2026 Mayor and Chairmans Paddle and to a chainsaw cleanup preparing for it, as well as to the WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, both coming up September 6, 2025.

[Come to the WWALS River Revue, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and WWALS Paddles, Suwannee Riverkeeper to LCC 2025-07-08]
Come to the WWALS River Revue, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and WWALS Paddles, Suwannee Riverkeeper to LCC 2025-07-08

First I congratulated them on the discussion during a rezoning Public Hearing earlier in that same meeting two weeks ago. See the video by Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25109

I had been prepared to leap up and defend the Withlacoochee River from this rezoning just west of it, but between the citizens who spoke against,the speaker for, and the Commissioners and staff, they covered it. As I mentioned, I don’t necessarily completely agree with the decision, but it was a very civil discussion. Continue reading

PFAS in sewage effluent used to restore wetlands 2025-07-18

Update 2025-07-25: SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08.

It’s well-established that ordinary wastewater treatment does not remove PFAS forever chemicals. Yet two Florida Water Management Districts want to use treated wastewater from Jacksonville into wetlands to “restore” levels and flows in the Santa Fe River and many springs in the Suwannee Basin.

[PFAS in sewage effluent used to restore wetlands, Maybe into Nutrien Phosphate Mine wetlands on Swift Creek]
PFAS in sewage effluent used to restore wetlands, Maybe into Nutrien Phosphate Mine wetlands on Swift Creek

See the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) YouTube video of its July 8, 2025, Governing Board meeting:
https://www.youtube.com/live/9pousRkUayc?si=R8KNhx524INgVNW-&t=4120

It’s hard to tell from that project’s map, but it sure looks like one of the target wetlands is at the top of Swift Creek in the Nutrien Phosphate Mine in Hamlton County. Continue reading

Nitrate monitoring and mining on SRWMD land –Suwannee Riverkeeper to SRWMD Board 2025-07-08

Update 2025-07-21: PFAS in sewage effluent used to restore wetlands 2025-07-18.

I did get answers from the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) about nitrate testing for springs, but no response about the Chemours application to mine on SRWMD land in Bradford County in the Santa Fe River Basin, using mineral rights retained by Rayonier.

[Nitrate monitoring of springs and Mining on SRWMD land, --Suwannee Riverkeeper to SRWMD Board 2025-07-08]
Nitrate monitoring of springs and Mining on SRWMD land, –Suwannee Riverkeeper to SRWMD Board 2025-07-08

Surprisingly, nobody showed up to speak at the recent SRWMD Board meeting in item 6. Public Comment. See SRWMD’s YouTube video at 15:28.
https://www.youtube.com/live/9pousRkUayc?si=VoUYIbT4Ak8SKlGV&t=928 Continue reading

Filthy Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream but clean downstream, clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17

Update 2025-07-25: Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River after rain 2025-07-23.

Best to stay away from Sugar Creek, and the Withlacoochee River near it, although downstream near the Suwannee River the Withlacoochee tested clean.

The Alapaha River tested clean.

As noted yesterday, the Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill finally showed up yesterday in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. That was the only sewage spill reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia, and no new sewage spills were reported in the past week in Florida.

No rain is predicted for this weekend, so avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River upstream, and happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.

[Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream, but clean downstream]
Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream, but clean downstream

Depending on water levels and river contamination, join us Tuesday for Chainsaw again upstream from Troupville towards Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22.
https://wwals.net/?p=67969

Those interested in Sugar Creek or sewage spills, come to Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30.
https://wwals.net/?p=67990

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner tested her usual two Alapaha River sites at Lakeland Boat Ramp on GA 122 and Naylor Park Beach at US 84, and got zero (0) E. coli for both.

“Both sites looked great,” she said.

Sugar Creek

Continue reading

Cancelled! Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30

Update 2025-07-21: https://wwals.net/?p=68012

Update 2025-07-18: Filthy Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream but clean downstream, clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17.

Back in 2020, this Task Force of the dozen downstream Florida counties was instrumental in getting a Consent Order on Valdosta by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD).

The Task Force was dormant for a while, but recent Valdosta sewage spills have caused it to be reactivated. Some of its members already met privately with several Valdosta City officials a month or more ago. Now a long-awaited public meeting has been announced.

Also, we finally have a list of the members of the Task Force.

Y’all come.

[Florida River Task Force and Valdosta City Council, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Wednesday, July 30, 2025]
Florida River Task Force and Valdosta City Council, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The email notice received this morning says: Continue reading

Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill update 2025-07-17

Update 2025-07-18: Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30

Test results continue to show high Fecal coliform and E. coli in Sugar Creek after the weekend’s sewage spill, even though the bypass pump has been running normally since Sunday. It can take many days for sewage to wash downstream, especially without much rain.

The spill was too small to have much effect on the Withlacoochee River downstream, and probably none on the Suwannee River.

[Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-16, Still high, even upstream at Baytree Road]
Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-16, Still high, even upstream at Baytree Road

This is the bypass pump yesterday. Continue reading