Tag Archives: e. Coli

Clean Sugar Creek 2025-09-06

Update 2025-09-12: Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-09-11.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall sampled Sugar Ceek Saturday at Gornto Road, and got a pretty clean 300 cfu/100 mL, which is less than the 410 one-time test limit.

This is the same place Valdosta Utilities got way-too-high 3,800 a week ago on Sunday August 31. Then they stopped sampling, because that was the end of the required seven days after their pair of major spills the previous weekend.

Gornto Road is 0.44 miles upstream from the Withlacoochee River. Valdosta Utilities did sample twice more (Monday and Tuesday) at GA 133, 2.5 river miles downstream from Sugar Creek. They got too-high 540 for Monday and OK 180 for Tuesday.

But only now because of Suzy’s sampling do we know that Sugar Creek itself is back within normal range for E. coli, including at the Watergoat, a bit more than halfway from Gornto Road to the river.

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

Clean Sugar Creek, Saturday, September 6, 2025, In WWALS testing, Upstream from Withlacoochee River

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

There’s a 40% chance of storms Monday and Tuesday, so something might wash into the creeks and rivers then. Or not.

Meanwhile, this is what we know now.

The WWALS composite spreadsheet of Georgia and Florida water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SVezEtnmNw2-byIvfA2exUsK-3je9N5Iir5se2nPY1o/

The following image is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Filthy Creeks and Withlacoochee River 2025-08-29

2 Replies

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

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 →

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

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

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

1 Reply

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

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

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 →

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

This is the bypass pump yesterday. Continue reading →

Swift Creek @ Suwannee River Water Quality Testing 2025-06-21

Update 2025-09-08: Please take the Nutrien Water Use Permit off Consent Agenda and hold a Public Hearing –WWALS to SRWMD 2025-09-08.

We had heard a report from Wednesday of a fish kill on Swift Creek, apparently at the Suwannee River.

So yesterday three of us went there and tested the water. We didn’t see any dead fish, and the Swift Creek Confluence doesn’t look much like what was in the Wednesday report video, so we’re not sure where that was.

We tested for E. coli, which was pretty clean, pH, which was slightly towards the base end, and Dissolved Oxygen (DO), which was low, but not fish-killing low. Probably it’s worth testing again.

Swift Creek comes down from the huge phosphate mine north of White Springs, which has previously gotten the mine’s owner into trouble with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Swift Creek, Florida Trail, Water Quality Testing 2025-06-21, Suwannee River, Hamilton County, FL

Gee Edwards drew a sample from Swift Creek just below the bridge on the Florida Trail. Continue reading →

Community water well water quality test results

How do you get water quality test results for a subdivision water well?

Somebody asked that question, and I couldn’t answer it. So I called some people until I found the answer.

Search gadrinkingwater.net and example water quality test results

Go to gadrinkingwater.net Continue reading →

Better retested Sugar Creek water quality 2025-04-25

Update 2025-05-02: Sugar Creek still dirty, Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-05-01.

Update 2025-04-30: For Tuesday, April 29, 2025, Valdosta Utilities got 640 cfu/100 mL E. coli at Baytree Road and 410 at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek. That’s still too high, but better than even last Friday.

After last Tuesday’s horrendous TNTC result at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek, Valdosta Utilities tried again and got better results.

Valdosta’s Friday E. coli result was 930, which is still not good, but closer to the previous weeks’ 760. Both are above the one-time test limit of 410, but below the alert limit of 1,000, and far below TNTC (Too Numerous to Count).

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes tells me they have also double-checked their sampling process.

Better retested Sugar Creek water quality 2025-04-25, by Valdosta Utilities, Upstream from Withlacoochee River

You can see the follow-up results down at the bottom of Valdosta’s 2025 Sugar Creek Spill Testing table.
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/2025-sugar-creek-spill-testing

* Sample Colonies Too numerous to Count- Issue under investigation and new Sample to be pulled and Results to be posted upon completion.
** Ad hoc Sample to follow up Results from 4/22/25 . New Sample Pulled 4/25/25. Gornto Road Results: FColi=760 EColi=930

Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River and Ty Ty Creek 2025-03-19

Update 2025-03-29: Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-03-26.

It’s a good weekend for boating, if you are experienced and like water high and fast.

WWALS and Valdosta Utilities got good water quality results both upstream and downstream of Sugar Creek for Wednesday, and there has only been a sprinkle of rain since.

No new sewage spills were reported in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is predicted until Monday.

The Withlacoochee River at Pinetta is too high to paddle, as is the Suwannee at Fargo and the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers near where they join.

Avoid those spots, and happy high and fast water fishing, swimming, paddling, or boating this weekend.

If you are experienced, join us on Saturday, March 22, 2025, for the Expert paddle with jon boats: Troupville to Knights Ferry, Withlacoochee River.

The Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle has been rescheduled to April 19th.

For these and other WWALS outings and events, see: https://wwals.net/outings/

Clean Withlacoochee River and Ty Ty Creek 2025-03-19, No new sewage spills, No rain this weekend