Tag Archives: FL 145

Better Withlacoochee River, Worse Sugar Creek 2025-09-01

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

It appears that the high E. coli incident that started Friday due to rain on Valdosta has gotten diluted or washed downstream. The predicted rain for Monday and Tuesday did not happen, so chances are the results will keep getting better.

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

So, going by the test results we have, happy paddling, motoring, fishing, and swimming, as long as you avoid the Withlacoochee River from Sugar Creek to US 84.

[Worse Sugar Creek 2025-03-31, Better Withlacoochee River 2025-09-02, In Valdosta Utilities test results, Per Valdosta Utilities and WWALS]
Worse Sugar Creek 2025-03-31, Better Withlacoochee River 2025-09-02, In Valdosta Utilities test results, Per Valdosta Utilities and WWALS

Valdosta Utilities has completed the seven days of testing after a major spill required by GA-EPD. That ended Sunday, August 31, with much worse water quality at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek, 3,800 cfu/100 mL E. coli, which is almost 4 times the 1,000 alert limit. See: Continue reading →

WWALS Summary of FDEP chemical and biological tracers, Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers 2020-08-05

Here are the chemical tracer and DNA marker test results by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that WWALS has frequently mentioned, for example in Current Situation of Water Quality Testing, Suwannee River Basin 2020-08-02.

Below, please also find a summary of those results by WWALS Science Committee Chair Dr. Thomas Potter.

[Human and Ruminant DNA markers]
Human and Ruminant DNA markers

Thanks to Katrina Yancey of FDEP for sending the data, and for acknowledging that FDEP has no objection to WWALS publishing it. I asked FDEP for whatever they wanted to include, and this is what they sent:

“Thank you for asking, we recently set up our new site so it may be helpful to state that more information may be found at DEP’s webpage for the Suwannee River Basin Sampling Locations (https://floridadep.gov/dear/watershed-monitoring-section/content/suwannee-river-basin-sampling-locations).”

The actual data is on the WWALS website.

WWALS Summary of FDEP chemical and biological tracer measurements
on Withlacoochee and Suwannee River samples

Dr. Thomas Potter, WWALS Science Committee Chair

After Continue reading →