Tag Archives: Gornto Road

Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill 2025-07-14

Update 2025-07-17: Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-17

Here is the location of the Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill 2025-07-12 and what Valdosta has to say about it, including the city’s press release of this morning. Plus a few suggestions from WWALS.

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes requests that next time anybody smells or sees something, please go ahead and call Valdosta Utilities so Utilities can go look right then.

  • For Valdosta water or sewer problems,
    • please call Valdosta Utilities at 229-259-3592
    • or for after hours emergencies at 229-434-4132.

Please also report it to WWALS so we can follow up, as well.
https://wwals.net/report/

Utilties Director Barnes also told me that they had already started the required daily sampling after a major spill. Even though the city is reporting this as less than 10,000 gallons, nonetheless it affected a waterway (Sugar Creek), so he’s calling it major.

This spill has not yet shown up on the daily GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

[Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill, West of RR trestle, by Sherwood Drive, North of bypass pump 2025-07-14]
Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill, West of RR trestle, by Sherwood Drive, North of bypass pump 2025-07-14

This is what failed: the bypass pump, due to overheating.

It’s very easy to tell when it is running, because it makes a loud noise. Evidently, nobody regularly checks on it.

I have suggested a remote sensor to at least show when the pump is running. Perhaps a remote thermometer, as well. Jason Barnes said he was already looking into remote sensors. Continue reading →

New sewage spill in Sugar Creek 2025-07-12

Update 2025-07-14: Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill 2025-07-14.

Sewage is back in Sugar Creek, with children playing in it.

[New sewage spill in Sugar Creek, E. coli Too Numerous to Count 2025-07-12, Spill site at railroad bridge, Valdosta Utilities is on it]
New sewage spill in Sugar Creek, E. coli Too Numerous to Count 2025-07-12, Spill site at railroad bridge, Valdosta Utilities is on it

WWALS tester Suzy Hall reported this morning, “Yesterday I visited the goat. As I approached, I heard kids splashing, jumping and having a ball. There was, to me, a slight smell…and the water color was off. I hoped I was wrong, but I wasn’t. It’s nasty. It’s too early to pull the plates, but it’s going to be TNTC at the goat.” Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2025-06-12

Update 2025-06-20: Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-19.

WWALS got some OK E. coli results on Sugar Creek this week.

And Valdosta Utilities got clean results for the Withlacoochee River.

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

Rain is predicted this weekend and every day this coming week.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Withlacoochee River, and Sugar Creek, More Rain coming, 2025-06-12]
Clean Withlacoochee River, and Sugar Creek, More Rain coming, 2025-06-12

Maybe join us Thursday evening by zoom for How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar, by Dennis J. Price, P.G., 2025-06-19
https://wwals.net/?p=67740 Continue reading →

Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15

Update 2025-05-23: Filthy Langdale Park Withlacoochee River 2025-05-22.

Sugar Creek was too high at Baytree Road and at the WaterGoat in WWALS E. coli tests. However, Valdosta Utilities and WWALS got clean results for the Withlacoochee River downstream. And WWALS got excellent results for the Alapaha River.

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

No rain is predicted until Wednesday.

So avoid Sugar Creek, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15, Happy Paddling this weekend]
Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15, Happy Paddling this weekend

Sugar Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman sampled four Sugar Creek location Wednesday and got 900 at Baytree Road, 200 at the railroad, 233 at Gornto Road, and 500 at the WaterGoat. Those first and last results are above the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test limit for E. coli.

Something is still not right in Sugar Creek.

See also Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-08

Update 2025-05-14: Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass, Valdosta Utilities 2025-05-14.

We don’t know how clean Sugar Creek is this week, because Valdosta Utilities is now beyond the four weeks GA-EPD requires followup testing after a major spill.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean.

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

The chance of rain predicted rises as the weekend goes on.

Until it rains, the rivers are all pretty low.

So go early before the rains, go downstream where there’s water, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Clean Withlacoochee River, No sewage spills, Maybe rain soon 2025-05-08, Paddle early this weekend]
Clean Withlacoochee River, No sewage spills, Maybe rain soon 2025-05-08, Paddle early this weekend

Or join us Monday evening for Full Flower Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-05-12.
https://wwals.net/?p=67005

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

Withlacoochee River

Continue reading →

Sugar Creek still dirty, Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-05-01

Update 2025-05-09: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-08.

Sugar Creek was cleaner this week, but still at the one-time testing limit for E. coli at Gornto Road, and actually higher upstream at Baytree Road. Something is still not right near the old spill site, with no rain to affect it.

The Withlacoochee River and the Alapaha River were clean.

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

No rain is predicted until Sunday, or maybe Saturday afternoon downstream.

So avoid Sugar Creek, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Sugar Creek still dirty, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-04-29, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-01, Rain predicted for Sunday]
Sugar Creek still dirty, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-04-29, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-01, Rain predicted for Sunday

Join us tomorrow on-land for 2nd Annual Okefenokee Folk Festival, Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross, GA 2025-05-03
https://wwals.net/?p=67535

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

Sugar Creek

Valdosta Utilities got 640 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Tuesday at Baytree Road on Sugar Creek, above the the former sewage spill site, and below at Gornto Road, they got 410. Both are at or above the 410 one-time test limit. Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha River 2025-04-20, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-22, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-04-23

Update 2025-04-30: Better retested Sugar Creek water quality 2025-04-25.

Sugar Creek was filthy again this week. Something is not right near the old spill site. And there was no rain to cause this extremely high result from Valdosta Utilities.

Two Tifton Creeks, the Withlacoochee River, and the Alapaha River were clean.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida, although somebody spilled 50 gallons of diesel fuel at the I-75 mile 449 Hamilton County Agricultural Inspection Station in White Springs on Wednesday.

No rain is predicted until Monday at the earliest.

The rivers are all down to boatable levels. The top of the Santa Fe River at Graham is now too low.

So avoid Sugar Creek, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Clean Alapaha River 2025-04-20, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-22, Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Tifton Creeks 2025-04-21]
Clean Alapaha River 2025-04-20, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-22, Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Tifton Creeks 2025-04-21

Join us tomorrow on-land for Another Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA 2025-04-26.
https://wwals.net/?p=67224

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

Sugar Creek

Valdosta Utilities got 375 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Tuesday at Baytree Road on Sugar Creek. That’s below the 410 one-time test limit.

But downstream of the former sewage spill, at Gornto Road, they got TNTC, which is Too Numerous to Count, as in far above the 1,000 alert limit. Continue reading →

Clean Rivers and most creeks; dirty Sugar Creek 2025-04-16

Update 2025-04-25: Clean Alapaha River 2025-04-20, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-22, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-04-23.

Sugar Creek was not as clean this week.

But two Tifton Creeks and Franks Creek were clean.

As were the Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers.

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

No rain is predicted for the next ten days.

The rivers are all down to boatable levels, even Santa Fe River.

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-04-16, Clean Tifton & Franks Creeks, Dirty Sugar Creek]
Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-04-16, Clean Tifton & Franks Creeks, Dirty Sugar Creek

Join us tomorrow for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle on the Withlacoochee River, with a surprise route change.
https://wwals.net/?p=67456

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

Little River

WWALS Tester Samantha Carr tested two Tifton Creeks that run into the Little River and got clean results. Continue reading →

Clean Sugar Creek and Little River 2025-04-09; Dirty downstream Withlacoochee River 2025-04-10

Update 2025-04-18: Clean Rivers and most creeks; dirty Sugar Creek 2025-04-16.

Drum roll, please!

The long-awaited, yet unexpected: clean Sugar Creek!

Even after the rain Monday.

Also the Little River was clean upstream and down, and the Withlacoochee River was clean near Valdosta.

But downstream the Withlacoochee River was dirty. Makes me wonder what happened in Quitman?

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

No rain is predicted for the next ten days.

The rivers are still down to boatable levels (except for the Santa Fe at the Ichetucknee River Confluence).

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Clean Sugar Creek and Little River 2025-04-09, Clean upstream but Dirty downstream Withlacoochee River 2025-04-10]
Clean Sugar Creek and Little River 2025-04-09, Clean upstream but Dirty downstream Withlacoochee River 2025-04-10

Continue reading →

Clean Little & Withlacoochee Rivers, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-01

Update 2025-04-04: Dirty upstream, clean downstream: New and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-04-03.

Avoid Sugar Creek after rains, at least downstream from Baytree Road.

I sampled Tuesday, hoping to get low E. coli so we could all put that long-term Sugar Creek sewage spill behind us. But the results were very bad, as in Too Many to Count (TNTC) at Gornto Road and 4,933 cfu/100 mL at the WaterGoat. The alert limit is 1,000, so many times that.

Why? Most likely the banks and bed of Sugar Creek are still contaminated from the sewage spill and the rains washed some of that into the creek. Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes assures me the sewage bypass is working. Even though its pump wasn’t running when I went by there, he says it turns on as needed.

The good news: the Withlacoochee River downstream at GA 133 was pretty clean. Apparently rainwater in the river diluted the contamination from Sugar Creek. The Little River at Troupville Boat Ramp was even cleaner. So downstream on the Withlacoochee River you should have no problems this time from Sugar Creek.

[After rains, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-01, Clean Little River &, Withlacoochee Rivers]
After rains, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-01, Clean Little River &, Withlacoochee Rivers

The usual weekly WWALS water quality report will be published tomorrow (Friday). Continue reading →