Tag Archives: Kurt Hurzeler

Clean Santa Fe and Alapaha Rivers and Withlacoochee Downstream; Problem Sugar Creek 2025-10-22

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WWALS got very clean results for the Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers for Thursday and Wednesday.

Also for Wednesday, a WWALS sample of Sugar Creek at the WaterGoat got lower results than Valdosta’s Tuesday upstream Sugar Creek samples.

I hear there was a water main break upstream on Hightower Creek. Maybe that or something else washed something into Sugar Creek and on out.

As noted yesterday, Valdosta will continue to test Sugar Creek for at least the next two weeks. And the Withlacoochee River for Tuesday both at US 41 (upstream from Sugar Creek) and at GA 133 (downstream).

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

It might rain Monday. Otherwise the long dry spell continues indefinitely.

So I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it. Other than that, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend.

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

[Clean Alapaha River 2025-10-23, Clean Santa Fe River 2025-10-22, Clean Withlacoochee Downstream & Problem Sugar Creek 2025-10-21]
Clean Alapaha River 2025-10-23, Clean Santa Fe River 2025-10-22, Clean Withlacoochee Downstream & Problem Sugar Creek 2025-10-21

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 →

Too much E. coli at the Watergoat, Sugar Creek 2025-10-10, Problematical Withlacoochee River 2025-10-16

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Update 2025-10-19: Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-10-17.

The last water quality test for Sugar Creek that we have is by WWALS for last Friday, and that was a too-high 633 cfu/100 mL E. coli.

For this Thursday, Valdosta Utilities got 480 at GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River, downstream of Sugar Creek, higher than the one-time test limit of 410, and higher than 400 last week. Yet Valdosta Utilities got a pretty clean 120 farther downstream at US 84, lower than 180 last week.

It is likely that Sugar Creek was still too high Thursday. We don’t know, because Valdosta Utilities last week ceased testing Sugar Creek, One Mile Branch, and Hightower Creek, as well as North Valdosta Road on the Withlacoochee River. This was apparently because the four weeks of testing required by GA-EPD after major spills had expired. Never mind that Valdosta Utilities’ last result on Sugar Creek was too high.

WWALS testers got a very clean zero result on the Santa Fe River for Wednesday.

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

There’s a chance of storms Sunday afternoon, otherwise it’s supposed to be mostly sunny for the next ten days.

I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, Other than that, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Too much E. coli at Sugar Creek WaterGoat, Problematical Withlacoochee River, 2025-10-16]
Too much E. coli at Sugar Creek WaterGoat, Problematical Withlacoochee River, 2025-10-16

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 and Santa Fe Rivers; mostly clean Withlacoochee River 2025-10-09

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Update 2025-10-18: Too much E. coli at the Watergoat, Sugar Creek 2025-10-10, Problematical Withlacoochee River 2025-10-16.

Update 2025-10-11: Plus Staten Road for Thursday.

WWALS testers found the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers clean within the past seven days, and the Withlacoochee River mostly clean.

We don’t know about Sugar Creek, because Valdosta Utilities stopped testing after the state-required four weeks beyond a major spill.

GA-EPD finally added the gallons spilled in Valdosta’s big August sewage spills to its Sewage Spills Report. But no new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

It’s supposed to be mostly sunny or sunny for the next ten days.

I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, Other than that, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Ichetucknee and Santa Fe, Mostly clean Withlacoochee River, Unknown Sugar Creek, 2025-10-09]
Clean Ichetucknee and Santa Fe, Mostly clean Withlacoochee River, Unknown Sugar Creek, 2025-10-09

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 Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers 2025-10-02

Update 2025-10-10: Clean Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers; mostly clean Withlacoochee River 2025-10-09.

WWALS testers found the Alapaha, Suwannee, and Santa Fe Rivers clean within the past seven days, and the Withlacoochee River clean upstream and downstream.

But according to Valdosta Utilities Sugar Creek was again filthy, and the Withlacoochee had too much E. coli downstream of Sugar Creek at GA 133. And One Mile Branch was above the 410 one-time-test limit at Wainwright Drive, but not downstream at West Gordon Street. There hasn’t been much rain. Are there still one or more undiscovered sewage leaks in the City of Valdosta?

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

Storms are predicted this weekend, but mostly in the afternoon.

I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, But if you can beat the rain, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers, Clean Withlacoochee up and down, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-10-02]
Clean Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers, Clean Withlacoochee up and down, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-10-02

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 →

Beatty Branch smelled like cattle manure, controversial Sugar Creek, clean Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers 2025-05-25

Update 2025-10-03: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers 2025-10-02.

WWALS testers found the Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers clean this week.

Upstream of the Withlacoochee River, WWALS got surprisingly high E. coli results on Cat Creek and Beatty Branch for Thursday samples. Beatty Branch water at Cat Creek Road smelled like cattle manure. More tests will be necessary to see where that is coming from.

WWALS found Sugar Creek OK. But Valdosta once again got much higher results for Sugar Creek, Meanwhile, Valdosta and WWALS results upstream at US 41 and Langdale Park were pretty close together. And this week’s WWALS Sugar Creek results are similar to last week’s WWALS results. We’ve never seen this kind of discrepancy between Valdosta and WWALS results before.

Downstream on the Withlacoochee GA 133 was OK by Valdosta, which is strange considering Valdosta’s Sugar Creek results.

Valdosta had a tiny 2,000-gallon sewage spill onto dry land Monday at its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). No other new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

Downstream from the WWTP at US 84 was OK by Valdosta. A WWALS test was even better farther downstream on the Withlacoochee River, near the Suwannee River.

There was no rain for a week before these samples, but it rained later Thursday, and more rain is predicted this weekend. So more contamination may wash into the waterways.

I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, But if you can beat the rain, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Beatty Branch smelled like cattle manure, controversial Sugar Creek 2025-05-25, clean Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers, Withlacoochee clean downstream]
Beatty Branch smelled like cattle manure, controversial Sugar Creek 2025-05-25, clean Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers, Withlacoochee clean downstream

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 Santa Fe River 2025-09-10, Filthy Sugar Creek, Dirty upstream Withlacoochee River 2025-09-11

Update 2025-09-19: Filthy creeks, Clean downstream Withlacoochee River 2025-09-17.

Introducing new WWALS testers Bob Mills and Kurt Hurzeler, who got zero (0) E. coli at Mills Dock on the Santa Fe River for Wednesday, September 10.

We also have not pretty Valdosta Utilities results for September 11 for Valdosta creeks and upstream at US 41 on the Withlacoochee River. Sugar Creek at Gornto Road was back up to several times the 1,000 alert limit less than a week after WWALS tester Suzy Hall got an OK result at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek. There had been no rain, so this is puzzling.

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 Monday.

So avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it, and happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.

We’ll have another water quality report Friday.

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

[Clean Santa Fe River and downstream Withlacoochee 2025-09-10, Filthy Sugar Creek and Dirty upstream Withlacoochee 2025-09-11]
Clean Santa Fe River and downstream Withlacoochee 2025-09-10, Filthy Sugar Creek and Dirty upstream Withlacoochee 2025-09-11

Continue reading →