Tag Archives: quality

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 →

More about Spill from Chemours Trail Ridge South TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL 2024-01-31

The map in this Chemours followup report about its January 31, 2024, 194,195-gallon wastewater spill seems to indicate the water went south into Double Run Creek, which goes to the Santa Fe River.

[More about Spill 2024-01-31, Chemours Trail Ridge South, TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL, Santa Fe River Basin]
More about Spill 2024-01-31, Chemours Trail Ridge South, TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL, Santa Fe River Basin

The latlong in the map legend, 29.8901015, -82.0506411, is on one branch of Double Run Creek. 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 →

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]
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 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 →

GA-EPD Consent Order on Lowndes County for the Alapaha Plantation Subdivision Water System 2025-01-06

This long-troubled water system, run by Lowndes County to serve the Lake Alapaha Plantation subdivision next to the Alapaha River, in January 2025 got a Consent Order for the county to move along and fix it.

[GA-EPD Consent Order on Lowndes County, January 2025, for the Alapaha Plantation Subdivision Water System]
GA-EPD Consent Order on Lowndes County, January 2025, for the Alapaha Plantation Subdivision Water System

This drinking water plant has been getting notices of violation from GA-EPD since 2004.

In 2013 and 2014, Lowndes County spent at least $35,500 to fix it.

In 2018 the county spent another $16,915 to upgrade a water line for a private developer there.

In 2021, another proposal was for $173,000 to fix the same plant.

In 2024, Lowndes County tried a pilot of a potential solution, which failed. See The never-ending Lake Alapaha Water Treatment Plant saga @ LCC 2021-08-10.

Remember this ongoing expenditure of tax funds next time you see a subdivision rezoning on an agenda for zero BUDGET IMPACT.

In 2025, apparently some time in January, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) issued a Consent Order.

That Order was mentioned in the board packet for the April 7, 2025, Lowndes County Commission meeting, and discussed briefly in their April 8, 2025, Regular Session.

The bulk of the Consent Order is about Maximum Contaminant Levels being exceeded on many dates for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). These contaminants form when river water is chlorinated for drinking use.

The Consent Order, received in response to a WWALS open records request to Lowndes County, is on the WWALS website.

The gist of the Order is on Page 14:

Conditions

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 →

Pictures: Last Mile, Withlacoochee River 2025-04-13

Update 2025-04-20: Pictures: Chainsaw from Troupville up the Withlacoochee River towards Sugar Creek 2025-04-18.

At Langdale Park Boat Ramp Sunday Phil Hubbard got the big chainsaw working again. That’s the Husqvarna 24-inch chainsaw that we dunked in the Withlacoochee River Wednesday.

Then we drove by Sugar Creek for a look-see. There’s a big logjam, which we dealt with later. And geese swimming in the creek by the WaterGoat.

We decided to put in at Troupville Boat Ramp and go down around the Little River to its Confluence and upstream on the Withlacoochee River. All the way to Langdale Park Boat Ramp and back down.

[Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-04-13, Troupville Boat Ramp up to Langdale Park]
Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-04-13, Troupville Boat Ramp up to Langdale Park

We found plenty of new deadfalls, and some old ones in the way at this kind of water level. The Valdosta Gauge at US 41 read 122.79 feet NAVD88 at 9:15 AM and 122.87 feet at 5 PM, rising as we did this chainsaw cleanup.

Videos: 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 →