Tag Archives: sewage spills

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]
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 →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-09-04

Update 2025-09-08: Clean Sugar Creek 2025-09-06.

Update 2025-09-07: Reorganized for intelligibility.

Water quality results from WWALS and Valdosta Utilities agree: the Withlacoochee River is clean again, upstream and down, as of Wednesday.

And WWALS tests say the Alapaha River is clean as of Thursday.

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 happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03, Clean Alapaha River 2025-09-04]
Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03, Clean Alapaha River 2025-09-04

Or join us inside tomorrow evening, 5-9 PM this Saturday, for a sit-down dinner with drinks and a silent auction in the WWALS River Revue and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.

The WWALS composite spreadsheet of 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.

[Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03 and Alapaha River 2025-09-04]
Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-09-03 and Alapaha River 2025-09-04
For context, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing
Previous WWALS water quality reports are here:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The numbers in the chart boxes indicate E. coli levels as colony-forming units per 100 mililiters (cfu/100 mL), according to Georgia Adopt-A-Stream bacterial monitoring protocols:
Zero (0) is what we want to see, and often we do, on the Alapaha and upstream on the Suwannee Rivers.
From 1-125 is within long-term average limits according to U.S. EPA and Georgia and Florida state agencies.
From 126-409 long-term is not good, and is likely to make some people sick.
From 410-999 is likely to make some people sick; try not to get that water on you.
From 1,000 and up: high alert; best not to get close to that water without gloves; wash clothes afterward.

The letters before the numbers indicate the source of the datapoint, as in W100 means 100 cfu/100 mL found by a WWALS tester.

W: WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS), Suwannee Riverkeeper
V: Valdosta, GA
L: Lowndes County, GA
Q: Quitman, GA
SGRC: Southern Georgia Regional Commission
SRWMD: Suwannee River Water Management District
FDOH: Florida Department of Health
FDEP: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Rain: From USGS and UGA and other gauges.

Withlacoochee River

WWALS tester Cindy Vedas got Continue reading →

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

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 →

New manhole at Wainwright Drive on One Mile Branch 2025-08-31

Update 2025-09-03: Better Withlacoochee River, Worse Sugar Creek 2025-09-01.

Congratulations to Valdosta Utilities for taking action on a chronic sewage spill location!

Scotti Jay reported Sunday that he had noticed that morning an excavator at the Wainwright Drive manhole on One Mile Branch, where spills continue into Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Scotti wrote, “Upon a closer look, the old manhole is gone. A new, updated and uplifted manhole now exists. I will wait to celebrate after the next storm. Strangely, the pine tree, whose roots were a problem in the old manhole, is also still there. So, let’s hope it holds water.”

[New manhole, Wainwright Drive, One Mile Branch, 2025-08-31]
New manhole, Wainwright Drive, One Mile Branch, 2025-08-31

Monday, Sara Jay sent a picture, attributed as a “screenshot from the Ring doorbell camera online community.” If anybody know a more precise source, please let us know. Continue reading →

WTXL on Wainwright Drive One Mile Branch sewage spill 2025-08-05

Update 2025-08-08: Clean Alapaha River 2025-08-03, Dirty Creeks 2025-08-06, Withlacoochee River Clean downstream 2025-08-07.

I’ve added some information to Malia’s report, so you’ll know what she was looking at.

Malia Thomas, WTXL, 2025-08-05, Valdosta sewage spill renews concern after second overflow hits creek in under a month: Another sewage spill near Sugar Creek sparks urgency as Valdosta faces decades-old infrastructure strain

VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — Another sewer spill in Valdosta—this time small, but still stirring concern.

[Wainwright Drive sewage spill on WTXL TV 2025-08-05, into One Mile Branch, at site of many previous spills]
Wainwright Drive sewage spill on WTXL TV 2025-08-05, into One Mile Branch, at site of many previous spills

  • Monday’s spill released up to 1,000 gallons into Sugar Creek [actually, into One Mile Branch, which flows to Sugar Creek, then the Withlacoochee River to the Suwannee -jsq], which connects to the Suwannee River system.
  • Since April 2024, over 409,000 gallons of raw sewage have spilled from the same Wainwright Dr. location.
  • Watch the video to hear from neighbors and the city’s plan of action.
Continue reading →

Cancelled: Florida Rivers Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-21

Update 2025-08-01: Rescheduled: Florida River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop 2025-08-14.

Received this afternoon.

[Cancelled: Florida Rivers, Task Force meeting, with Valdosta City Council, 2025-07-21]
Cancelled: Florida Rivers, Task Force meeting, with Valdosta City Council, 2025-07-21

River Task Force Members, Interested Persons and News Media,

JOINT WORKSHOP CANCELLATION NOTICE

Please be advised that the City of Valdosta City Manager informed us today that City of Valdosta City Council members and city officials will be attending a change of command ceremony at Moody Air Force Base on July 30, 2025.

Therefore, the Middle and Lower Suwannee River and Withlacoochee River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop at the City of Valdosta City Hall Annex, 300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia scheduled for July 30, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. has been CANCELLED.

The Joint Workshop will be rescheduled for a later date. Continue reading →

Cancelled! Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30

Update 2025-07-21: https://wwals.net/?p=68012

Update 2025-07-18: Filthy Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream but clean downstream, clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17.

Back in 2020, this Task Force of the dozen downstream Florida counties was instrumental in getting a Consent Order on Valdosta by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD).

The Task Force was dormant for a while, but recent Valdosta sewage spills have caused it to be reactivated. Some of its members already met privately with several Valdosta City officials a month or more ago. Now a long-awaited public meeting has been announced.

Also, we finally have a list of the members of the Task Force.

Y’all come.

[Florida River Task Force and Valdosta City Council, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Wednesday, July 30, 2025]
Florida River Task Force and Valdosta City Council, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The email notice received this morning says: Continue reading →

Waterkeeper Alliance advocates EPA and USACE restore longstanding protections for the nation’s waters 2025-04-23

Suwannee Riverkeeper, among 64 U.S. Waterkeepers, joined Waterkeeper Alliance and Environmental Integrity Project in asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to maintain and restore longstanding protections for the nation’s waters.

[Waterkeeper Alliance advocates EPA and USACE restore longstanding protections for the nation’s waters 2025-04-23]
Waterkeeper Alliance advocates EPA and USACE restore longstanding protections for the nation’s waters 2025-04-23

Most of this long comment letter is applicable to the Suwannee River Basin. For example, related to the ongoing Georgia attempts to define which rivers and creeks are navigable: “lUnder the agencies’ Pre-2015 Regulatory Definition, all tributaries to traditionally navigable waters, interstate waters, impoundments, and ‘other waters’ are categorically defined as ‘waters of the United States.’” For example, see Valdosta sewage into Sugar Creek and Quitman sewage and cattle manure into Okapilco Creek, both into the Withlacoochee River in Georgia, upstream from Florida and the Suwannee River.

The comment doesn’t mention the Floridan Aquifer, but there are mentions of “Large numbers of rivers and streams… that briefly flow subsurface and then reemerge as surface waters.” and river-connected “subsurface flows and springs” elsewhere. Subsurface flows are important in the Suwannee River Basin and the Floridan Aquifer.

The Florida Basin Managment Action Plans (BMAPs) supposedly intend to reduce by 85-95% the leaching of fertilizer nitrates through the soil and subsurface limestone into springs and rivers, causing algae blooms and crowding out native vegetation, to the detriment of manatees and other wildlife.

See also the Dead River Sink where the Alapaha River goes underground and comes back up in the Alapaha River Rise on the Suwannee River. Continue reading →

Pictures: Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta GA 2025-01-25

Update 2025-03-08: Another Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA 2025-03-16.

Thanks to the four Alpha Phi Alpha of VSU.

[Cleanup, One Mile Branch, Azalea City Trail 2025-01-25, Wainwright Drive, Alpha Phi Alpha, VSU]
Cleanup, One Mile Branch, Azalea City Trail 2025-01-25, Wainwright Drive, Alpha Phi Alpha, VSU

Thanks to Scotti Jay Jones and Sara Squires Jones for organizing this cleanup near the notorious Wainwright Drive manhole on One Mile Branch, along the Azalea City Trail in Valdosta, Georgia.

Donovan Henderson of Alpha Phi Alpha found the Zacadoo’s cup. Continue reading →

Rescheduled: Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta GA 2025-01-25

Update 2025-01-26: Pictures: Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta, GA 2025-01-25.

Rescheduled to January because of impending thunderstorms on the previous date.

Join us to clean up trash near the notorious Wainwright Drive manhole on Sugar Creek, along the Azalea City Trail in Valdosta, Georgia.

When: 10 AM-1 PM, Saturday, January 25, 2025

Put In: Wainwright Drive between Baytree Drive and Brookhaven Drive in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.84287, -83.30113

[Clean up One Mile Branch on the Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta GA, Rescheduled to 2025-01-25]
Clean up One Mile Branch on the Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta GA, Rescheduled to 2025-01-25

Continue reading →