Tag Archives: Suwannee Riverkeeper

Clean Rivers and Creeks, except Hightower Creek 2025-12-11

1 Reply

The Withlacoochee River tested pretty clean this week, as did the Santa Fe River, and the Ichetucknee River for Friday last week.

Even Valdosta’s problem Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch tested OK.

But Hightower Creek was bad in Valdosta Utilities’ result, although the WWALS result the same day at the same site was OK.

It appears there is still some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida, although FDEP’s Pollution Notice reporting is half broken: see below.

No rain is predicted for the next ten days.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers, Mostly Good 2025-12-11, OK One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek, But not Hightower Creek]
Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers, Mostly Good 2025-12-11, OK One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek, But not Hightower Creek

Sugar Creek and its feeder creeks

For Thursday at St. Augustine Road on Hightower Creek, Valdosta Utilities got 535 cfu/100 mL, which is above the one-time test limit of 410 for E. coli, although well below their last week result of 2,500, which was above the 1,000 alert limit.

However, WWALS tester Suzy Hall got 366 for the same site the same day. We don’t know why these results are so different. It could be simply time of day: Suzy sampled at 11:40 AM and Valdosta typically samples (as far as we know) early in the morning. Which of course still doesn’t explain why they would be so different. Is there some upstream sewage leak that changes by time of day?

Downstream on Sugar Creek, Valdosta Utilities got 235 at Gornto Road and Suzy Hall got 180 at the WaterGoat, so those two results agree pretty closely.

Maybe Stones Aquatic clearing deadfalls out of Sugar Creek from Gornto Road to the WaterGoat last week helped, especially with the weekend rains to wash that stretch cleaner of residual sewage.
https://wwals.net/?p=68981

Valdosta Utilities also got an OK result of 140 at West Gordon Street, upstream of Sugar Creek on One Mile Branch. And they got a good 120 at Wainwright Drive, below the 126 three-test-average limit.

Valdosta Utilities switched to sampling its creeks after a different set of sewage spill, the one August 23, 2025 of 20,000 gallons into One Mile Branch at Wainwright Drive. Valdosta has since replaced both manholes at Wainwright Drive with taller ones, so maybe that is finally starting to have an effect of reduced sewage in the creeks.
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/august-2025-sanitary-sewer-spills

Thanks for that, and here’s hoping they keep doing that each week.

Posting results a bit earlier would also be good. When I checked about 5 PM Friday, they still weren’t up, and I had an appointment the rest of the evening, so you’re getting this report Saturday morning.

Also, Valdosta could take back up testing the Withlacoochee River down to the state line, plus Okapilco Creek, as they stopped doing after the four years required in the 2020 GA-EPD Consent Order. This would be to the advantage of the City of Valdosta, because such results help find sewage spills, and they also demonstrate when the creeks and rivers are clean, and when there are problems that are not Valdosta’s fault.

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.

[Chart: Clean Rivers Creeks Dirty Hightower Creek 2025-12-11 --WWALS Excerpt, Composite Spreadsheet]
Chart: Clean Rivers Creeks Dirty Hightower Creek 2025-12-11 –WWALS Excerpt, Composite Spreadsheet Continue reading →

Alapaha Sturgeon Rescue –Kenneth Sulak 2010-09-12

Leave a reply

Ken Sulak sent this story today, about rescuing Gulf Sturgeon from the dry bed of the Alapaha River, back in September 2010.

The Alapaha River often goes dry in late summer and fall, because what little water it has after evapotranspiration goes down the Dry River distributary into the Dead River Sink, and only emerges about 19 miles downstream at the Alapaha River Rise and Holton Creek Rise, both on the Suwannee River upstream from the Alapaha River Confluence.

Dug deep into photo files – found a few images from 12-13 Sept 2010 rescue of 4-5 sturgeon stranded in a pool in the otherwise dry Alapaha. I no longer have access to USGS files since the current regime has decided to cutoff all retired emeritus scientists from their stored data. So I could not determine exactly where this was located, exact number of fish rescued, or their lengths. This was a 2-day effort. I will ask Mike Randall to pull up the field logs and see if he can find the relevant data.

[Sturgeon Rescue from Dry Alapaha River --Kenneth Sulak while at USGS, September 12-13 2010]
Sturgeon Rescue from Dry Alapaha River –Kenneth Sulak while at USGS, September 12-13 2010

We drove in on an SRWMD gated entry using one of their ATVs, followed a trail along riverbank, then up the dry river bed by 4-wheel ATV. Mike Randall and I waded into the pool with large landing nets (the smallest net shown here) and also a two-brail seine. After a lot of chasing the fish around we managed to net them all. I was in the water to begin with, but then took photos while the younger guys chased the fish around and managed to capture them. That was not easy. Continue reading →

Videos: Part 3, Knights Ferry to Nankin Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-22

1 Reply

Here’s Part 3, in which Melissa Stewart retrieves a yellow toy ramp, jsq chainsaws, there was a drizzle, we went through the rapids to get to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp, and Darrell Stewart planted water trail signs.

The whole thing took about nine hours, with the paddle taking about 6.5 hours.

The 200-or-so pounds of trash collected included Melissa’s RCA TV from the river and another TV found at Nankin Boat Ramp.

Thanks to Will Hart and Scotti Jay for leading this paddle, and to all for participating.

[Part 3, Knights Ferry to Clyattville-Nankin, Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-12]
Part 3, Knights Ferry to Clyattville-Nankin, Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-12

Here are some video clips:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1255447706414873

https://youtu.be/T_QOEz8Eb7o Continue reading →

Full Wolf Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-01-03

Leave a reply

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on our mini-Okefenokee just west of Lakeland, Georgia. Watch the sun set, the moon rise, and there may be bats. will be leading this paddle.

When: Gather 5 PM, launch 5:30 PM, moonrise 6:07 PM, sunset 5:55 PM, end 7 PM, Saturday, January 3, 2026

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Wolf Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 5 PM, 2026-01-03, West of Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats]
Full Wolf Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 5 PM, 2026-01-03, West of Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats

Continue reading →

Outboard birding, Banks Lake 2025-12-04

Leave a reply

Sheila Willis and Teresa Aldrich Ammons saw many birds on Banks Lake.

Sheila is the President of the Okefenokee Bird Club and Teresa is a member. Sheila has been very helpful with information about the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge where she used to work.

[Outboard birding, Banks Lake 2025-12-04, Bat tree, feathers, Sand Hill Cranes, White Ibis, hydrilla, Lily pads]
Outboard birding, Banks Lake 2025-12-04, Bat tree, feathers, Sand Hill Cranes, White Ibis, hydrilla, Lily pads

Plus some feathers at the bat tree, falling from a nest that nobody had noticed before. They might be from a Great Blue Heron.

Continuing southwest towards Moody Air Force Base, we saw a flock of Great Blue Herons. And a flock of White Ibis sitting on the water, then flying, then one perching.

There were more birds, but I was busy going too far into the lily pads and hydrilla with the 25-hp outboard. Although stalks of those plants wrapped around the prop, they weren’t the worst. That was Continue reading →

Packet: SRWMD Board plus Workshop on Drought Conditions 2025-12-09

2 Replies

Maybe you’d like to come to the Workshop on “Drought Conditions and Review of the District’s Water Shortage Process” that the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) is holding. That’s this Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 9 AM in Live Oak, after the SRWMD Board meeting.

If I’m not mistaken, a drought declaration by the Suwannee River Water Management District would mean numerous water withdrawal permit holders would have to reduce their withdrawals.

[Packet: SRWMD Board, Live Oak, FL 2025-12-09, plus Workshop on Drought Conditions]
Packet: SRWMD Board, Live Oak, FL 2025-12-09, plus Workshop on Drought Conditions

Also, Board agenda item 26. Water Resources Division Updates, will probably include an update on the Water First North Florida billion-dollar aquifer recharge project. It would pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville to wetlands in the Suwannee River Basin, and from there into sinks to recharge Ichetucknee Headspring and maybe others. Limiting water withdrawals would be less expensive and more effective, without risking contaminating our springs and aquifers with PFAS and other chemicals that wastewater treatment does not remove.

Two weeks ago I asked, Why hasn’t SRWMD declared a drought yet?

Already then, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the entire Suwannee River Basin in both Georgia and Florida was in drought.
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?Southeast

Conditions have only gotten worse since then. Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers; dirty Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch, filthy Hightower Creek 2025-12-04

1 Reply

Update 2025-12-13: Clean Rivers and Creeks, except Hightower Creek 2025-12-11.

The Withlacoochee River tested pretty clean this week, as did the Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers.

But One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek tested dirty, and Hightower Creek tested filthy.

It appears there is still some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.

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

The weather prediction for Saturday and Sunday is rain.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

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

[Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, & Santa Fe Rivers 2025-12-04, Dirty Sugar Creek & One Mile Branch, Filthy Hightower Creek]
Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, & Santa Fe Rivers 2025-12-04, Dirty Sugar Creek & One Mile Branch, Filthy Hightower Creek

Sugar Creek and its feeder creeks

We’re only seeing these creek results from Valdosta Utilities because they’re in the fourth week of the month 12 required testing after their November 2024 sewage spills. There won’t be any more tests in that series after this week.

https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/nov-2024-overflow-testing-results

Maybe it’s time for Valdosta to take up a more regular schedule for testing its creeks, as well as the Withlacoochee River both upstream and down. This would be to the advantage of the City of Valdosta, because such results help find sewage spills, and they also demonstrate when the creeks and rivers are clean, and when there are problems that are not Valdosta’s fault.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall got 566 cfu/100 mL E. coli at the WaterGoat on Sugar Creek, down near the Withlacoochee River. Which matches the 600 Valdosta Utilities got a bit upstream at Gornto Road. Both results are above the one-time 410 test limit.

Farther upstream, Continue reading →

Suwannee River Sill and Mixons Hammock –Shirley Kokidko 2025-11-26

Leave a reply

Here’s what the second and third gates in the Suwannee River Sill looked like a week after Shirley Kokidko’s Low water at the first gate, Suwannee River Sill, Okefenokee Swamp 2025-11-20. Plus a gator ambling down to the river, and Mixon’s Hammock, upstream towards Stephen C. Foster State Park.

[Suwannee River Sill, Okefenokee Swamp --Shirley Kokidko, Alligator, Second and Third Gates, and Mixons Hammock 2025-11-26]
Suwannee River Sill, Okefenokee Swamp –Shirley Kokidko, Alligator, Second and Third Gates, and Mixons Hammock 2025-11-26

Here are a few videos:

Remember, despite the Florida myth, the gates in the Suwannee River Sill are always open, since about 2001.

The third gate isn’t even a gate: it’s just a breach in that 4.5-mile earthen dam, so the North Fork of the Suwannee River can get through. The Sill was meant to keep water levels up in the Swamp to prevent wildfires, but it did not succeed. Also, it turns out wildfires are necessary for the Swamp’s vegetation to regenerate itself. So after a study starting in 1998 and a two-year trial period, the gates have always been open.

The current low water in the Swamp and in the Suwannee River is because we’re in a drought.

It rained a bit the last day or so, and more is predicted. But so far that has made almost no difference in the level of the Suwannee River at Fargo, GA.

Other rivers in the Suwannee River Basin also show almost no change. See Current River and Lake Levels by Florida’s Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD).
http://www.mysuwanneeriver.org/realtime/river-levels.php

There is a gauge at the Sill, but Continue reading →

Clearing logjams from Sugar Creek –Juston Stone 2025-12-02

2 Replies

Update 2025-12-05: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers; dirty Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch 2025-12-04.

This week there are many less deadfalls across Sugar Creek in Valdosta, Georgia.

[Clearing logjams from Sugar Creek --Juston Stone 2025-11-02, Stones Aquatic Weed & Algae Removal, for Valdosta Utilities Department]
Clearing logjams from Sugar Creek –Juston Stone 2025-11-02, Stones Aquatic Weed & Algae Removal, for Valdosta Utilities Department

Juston Stone sent these pictures. He is the owner of Stones Aquatic Weed & Algae Removal. He said he was hired by Valdosta Utilities Department to clear from the bottom of the Salty Snapper property up to the Gornto Road Bridge. Downstream from there is not in the Valdosta City Limits. It’s not far downstream to the Withlacoochee River, which has plenty of logjams of its own. Yes, there are discussions about that.

Juston also posted this video of Sugar Creek clearing:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2037502813683473/

There are more videos on the Stones Aquatic facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/stonespondcleaning/

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes had been saying for some time that he had some creek clearing projects in mind. I guess this was one of them.

Juston said when they cleared one of the biggest logjams, Continue reading →

Volunteering with WWALS 2025-11-21

Leave a reply

Why would you volunteer with WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS)? How can you help the Suwannee Riverkeeper keep the waters clean in the 10,000 square miles of the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida?

[Wide]
Suwannee River Basin

Volunteering isn’t just about giving your time. It’s about making a meaningful impact on your local environment. WWALS is dedicated to preserving the waters of the Suwannee River Basin, advocating for clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water. See wwals.net

By stepping up as a volunteer, you become part of this collective effort: be it paddling an outreach event, testing water quality, writing a grant, or promoting awareness. You’re helping safeguard our local rivers, aquifers, and wetlands — a cause that aligns well with your love for kayaking, chasing waterfalls and sunsets.

How to Get Involved

WWALS offers a variety of committees that handle many of the organization’s activities. These committees are the heart of volunteering and most are open to non-board members.

Here’s how you can get started:

Continue reading →