Tag Archives: testing

Watch out: contamination washing downstream, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-21

Update 2020-12-27: Bad Knights Ferry and Nankin, Christmas Day, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-25.

Sometimes you hate to be right: the high E. coli WWALS testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach saw Thursday at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp turned up for Friday in Valdosta’s results. Probably that contamination washed on down past the state line into Florida over the weekend.

[Watch out: US 41, GA 133, Knights Ferry, Nankin, Withlacoochee River]
Watch out: US 41, GA 133, Knights Ferry, Nankin, Withlacoochee River on Swim Guide.

Plus, after rain Sunday, Valdosta got too-high results at US 41 and GA 133. That’s probably still washing downstream now. Continue reading →

Bad Knights Ferry Thursday, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-17

Update 2020-12-23: Watch out: contamination washing downstream, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-21.

This is not the best weekend for boating, fishing, swimming on the Withlacoochee River, considering the very high E. coli results at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp for Thursday by WWALS testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach.

[Rain, Bad Knights Ferry, Swim Guide]
Rain, Bad Knights Ferry, Swim Guide

Apparently the rains Wednesday washed something into the river. Quite likely down Okapilco Creek from Brooks County, Georgia. Whatever it is, it’s likely to continue downstream. Continue reading →

Video: Virus, Full Moon, Bacteria, Okefenokee, Mayor’s Paddle, Songwriting –Suwannee Riverkeeper on Scott James radio 2020-12-14

On the radio Monday I announced that the Solstice Light Parade for this Saturday is canceled due to worries about the audience during the virus pandemic resurgence, so come to the December 29, 2020, Full Moon paddle instead.

Please help get the candidates in the Georgia runoff elections to help get the state of Georgia to stop the strip mine proposed far too near the Okefenokee Swamp.

[Many topics]
Many topics

Valdosta Mayor Scott James gracefully conceded the M.C. spot at the August 2021 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest to Steve Nichols, who is also a radio host. We talked about what it will take to pull off the Mayor’s Paddle, February 6, 2020, from Troupville Boat Ramp to Spook Bridge on the Withlacoochee River.

For any paddles, it’s good to know the water is clean, so we talked about Valdosta’s sewer system progress, including how the outflow from the WWTP is clean now, and the new catch basin is good, but is it big enough? We asked listeners to report anybody seen dumping into the Withlacoochee River, and the general water quality testing situation, including in Brooks County.

Starting this weekend, WWALS volunteers will be planting the new at-water water trail signs.

Here’s a WWALS video playlist: Continue reading →

Valdosta data: Quitman sewage spill, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River

Update 2020-12-19: Bad Knights Ferry Thursday, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-17.

Valdosta’s downstream test results show the Withlacoochee River still clean on the day of the Quitman sewage spill, Wednesday, December 9, and on that Friday and Monday, just as Madison Health and WWALS results showed for the Friday.

[Clean downstream, and likely spill sites]
Clean downstream, and likely spill sites

Valdosta did show quite high E. coli on Okapilco Creek at US 84 for the Friday, higher than WWALS saw on the Saturday.

If the spill location really was the South Highland Road Lift Station, maybe it took a few days for the contamination to ooze Okapilco Creek. Continue reading →

Big sewage spill, Quitman, GA, also bad downstream previous week, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-09

Update 2020-12-16: Valdosta data: Quitman sewage spill, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River

Quitman had a 125,000-gallon raw sewage spell Wednesday, December 9, 2020, appearing five days leter in yesterday’s GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. That’s larger than the 87,000-gallon Quitman spill of 2020-04-24, when Valdosta’s downstream results that same day showed 6,000 cfu/100 mL E. coli on Okapilco Creek, KF 15,000, Nankin 5,200, State Line 1,000; remember the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream alert limit is 1,000. We have reason to believe that April spill travelled all the way to the Gulf.

In the data we have at the moment, astonishingly this recent Wednesday spill does not seem to have affected the Withlacoochee River, much less the Suwannee River. However, we are still awaiting Wednesday and Friday data from Valdosta.

[Quitman, lift station, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River]
Quitman, lift station, Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River

Here’s the report, as highlighted by WWALS automated software: Continue reading →

Still clean Withlacoochee River 2020-12-12

Update 2020-12-19: Bad Knights Ferry Thursday, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-17.

Update 2020-12-15: Big sewage spill, Quitman, GA, also bad downstream previous week, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-09.

As near as we can tell, the Withlacoochee River was still clean this weekend. With very little rain, it will probably stay that way for awhile.

[Chart, Plates, Map]
Chart, Plates, Map

FDEP today posted results for Thursday from Madison Health that corroborated Continue reading →

Clean downstream, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-10; odd Gibson Park, Suwannee River 2020-12-05

Update 2020-12-14: Still clean Withlacoochee River 2020-12-12.

Despite Adel’s Monday spill and a Valdosta water main burst Wednesday, all Withlacoochee River water quality results through Thursday are clean. Happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend! Of course, there could be rain and something washed in then, but none is currently predicted. All the WWALS “beaches” are green on Swim Guide.

We did get an odd result at Gibson Park on the Suwannee River last Saturday, though.

[Clean Withlacoochee River, odd Gibson Park, Suwannee River]
Clean Withlacoochee River, odd Gibson Park, Suwannee River

Josh and Angela Duncan got pretty clean results at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps Thursday, December 10, 2020. Madison Health got clean at State Line, Sullivan Launch, and FL 6 Tuesday, and Valdosta got clean results at US 41, GA 133, and US 84 Monday and Wednesday. Continue reading →

Adel spill, 9,000 gallons, W. 9th St. @ Joy St., into Morrison Creek, Little River 2020-12-07

Adel spilled 9,000 gallons of raw sewage Monday, from its sewage collection system, due to equipment failure. Although downstream from that sewage is the Little River between Cook County Boat Ramp and Folsom Bridge Landing, apparently it had little or no effect on the Withlacoochee River.

[Adel Spill to Little River]
Adel Spill to Little River

According to the December 11, 2020, GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report,

[Adel spill in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report]
Adel spill in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report

the location was Continue reading →

Water Trails, Okefenokee, Pellet Plant, Songwriting Contest, Light Parade –Suwannee Riverkeeper on Steve Nichols Radio 2020-12-08

Always fun to be on the Steve Nichols radio show, 105.9 FM WVGA, especially when he just agreed to be the Master of Ceremonies for the 2021 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

You can ask Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to get GA-EPD to deny permits for a titanium strip mine far too close to the Okefenokee Swamp. While you’re at it, you can ask him to deny a permit for the Adel wood pellet plant. You’ll see our water trail signs popping up along the rivers and on the roadways, and we’re distributing the brochures. Don’t forget to come to the Solstice Light Parade at Banks Lake, Saturday, December 19, 2020, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Saturday, August 21, 2021 at the Turner Center Arts Park in Valdosta.

Here are WWALS videos.

Valdosta catching illegal dumpers, and some new management

Valdosta is actively pursuing the culprits ditching trash and dumping fecal waste into the Withlacoochee River, causing repeated spikes at GA 133.

They say they have even caught some.

And Valdosta has promoted two people: Catherine Ammons of Human Resources to Deputy City Manager of Administration, and Richard Hardy of Public Works to Deputy City Manager of Operations. Hardy is still Director of Public Works, but now he’s also over Engineering and Utilities, which also still retain their same Directors.

We don’t know whether these two news items are related. We do know we’re glad Valdosta recognizes that people downstream will continue to think they’re the cause of every Withlacoochee River contamination incident unless they actively find the real culprits.

Don’t worry: we post positive news about Valdosta when there is some, but we continue to watch them and other possible contamination sources like a hawk.

[Cleanups, Deputy City Managers]
Cleanups, Deputy City Managers

Pursuing dumping culprits

Valdosta PR, December 2, 2020, City Stresses Importance of Reporting Illegal Dumping in Local Waterways (see also Valdosta Today), Continue reading →