Tag Archives: VWW

Clean Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2025-06-12

Update 2025-06-20: Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-19.

WWALS got some OK E. coli results on Sugar Creek this week.

And Valdosta Utilities got clean results for the Withlacoochee River.

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

Rain is predicted this weekend and every day this coming week.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Withlacoochee River, and Sugar Creek, More Rain coming, 2025-06-12]
Clean Withlacoochee River, and Sugar Creek, More Rain coming, 2025-06-12

Maybe join us Thursday evening by zoom for How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar, by Dennis J. Price, P.G., 2025-06-19
https://wwals.net/?p=67740 Continue reading →

Clean Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-04

Update 2025-06-12: Sampling Sugar Creek 2025-06-12.

Finally, a good E. coli result on Sugar Creek!

Also clean results for the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers.

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

It’s likely to rain this weekend and more likely every day this coming week.

Nobody tested after yesterday’s rain, so we don’t know what effect that had.

But as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, Rain coming, 2025-06-04]
Clean Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, Rain coming, 2025-06-04

Maybe join us Wednesday evening for Full Strawberry Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-06-11.
https://wwals.net/?p=67603 Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-29

Update 2025-06-06: Clean Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-04.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean E. coli this week, upstream and down.

Whatever was amiss at Langdale Park last week is gone now. We don’t know the state of Sugar Creek: nobody tested there.

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

There’s some chance of rain today, then sunny for the weekend.

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-29]
Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-29

Maybe join us tomorrow for Big Shoals St Pk to Suwannee Wayside, Suwannee River 2025-05-31.
https://wwals.net/?p=67042 Continue reading →

Filthy Langdale Park Withlacoochee River 2025-05-22

Update 2025-05-30: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-29.

The Withlacoochee River tested too high for E. coli for Thursday at Langdale Park, but clean upstream and OK downstream.

Whatever is amiss at Langdale Park, it’s not Sugar Creek, which is downstream. It could be Cherry Creek or Stillhouse Branch coming out of the Country Club. Or it could be coming from septic tanks west of Valdosta and the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County. Or something else that washed in with the spotty rains Wednesday.

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, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Filthy Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-02-22, Clean upstream and downstream]
Filthy Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-02-22, Clean upstream and downstream

Or join us this weekend at Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida, on the banks of the Suwannee River.
https://wwals.net/?p=67238 Continue reading →

Two Valdosta sewer projects from new municipal bonds, plus one from user fees @ VCC 2025-04-10

This should help Valdosta get ahead of sewer spills, maybe even fix sewer lines before they break. And maybe use competitive bids instead of sole-source emergency contracts.

Back at the April 10, 2025, Valdosta City Council meeting, two agenda items were for Professional Design Services Proposals financed from the recently-approved $67 million in municipal bonds. Both are related to the sewer line near Knights Creek that notoriously has spilled sewage multiple times.

Knights Creek runs into Mud Swamp Creek just below the Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (MCWTP) and on to the Alapahoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee Rivers.

[Two Valdosta sewer projects from new municipal bonds, plus one from user fees @ VCC 2025-04-10]
Two Valdosta sewer projects from new municipal bonds, plus one from user fees @ VCC 2025-04-10

That’s $485,010 for Continue reading →

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 →

Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass, Valdosta Utilities 2025-05-14

Update 2025-05-16: Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15.

Yesterday I looked at the sewage bypass on Sugar Creek. Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes had told me they had recently extended it.

[Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass 2025-05-14, Valdosta Utilities, Bottom end extended]
Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass 2025-05-14, Valdosta Utilities, Bottom end extended

Turns out they moved the bottom (north or downstream) end about 350 feet farther north, towards Gornto Road.

The upper (south or upstream) end apparently has not moved recently, but it is farther south than back in January when the bypass was first installed. Originally it was downstream from where Sugar Creek crosses under the railroad. Now it is upstream (south) of there. 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 →