Update 2023-03-17: Clean Rivers 2023-03-16.

Tifton spilled 30,000 gallons of raw sewage last Saturday, March 11, 2023, on a creek near the New River, because of “Debris”.

Spill, rivers

The spill showed up in GA-EPD’s Sewage Spills Report yesterday, March 16, 2023.

Tifton Evergreen Drive Spill 2023-03-11 reported 2023-03-16

We’re calling the nearby creek Bus Shop Branch. Does anybody know its real name?

Map: Tifton Evergreen Drive spill in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

You can see Tifton has had many earlier sewage spills in that area of town, near the New River.

Map: Bush Shop Branch and New River in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

This spill was about 30 creek and river miles upstream from the Withlacoochee River.

It’s another 20 river miles to Franklinville, the most upstream site WWALS is testing lately. And another 17 river miles to the Little River Confluence, for about 100 creek and river miles from the spill to the Little River Confluence. Then another 63 river miles to the Suwannee River, or 163 creek and river miles from the spill to the Suwannee River.

Map: Tifton New, Withlacoochee, Little Rivers in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

Each river gets bigger, so this spill was probably diluted.

Or did it contribute to the very high E. coli numbers Valdosta got for Monday, March 13th:

• 1,725 cfu/100 ml at US 41
• 980 cfu/100 ml at GA 133
• 1,525 cfu/100 ml at US 84

Every upstream gauge we monitor had more than an inch of rain on the 12th, so that contamination may have come from somewhere else. But part if it may have come from Tifton.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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