Update 2022-10-21: Clean water quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, Rivers 2022-10-20.

Update 2022-10-18: Forever chemicals contaminate Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida 2022-10-18.

Looks good for fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

WWALS downstream water quality results for Thursday on the Withlacoochee were good. WWALS upstream tests were OK. Monday Valdosta upstream results were OK. No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

Valdosta detected something for Wednesday and Friday last week at US 41 and GA 133, when there was no rain. That could have been more contamination coming from Cat Creek and Beatty Branch. Whatever the source, why with no rain?

If we get more rain, WWALS will test upstream and see what we can catch.

Good Wq, Charts 2022-10-13
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

Background Fecal coliform was high but E. coli was within acceptable limits in Elizabeth Brunner’s upstream GA 122 results for Folsom Bridge on the Little River, Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, and Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.

Plates, Hagan Bridge Landing 2022-10-13

Fecal coliform was also high downstream in the three Withlacoochee sites by Jacob Bachrach (pictured at Nankin Boat Ramp) and Michael Bachrach, but E. coli was even lower, also at Knights Ferry and State Line Boat Ramps.

Nankin Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ Clyattville-Nankin Road 2022-10-13

So I’ve marked all the WWALS “beaches” for which we have data green in

Map: Good Wq, Swim Guide 2022-10-13

Thanks to Joe Brownlee and Georgia Power for a generous grant for water quality testing equipment and materials.

You or your organization could also donate to the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program.

Or maybe you’d like to become a WWALS water quality tester; please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/DzWvJuXqTQi12N6v7

There are more images on the WWALS website.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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