Update 2022-10-14: Good water quality 2022-10-13.

So far as we know, from WWALS test results for Thursday, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

No new sewer spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida in the Suwannee River Basin.

The most recent results we have from Valdosta are from Friday a week ago. And those illustrate a problem; see below.

Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

WWALS tester Elizabeth Brunner got good results at her usual GA 122 sites: Folsom Bridge on the Little River, Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, and Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.

The rivers are so low she got a picture of the pilings of Old Hagan Bridge.

Old Pilings, Hagan Bridge, Withlacoochee River @ GA 122 2022-10-06

Downstream testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach had a technical glitch, so we can’t count their results this time, but we do have their river pictures.

Will y’all please stop shooting up our water trail signs?

Signs at State Line Boat Ramp for the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT) 2022-10-06

Chart: Clean rivers 2022-10-06
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

Here’s the problem the most Valdosta results reveal. Even though WWALS results for Thursday a week ago at Hagan Bridge were good, Valdosta results were bad for that Wednesday at US 41, and worse for that Friday at both US 41 and GA 133. Something once again got into the Withlacoochee River between Hagan Bridge and US 41, and this time when there was no rain. WWALS was not testing upstream creeks last week (or this week) because we only do that after big rains.

So absence of evidence of contamination does not mean there was no contamination. Which is why this report starts with “So far as we know”.

In there’s no red for Langdale Park (from US 41) or GA 133, because it has now been more than a week since those most recent Valdosta results, so those locations show up in historical yellow.

Map: Clean rivers, Swim Guide, 2022-10-06

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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