Update 2022-04-15: Clean Rivers 2022-04-15.

Best to avoid the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers this weekend. In very unusual results, all three were too high in E. coli at GA 122, and the Withlacoochee was way too high at Nankin Boat Ramp.

The Ichetucknee tested clean for Tuesday at TREPO’s Hodor Park.

You might try lakes that are not downstream from likely rivers, such as Banks Lake and Grassy Pond, and maybe Reed Bingham State Park, but we have no data on those lakes.

In good news, no sewage spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida. Of course, certain cities (Quitman, Ashburn) almost always report a week or more late, so stay tuned on that.

Chart, rivers, Swim Guide

The most recent data we have from Valdosta is for Monday upstream, which was before the Wednesday and Thursday rains. So WWALS data is what we have to go on, and the WWALS results are pretty bad.

Bad water quality All Rivers, Charts 2022-04-07
For context and the full WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality and rainfall, see https://wwals.net/issues/testing/

FBL

Thanks to Elizabeth Brunner for her usual three sites on GA 122. She got unusual too-high results for each of them.

Folsom Bridge Landing, Little River @ GA 122 2022-04-07

Plates, Folsom Bridge Landing 2022-04-07

LBR

Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River @ GA 122 2022-04-07

Plates, Lakeland Boat Ramp 2022-04-07

HBL

Hagan Bridge Landing, Withlacoochee River @ GA 122 2022-04-07

Plates, Hagan Bridge Landing 2022-04-07

NBR

Thanks to Michael and Jacob Bachrach for testing at Nankin and State Line Boat Ramps; Knights Ferry was too muddy to get in.

The results at Nankin were way over the 1,000 cfu/100 mL alert level. The best guess for that is the usual source of contamination: cattle manure runoff from Brooks County, Georgia, coming down Okapilco Creek. That can’t explain the GA 122 results, though.

Nankin Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ Clyattville-Nankin Road 2022-04-07

Plates, Nankin Boat Ramp 2022-04-07

Movie: Flow and Water Level, Nankin Boat Ramp 2022-04-07

SLBR

State Line Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River @ GA 133 2022-04-07

State Line Boat Ramp Sign, Withlacoochee River @ GA 133 2022-04-07

Plates, State Line Boat Ramp 2022-04-07

Plates, State Line Boat Ramp 2022-04-07

CB

Thanks to Gus Cleary and his turkey for testing at Cleary Bluff, downstream from Allen Ramp. Since he collected his sample Wednesday, apparently the upstream contamination had not gotten there yet.

Plates, Cleary Bluff 2022-04-06

Movie: Turkey, Cleary Bluff, 2022-04-06

HP

WWALS testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman trained three new potential testers on the Ichtucknee River at Hodor Park, a private park owned by Three Rivers Estates Property Owners (TREPO). As expected, the Ichetucknee was pretty clean. The new potential testers wonder what will happen in big rains with nearby septic tanks.

Hodor Park, Ichetucknee River @ SW Riverside Ave. 2022-04-05

Plates, Hodor Park 2022-04-05

SG

Thanks to WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall for herding the testing cats.

The four red “beaches” on Swim Guide are easy to see.

Map: Bad All Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-04-07

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

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

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