Update 2021-08-06: Clean up and down: Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha Rivers 2021-08-05.

All the E. coli test results we have for the Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers are good, all the way down below Allen Ramp almost to the Suwannee River. We don’t test for Fecal coliform, so we don’t know what happened with that sky-high Fecal coliform result Madison Health got for Tuesday. However, from the WWALS test results we have for Wednesday and Thursday, all these rivers seem clean, with two sites tested on each of the Little and Alapaha Rivers, and six on the Withlacoochee.

Chart, Franks Creek, Alapaha River, Little River, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide

We have no new results from Valdosta or Madison Health since yesterday’s post. Apparently Valdosta does have some new results, but they’re having some sort of website problem. Madison Health seems to only test Tuesdays, and only at the state line anymore. That’s too bad, because they both test Fecal coliform, and we do not.

This is yet another example of how the state of Florida needs to step up, fund, and implement regular testing of all the rivers from the state line to the Gulf. Then we might know how far which contamination blob got. We’d also have a better chance tracking it back to its source. Floridians, please ask your statehouse delegation to make it so.

Chart: Good up and down Withlacoochee River 2021-07-29
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of Georgia and Florida water quality results, rainfall, and spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/

So all the WWALS “beaches” for which we have new data are green on Swim Guide.

Map: Good Up and Down, Swim Guide 2021-07-29

New tester, new location. Luke Jones tested Franks Creek Sunday at Franks Creek Road, and got good results. Franks Creek drains Hahira, with its wastewater treament ponds. Some testing by Lowndes County has made us what’s going on with that creek.

Franks Creek @ Franks Creek Road 2021-07-25

Thanks to Luke and the usual testers, Bobby McKenzie, Michael Bachrach, Jacob Bachrach, Gus Cleary, Elizabeth Brunner, and Valerie Folsom, plus WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall and WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman for training them and getting them supplies. Thanks to Joe Brownlee and Georgia Power for another generous grant.

WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman receives the envelope from Mary Beth and Elizabeth Brownlee via Hazel, Elleanor and Lindsey Williams; back: Suzy and Abbie Hall, at Naylor Beach on the Alapaha River in Naylor Boat Ramp Park, Lowndes County, Georgia. More pictures here:
https://wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2021-06-21–wwals-naylor-ga-power/

The rivers are pretty high upstream. Expect all that water to raise the levels downstream in the next few days.

Lakeland Boat Ramp, Alapaha River 2021-07-28

There are more pictures on the WWALS website:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2021-07-29–wq

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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