Update 2021-01-12: Contaminated Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Suwannee Rivers 2021-01-04; cleaner 2021-01-09.

Friday results by Madison Health and Saturday results by WWALS testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach show much improved Withlacoochee River Water Quality, from Nankin Boat Ramp through State Line Boat Ramp and Sullivan Launch down to FL 6.

Madison and Hamilton County Health Departments will probably wait until they get another good result of their own, probably for today or tomorrow, before they lift their health advisory.

However, WWALS already sees two good results in a row, so happy boating, swimming, and fishing on the Withlacoochee River!

We have no new Alapaha River results since the clean WWALS result for Sasser Landing Wednesday, but since there’s been no significant rain since then, the Alapaha is also probably clean for swimming, fishing, and boating.

Ramps, Plates, Chart, Map

We have no new results from Valdosta since Monday a week ago, when all of three upstream locations were still bad. Chances are those locations have also cleared up, but we don’t know.

Chart: Much better downstream
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 those three are still showing bad on our Swim Guide “beaches:” US 41 shown as Langdale Park Boat Ramp, GA 133, and US 41.

Map: Swim Guide, mixed

We have no new result for Knights Ferry Boat Ramp because it is still underwater. So it remains yellow for historical bad, but chances are it’s clean now.

The Withlacoochee River was even higher Saturday than this Thursday picture the Bachrachs took from the Clyattville-Nankin Road bridge over the Withlacoochee River, while Nankin Boat Ramp was completely flooded.

Nankin Boat Ramp from the Bridge Xing River
Photo: Michael Bachrach 2020-01-07

The Bachrach’s Saturday State Line sample is actually from Horn Bridge on GA 31, because State Line Boat Ramp was also flooded by Saturday. They still had to add more rope to reach the river from the bridge with their sample bucket.

As you can see, they got quite clean plates.

Nankin Plate Images 2021-01-09

Stateline Plate Images 2021-01-09

Meanwhile, as we already noted, WWALS testers Angela and Josh Duncan got good results at Sasser Landing on the Alapaha River for Wednesday, January 6, 2021. There’s been no significant rain since then, so chances are the Alapaha River remains clean.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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