Update 2020-01-25: Florida advisory lifted, but WWALS warning signs stay up, and keep testing rivers, creeks and wells.

Okapilco Creek is down from 2419.6 cfu/100 mL E. coli last Thursday to 365 yesterday, Wednesday, January 22, 2020, according to data from Lowndes County received during the Florida Rivers Task Force meeting in Lake City.

Okapilco Creek in Brooks County in Brooks County Tax Appraiser map.

That’s still higher than we’d like to see, but not way up in don’t touch the water range like before.

Lowndes County 2020-01-22
Thanks to Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter for sending these results, which are on the WWALS website along with the entire entire updated WWALS composite spreadsheet of all results from all sources.

Where did that contamination go? Did it show up on Florida testing results on the Withlacoochee River in the intervening six days, that we haven’t received yet? Or did it get diluted when it got to the river?

The Task Force understands the need for ongoing at least weekly testing, and passed a motion to ask for its Florida statehouse delegation to get funding for that.

I relayed that at the November 4, 2019, Public Workshop in Tallahassee about the Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards, FDEP told everyone that the legislature had authorized additional funds, and FDEP was working with regions to implement it.

Of course, WWALS will continue to test, and we will continue building our volunteer water quality testing team.

How You Can Help

You can help WWALS test water quality by donating to our WWALS water quality testing program.

Suzy Hall with a Petrifilm.
Each bacterial test costs $6 for Petrifilms alone.
WWALS is spending about $40 a day on Petrifilms after this Valdosta spill.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

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