Water Shed Protection Program

Joseph Gangler, Environmental Manager

Protecting water quality is a core mission of the City of Valdosta Utilities Department. A key component of this work is water quality monitoring and reporting. Monitoring provides a wealth of information that enables the Utilities Department to identify any irregularities in water quality and make operational decisions based on accurate and timely information.

The City is steadfast in its commitment to preserve a safe, clean environment with healthy watersheds in our growing community. Georgia has 52 watersheds throughout the state. Three of them, the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Little River, are located in the Valdosta area. A watershed is a high area of land drained into a river, river system, or body of water. Rain often carries sediments and other materials into rivers and streams that can contaminate water resources. For this reason, well-maintained watersheds are essential for healthy rivers and streams.

To ensure the highest level of water quality possible within our rivers and streams, the City continually evaluates its monitoring network and improves and expands the network where needed. The current network is comprised of 16 sampling sites located on rivers, streams, and lakes in and around the City's service area. These sites are sampled and tested quarterly for a variety of constituents, including nutrients, microbes, and physical measurements.

Although the majority of the samples are analyzed at the City's centralized wastewater laboratory by state-certified analysts, some are analyzed via contract. Sample result data are stored at the centralized lab in a dedicated database. Below are sampling locations and their associated watersheds.