Yes, the sourdough starter is officially dead. I poured it out last night. I think my toxic Missississippi River tap water killed it off–it looked lively for the first few days, then I ran out of bottled water and used filtered tap water. (Cue the ominous music.) The next day, nothing. No bubbles, no fizz, no growth.
Trying yet again: this time with a little organic rye, a little organic wheat flour, and some spring water, stirred every 8 hours and fed fresh water & flour every 24 hours. I am resisting all temptations to spike it with (just a tiny bit of) commercial yeast!
my condolances only thing to do is what you are doing try again
Try, try again. I’m on my third attempt in two weeks. Soon I’ll just give up and buy some dehydrated french sourdough starter from King Arthur and be done with it. Why is it so hard? You’d think my old wooden house would harbor legions of yeast spores! I even started the last one just after a thunderstorm. Alas, I have toxic tapwater.