Update 2023-05-04: Videos: Cleanup below Knights Ferry, Withlacoochee River 2023-04-08.

Josh Tison reported the Withlacoochee River blocked by a trash jam. He and Marla Tison and Bobby Higgs came out to help clear it, with chainsaws, on Yet Another Cleanup Knights Ferry to Nankin, Withlacoochee River, 2023-04-08.

An alligator jumped off the target trash jam just after I nosed my boat into it. Russell Allen McBride and Josh Tison walked on it. It was covered with trash, as were many other spots along the river.

The combination of trash brands again indicates it came from Valdosta: Cookout, Bojangles, and Jackson Hewitt, for example.

All this floating Valdosta trash is in Brooks County, because the county line between Brooks and Lowndes County is the east bank of the Withlacoochee River. And three Brooks County people came with their motor boat and chainsaws to clean up some of it.

Collage, Cleanup, KF to Nankin, 2023-04-08

Russell Allen McBride remarked, “As the leader of this outing it was sad that I had to have everyone leave several of the trash spots to have room and time for the main one.”

With now three trash traps and more promised, Valdosta is starting to do something about its continuing trash spill problem. Even better, Valdosta City Marshalls have sent notices to all parking lot owners, telling them they have to comply with the city trash ordinance, which requires them not to let trash escape their property, and to strategically place trash cans.

So most of what we’re finding on the river is legacy trash. But there’s still a lot of it needing cleaning up, before it breaks loose in the next high water and heads on downstream to the Suwannee River and the Gulf of Mexico.

We continue to invite Valdosta city officials to come along when we do one of these river cleanups downstream of Valdosta.

There are more pictures below.

See also facebook photosets by

• Russell Allen McBride
• Suzy Hall John S. Quarterman (these pictures)
• and probably others.

For much more about the trash situation, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/trash

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

KFBR

Getting ready at Knights Ferry: Suzy Hall and Russell Allen McBride, 09:07:32, 30.7124757, -83.4552815

SRB

Mark Coppage, Calvin Gardner, Suzy Hall, Russell Allen McBride, Gee Edwards, at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, 10:03:55, 30.7124710, -83.4553700

OTW

Here we go: Mark, Suzy, Russell, 10:24:36, 30.7023906, -83.4540552

CB

Comfy boats, Gee and Mark, 10:47:12, 30.6976013, -83.4492739

TOB

Trash on bank, 10:59:09, 30.6955074, -83.4445194

21 – 25

Movie: More trash over there, 11:00:27, (14M) 30.6955074, -83.4445194

SFTJ

Closeup small floating trash jam, 11:02:40, 30.6947722, -83.4422692

BFTJ

Big floating trash jam: a gator jumped off about 2 feet to my right, 11:08:35, 30.6902824, -83.4406432

STO

Sawed that off, 11:38:54, 30.6901899, -83.4407045

GPSBD

Gee pulling sawed branch downstream, 11:38:52, 30.6901899, -83.4407045

Geejsq

Gee and jsq downstream –Russell Allen McBrie

RTTD

Russell, Suzy, Bobby Higgs, Marla Tison, Josh Tison, 11:38:56, 30.6901899, -83.4407045

Evidence

Suzy with a Cookout cup –Russell Allen McBride

RMDO

–Russell Allen McBride

CS

Movie: Firing up the chainsaw, 11:41:54, (20M) 30.6901899, -83.4407045

CSIW

Movie: Chainsawing in water, 12:41:14, (11M) 30.6903420, -83.4406915

TTPIO

Movie: Try to pull it over, 12:51:34, (9.6M) 30.6902748, -83.4404628

SOTS

Sawing off the side, 12:57:12, 30.6901706, -83.4405355

SLIM

Movie: Sawing log in middle, 13:02:34, (99M) 30.6901706, -83.4405355

RTO

Russell tying on, 13:06:07, 30.6901041, -83.4405903

JGFAW

Josh goes for a walk, 13:08:43, 30.6901715, -83.4406044

TLL

Tentative landlubber, 13:10:38, 30.6901866, -83.4406032

STJ

Movie: Solid on the trash jam, 13:10:56, (76M) 30.6901866, -83.4406032

GCTTJ

Garrett Cut-through Trash Jam, 13:43:27, 30.6874129, -83.4225165

RC

Redland Creek?, 14:24:48, 30.6768183, -83.4001403

CNS

Clyattville-Nankin Shoal under water, 14:30:00, 30.6766394, -83.3950635

CNBR

Grilling at Clyattville-Nanking Boat Ramp, 15:19:08, 30.6749976, -83.3939177

TB

Trash bags at Nankin Boat Ramp, and we had to leave a lot –Russell Allen McBride

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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