Monthly Archives: December 2023

Raffle kayak delivered to winner Janet Martin 2023-12-12

Here is Janet Martin, the winner of the VIBE Sea Ghost 130 WWALS annual raffle kayak, with paddle, seat, and rudder.

[Janet Martin and the raffle kayak 2023-12-12]
Janet Martin and the raffle kayak 2023-12-12

She likes it; see video.
https://youtu.be/7FsQCfzaTY8 Continue reading →

Videos: SCFSP to Suwannee River Sill 2023-12-09

Update 2023-12-13: Videos: Suwannee River Sill to Lunch, Suwannee River 2023-12-09

Here are some video highlights of the first part of the Paddle on Campfire Cookout at Griffis Fisth Camp and Suwannee River Paddle: Stephen C. Foster State Park through the Narrows to the Suwannee River Sill, all in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

[From Stephen C. Foster State Park to the Suwannee River Sill 2023-12-09]
From Stephen C. Foster State Park to the Suwannee River Sill 2023-12-09

Here’s the video:


Videos: SCFSP to Suwannee River Sill 2023-12-09
Videos by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS).

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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

Probably clean rivers 2023-12-06

Update 2023-12-15: Three Clean Rivers 2023-12-14.

We got clean results for the Santa Fe River for Wednesday. WWALS testers are mostly off this week for the holidays. We may post some more results later.

Valdosta saw far too much E. coli in the Withlacoochee River for Mondayafter 2-4 inches of rain, but much cleaner for Wednesday.

The rest of this week had little or no rain. The next rain is predicted for Sunday.

So you’ll probably be pretty safe from E. coli this weekend.

[Chart, Clean Santa Fe River, Map 2023-12-06]
Chart, Clean Santa Fe River, Map 2023-12-06

In the last week, no pollution spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida.

In Valdosta, Georgia, a chunk of asphalt in a sewer line in a flood plain spilled 6,300 gallons of raw sewage into some houses and One Mile Branch. That spill is unlikely to have affected Sugar Creek or the Withlacoochee River much, considering the river tested way too high upstream at US 41 Monday as well as downstream at GA 133 and US 84. See separate report. Curiously, that spill has not yet shown up in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

Joanne Tremblay tested the Santa Fe River Tuesday, and got good results at the US 27 bridge and at US 41.

Russ Tatum tested the Withlacoochee River Wednesday at Holly Point, between Allen Ramp and the Suwannee River, and got excellent results.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed all the results and some were recalibrated in the ensuing discussion.

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman delivered testing supplies to several testers.

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

As previously noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023. Continue reading →

Levy County sand mine proposal tabled until February 6 2023-12-05

Update 2024-01-16: SWFWMD ERP 43046299.000 for 3RT Sand Mine, Levy County, FL 2023-04-19.

According to local citizens and WCJB 20 ABC TV, yesterday the Levy County Commission failed to decide on the proposed special exception, even though the meeting went on for more than six hours.

[Levy County Commission failed to decide if sand mine trucks could head for cows]
Levy County Commission failed to decide if sand mine trucks could head for cows

This is about the proposed Special Exception for the 3RT Sand Mine.

Next it will be back at the Levy County Board of County Commissioners, 9 AM, Tuesday, February 6, 2024, in the Levy County Government Center Auditorium, 310 School Street, Bronson, FL 32621.

Meanwhile, you can still Continue reading →

Transitioning to 2026 for Right to Clean Water in Florida

Yesterday, December 5, 2023, the Florida campaign for Right to Clean Water announced a temporary setback won’t stop RTCW:

Apparently, the many obstacles put into place against grassroots citizen initiatives have proven successful for the Florida Legislature this time. Despite over 100 active volunteers working toward this common need, we fell short of the number of signed petitions we needed to qualify for the 2024 ballot.

What we WERE able to achieve, by all accounts and professional assessments, is pretty amazing:

Over 100,000 petitions signed, statewide awareness, cross-partisan support, tourism and business support, support from fishing and faith communities, etc.

All thanks to you and your help in spreading the word and sharing the call to action. We are grateful. Especially for all our ambassadors and supporting organizations who have spent so many hours out there, in the Florida heat, not just collecting signatures, but SPREADING THE WORD that there’s finally a solution to our state’s systemic problems in water protection.

[RTCW FL 2026]
RTCW FL 2026

Press Release Campaign update:

We have temporarily halted actively collecting petitions and are in the process of ensuring every single signed form is properly processed to the correct county Supervisor of Elections for final validation, by December 31st.

During this time, Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper on The Spotlight Show, Talk 92.1 FM, 2023-12-07

Join us on The Spotlight Show on https://talk921.com at 6 PM, Thursday, December 7, 2023.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman and “Diamond” Jim Halter will talk about upcoming outings such as this weekend’s campout at Griffis Fish Camp where naturalist C.B. Adams will tell us old-timey stories before we paddle the next day from the Okefenokee Swamp down the Suwannee River.

[Spotlight Show on Talk 92.1 FM, C.B. Adams at Griffis Fish Camp on the Suwannee River]
Spotlight Show on Talk 92.1 FM, C.B. Adams at Griffis Fish Camp on the Suwannee River

Also this December we’re having a chainsaw cleanup on the Withlacoochee River in Georgia.

To begin the New Year, swim with us on Iche Nippy Dip Day on the Ichetucknee River in Florida, and then paddle down the river.

In September, join us for the second annual WWALS River Revue sit-down fundraising dinner with new songs in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, 5-8 PM, Saturday, September 7, 2024, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia. Continue reading →

Asphalt-caused sewage spill in flooding on One Mile Branch in Valdosta 2023-12-03

Update 2023-12-19: Valdosta reports to GA-EPD about two recent sewage spills 2023-12-02.

Update 2023-12-15: This spill finally showed up in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report of 2023-12-12; see Yet another Valdosta E. Park Ave. sewage spill near Knights Creek 2023-12-11.

Update 2023-12-04: Added Valdosta Press Release.

After the recent rains, at least two houses on Pin Oak Circle at Lakeland Ave in Valdosta flooded again, attributed to a sewer leak by residents.

[One Mile Branch crossing Pin Oak Circle in a floodplain and location maps]
One Mile Branch crossing Pin Oak Circle in a floodplain and location maps

Valdosta Acting Utilities Director Jason Barnes just now on the telephone said it was caused by a piece of asphalt stuck in the sewer line. It took Utilities about an hour and 15 minutes Saturday to get it out. He did not know how it got there; maybe from previous street resurfacing. They will be doing further work today. He alerted GA-EPD Saturday, and is working on a press release this morning. It will be a spill, but probably not a major spill.

WWALS member Suzy Hall found this spill in a WALB TV story (see below). I located it by looking up the names from the story in the Lowndes County Tax Assessors Map.

One Mile Branch runs through their back yards, and we’ve seen flooding problems there before. Continue reading →

Sewage spills: Ashburn, GA, Live Oak, FL 2023-12-01

Update 2023-12-08: Clean Santa Fe River 2023-12-06.

Live Oak, Florida, was much faster in reporting its Friday sewage spill than was Ashburn, Georgia, in reporting its Sunday-before-last spill.

Probably neither of these spills had any noticeable effect on the nearby Little or Suwannee Rivers, and certainly not on the far-downstream Withlacoochee River.

For more about WWALS water quality testing, see https://wwals.net/issues/testing.

[Ashburn, GA, and Live Oak, FL, sewage spills]
Ashburn, GA, and Live Oak, FL, sewage spills

Ashburn, Georgia, spilled 2,000 gallons on November 19, reported on November 28, into Ashburn Branch, which ends up in the Little River far upstream from Tifton. Continue reading →

Mostly clean rivers 2023-11-30

Update 2023-12-02: Sewage spills: Ashburn, GA, Live Oak, FL 2023-12-01.

We got clean results for the Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers, and mostly for the Withlacoochee River, except for Langdale Park, where somebody dumped a dead deer.

There was some rain in the past few days, but not much. More rain is predicted for Sunday. However, most of the first flush is probably over from the previous rains. So if you like drizzly paddling or fishing or swimming in low water, you’ll probably be pretty safe from E. coli. this weekend, except downstream from Langdale Park.

In the last two weeks, two new sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin: Ashburn, Georgia, spilled 2,000 gallons on November 19, reported on November 28, into Ashburn Branch, which ends up in the Little River far upstream from Tifton, and Live Oak, Florida, spilled 10,000 gallons at its WWTP Headworks, “confined to wastewater plant site lawn and garden lime is being applied to the affected areas.” See separate report for those spills. Neither are likely to have affected the Little River or the Suwannee River.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-11-30]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-11-30

Heather Brasell tested the Alapaha River Friday a week ago at the City of Alapaha WWTP outflow and just upstream from Sheboggy Boat Ramp and go acceptable results, below the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test limit.

Joanne Tremblay tested the Santa Fe River Tuesday, and got good results at the US 27 bridge and at US 41.

Cindy Vedas tested the Withlacoochee River Thursday at Franklinville Landing, Crawford Branch, Staten Road, and Langdale Park. All got acceptable results, except Langdale Park, where somebody had discarded a deer carcass. Why do people like that call themselves hunters?

Russ Tatum tested the Withlacoochee River Wednesday at Holly Point, between Allen Ramp and the Suwannee River, and got excellent results.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewed all the results and some were recalibrated in the ensuing discussion.

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman delivered testing supplies to several testers.

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

The most recent Valdosta results we have are for Wednesday last week and this Monday, both bad for US 41 and GA 133, but OK for US 84.

So our prediction last week that the Withlacoochee would probably be OK proved incorrect for near US 41 or GA 133.

Due to the holidays, we have no WWALS results for Thursday last week. Apparently Valdosta took both Monday and Friday off last week, since they report no results for those days.

As previously noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023. Continue reading →

South Georgia Naturalist Chris Adams to speak at WWALS Griffis Fish Campout and Okefenokee Swamp and Suwannee River Paddle 2023-11-08

Update 2023-12-27: Pictures: C.B. Adams speaks about Okefenokee Swampers at Griffis Fish Camp Suwannee Paddle 2023-12-08.

Update 2023-12-12: Videos: SCFSP to Suwannee River Sill 2023-12-09

Naturalist C.B. Adams will speak Friday evening, December 8, 2023, at Campfire Cooking at Griffis Fish Camp and Suwannee River paddle. He will bring props and artifacts. He said, “I can guarantee you it will be a jam up program.”

[C.B. Adams, Griffis Fish Camp, Campfire Cooking, Suwannee River, Okefenokee Swamp]
C.B. Adams, Griffis Fish Camp, Campfire Cooking, Suwannee River, Okefenokee Swamp

Chris “Turtleman” Adams is a South Georgia Naturalist, Historian, Farmer, & Folklorist. He has worked with Georgia Native Cattle Company and Okefenokee Adventures, and he runs the Wiregrass Ecological and Cultural Project, bringing awareness to the heart of the Deep South and showcasing its natural & cultural communities.

Join us to camp overnight Friday at Griffis Fish Camp. Campers arrive starting at 4 PM Friday. Chris will start talking around sunset at 5:29 PM.

Mastermind of this event, Shirley Kokidko, said, “Chris will have an hour before dark to show the artifacts but we’ll also have a fire so he can talk as long as he wants.”

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said, “You heard Chris briefly at the WWALS River Revue in September. Next Friday you can hear him at length.” Continue reading →