Update 2024-08-02: Partly clean Withlacoochee River 2024-08-01.

One of Ashburn’s spills was huge: 250,000 gallons (10,000 is a major spill). All three late-reported spills were into Hat Creek into the Alapaha River.

Ashburn spills 290,000 gallons 2024-07-20, raw sewage into Hat Creek,
reported in the July 31, 2024, GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report

That increases Ashburn’s running (pun intended) total to 2,096,500 gallons of raw sewage over the past 13 months: July 2023 through July 2024.

2,096,500 gallons of raw sewage over 13 months: July 2023 through July 2024, Ashburn, GA

This happens so often that the wastewater spill sign by the manhole looks like it’s permanent.

Manhole with spill sign, Rockhouse Road at Sylvia Drive, Ashburn, GA — Google Streetview

Sign: Warning, Wastewater Spill –Google Streetview

It’s a short walk to Hat Creek, or a short run of dirty water.

Hat Creek looking back east to spilling manhole at Sylvia Drive –Google Streetview

On the other side of Hat Creek and a little farther downstream is Ashburn’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Ashburn WTP –Google Streetview

Here’s the manhole spill location and the WTP on a map.

Map: Sylvia Drive at Rockhouse Road, Ashburn, GA
in the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)

If I was Synergy Peanut, I’d be getting a little tired of the stink. Even more so anybody downstream.

The big spill location is highlighted in this larger scale map, and you can see Hat Creek running from there into the Alapaha River.

Ashburn Airport WTP spill location in the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)

Fortunately for paddlers, that is far upstream from the start of the Alapaha River Water Trail at Sheboggy Boat Ramp just east of Alapaha, Georgia.

But nobody wants raw sewage in waterways.

 -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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