The state-required five-year update process for the Echols County Comprehensive Plan has started, with a kick-off meeting December 5, 2024.

The first Workshop appears likely to be January 25, 2025, most likely in Statenville.

Stay tuned for updates from the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC).
https://www.sgrc.us

Or ask SGRC Planner II Alexandra Arzayus, aarzayus@sgrc.us, 229-333-5277.

Rivers, creeks, and Alapaha River Water Trail in Echols County Comprehensive Plan Update

Meanwhile, WWALS has been doing its part since the last update, adopted July 9, 2020.
https://dca.georgia.gov/document/plans/plan-update-2020-3/download

We thank the Echols County Commission for their Okefenokee Resolution to help protect the Suwannee River from strip mining near the Okefenokee Swamp.

We have paddled on the Suwannee River, including Fargo to campsite, Suwannee River 2022-03-05 and State Line to Turner Bridge, Suwannee River 2022-03-06.

We have formalized a Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT).

We have suggested to Echols County a boat ramp on the Suwannee River. As far as we know, the county is pursuing that opportunity with the landowner and the GA-DNR.

WWALS convinced GA-EPD to redesignate all of the Alapaha River in Echols County from Fishing to Recreational, meanwhile stricter levels of permitted contamination.

WWALS has designed, printed, and planted at-water signs and road signs for the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

Alapaha River Water Trail
PDF

Including reprinting signs that are missing from Statenville Boat Ramp and Mayday Landing.

Mayday Landing
PDF

Statenville Boat Ramp
PDF

And getting road signs for Mayday from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Alapaha River Water Trail, Mayday Landing, Echols County

Plus we have printed ARWT rack cards, which are one-sheet flyers the same format as the z-fold brochures. All these rack cards, updated and reprinted at-water signs, and the Mayday Landing road signs were mostly paid for by a generous grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR).

Front, ARWT Rack Card

Back, ARWT Rack Card

See below about water quality testing, paddle outings, and trash cleanups.

SGRC has supplied a pithy summary, PDF.

What Is a Comprehensive Plan?

Gather Public Input, Develop Draft, Adopt, Implement, Monitor

There’s also a local copy of the actual 2020 Echols County Comprehensive Plan on the LAKE website.

Here are a few pages related to rivers or other waterbodies

Page 01, 2020 Echols County Comprehensive Plan, Adopted July 9th, 2020
PDF

Notice Suwannee Riverkeeper is listed as a Stakeholder.

Page 02, Stakeholders including Suwannee Riverkeeper
PDF

WWALS frequently tests the Alapaha River for contamination upstream from Echols County.

We also and post updates on Valdosta’s testing of Knights Creek and Mud Swamp Creek, and we also sometimes test there.

Page 08, Strengths: Alapaha River; Weaknesses: Other counties producing run-off in the rivers
PDF

We keep after Valdosta about timely notification and fixing their sewage problems.
Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman

WWALS continues to update and promote the Alapaha River Water Trail.

Page 09, Opportunities: Alapaha River Water Trail, tourism, signs
PDF

WWALS has done several outings on the Alapahoochee River, including Pictures: Many deadfalls, shark teeth, and rapids: Alapachoochee Adventure 2022-07-09.

Collage, Alapahoochee Adventures 2022-07-09

Page 18, Opportunities: Alapaha, Alapahoochee, Suwannee Rivers, Grand Bay and Toms Creek, Wolf Bay, etc.
PDF

And one of our specialties, a chainsaw cleanup, this time with a surprise, Pictures: Alapahoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-07-21.

Alapahoochee River, Chainsaw cleanup 2024-07-21, Snake in hollow log, Dead gator under log

Page 19, Need to install signs for the Alapaha Water Trail.; Opportunities: Boat landing on Alapaha River, tourism
PDF

Years ago WWALS got GDOT to install road signs on the Alapaha River, including for Statenville Boat Ramp.

Alapaha River Water Trail road sign

Page 21, Opportunities: The public boat ramp located on the Alapaha River is valuable and could be used better as an asset to the community.
PDF

The redesignation of the Alapaha River in Echols County from Fishing to Recreational proposed by WWALS and adopted by GA-EPD provides another protection measure for “floodplains, wetlands, groundwater recharge areas, protected river corridors”, etc.

Stretches redesignated Recreational on the GA-EPD map.

GA-EPD says more Recreational redesignation of waterbodies is still possible, so next time, if Echols County is for it, maybe try for the Alapahoochee and Suwannee Rivers.

Page 34, Goal: 1: Establish and maintain the conservation and protection measures for natural areas…; Policy 1.3: Encourage more people to use the Alapaha River Water Trail, paddle excursions, and events.
PDF

We continue to paddle on the Alapaha River, including Mayday to Statenville, Alapaha River 2024-05-11.

Creeks, seeps, waves over shoals, and many power boats, Mayday to Statenville, Alapaha River 2024-04-11

We continue to do cleanups on the Alapaha River, such as Pictures: Statenville & Sasser Cleanup, Alapaha River 2023-01-07.

Statenville, Sasser, trash, banners 2023-01-07

Page 35, Policy 1.4: Encourage keeping the Alapaha River clean.
PDF

We compliment Echols County for mostly keeping Statenville Boat Ramp clean.

Such cleanups contributed to WWALS winning the Rivers Alive Adopt-A-Stream cleanup award for two years running (2022 and 2023).

Adopt-A-Stream Award 2023-04-27
Photos: WWALS, at Nankin Boat Ramp 2022-12-17 and Statenville Boat Ramp 2023-01-07

It will be interesting to hear what Echols County has done with the Natural Resources 5-Year Community Work Program.

Page 44, Natural Resources 5-Year Community Work Program Update (2021-2025)
PDF

Echols County has been replacing the bridges that were in the 5-Year Update Plan, including GA 376 Alapahoochee River Bridge to be replaced 2021-05-10.

Page 46, Transportation 5-Year: bridges over the Alapahoochee River; re-instate Planning Commission
PDF

I don’t think they’ve replaced the GA-135 bridge yet. That’s where we’ve started on our Alapahoochee paddles, including Alapahoochee River, GA 135 to Landing 2021-06-05.

Banners, Alapahoochee River, Deadfall, Beatty Bridge, Devil Shoal, Turket Creek Waterfall

 -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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