Following up on the August 3 clay silt runoff down St. Augustine Road into the Withlacoochee River, we already posted that there was no effect on the Withlacoochee River detectable in E. coli measurements by Valdosta Utilities or WWALS.

Update: Clay Silt Runoff, St. Augustine Road into Withlacoochee River, Valdosta, GA 2026-08-07

Valdosta City Engineer Ben O’Dowd sent this update on August 7:

The property owner is required to install and maintain a series of BMPs (silt fencing, check dams, sediment storage basins, etc.) to prevent the escape of sediment from the permittee’s property throughout construction.

Sometimes those components of the construction plan are not maintained appropriately or the fail during severe inclement weather and need to be repaired, replaced, or supplemented in order to prevent the escape of sediment from the permittee’s property.

Following receipt of the report of sediment escape from the property, we had our ESPC inspector visit the subject property, document the deficiencies which resulted in the escape of sediment from the property, and notify the owner and their contractor of the deficiencies.

We also reached out to the owner’s design professional and recommended a modified construction phasing approach which would reduce the risk of repeat occurrences.

If the incident occurs again, or if the identified deficiencies are not rectified within the required timeframe, we will progress through the City’s enforcement procedures for locally issued permits.

Please let us know if you identify any other deficiencies or if you have any more questions.

Have a good weekend!

You may wonder why it took WWALS so long to post this update. Many things going on.

While I appreciate the City Engineer sending us an update, I wonder why the City didn’t post it on their own website.

The location is:
1660 N Saint Augustine Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601.
30.847476, -83.335282
That is off of I-75 Exit 18, west of James Road and Raceway.

The entrance is on James Road, and the owner, according to the Lowndes County Tax Appraisers map, is: SRM 1 ENTERPRISE, LLC

According to the Georgia Secretary of State:
Business Type: Domestic Limited Liability Company
NAICS Code: Accommodation and Food Services
NAICS Sub Code: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels
Principal Office Address: 514 S. DAVIS, NASHVILLE, GA, 31639, USA
Date of Formation / Registration Date: 7/12/2023
State of Formation: Georgia
REGISTERED AGENT NAME: DINESHKUMAR PATEL
AUTHORIZER SIGNATURE : SCOTT COURSON

Runoff stopped on St. Augustine Road, 2026-08-04 –jsq for WWALS

 -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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