Author Archives: jsq

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Frost Moon paddle 2022-11-08

Lindsey Williams says, “Nice evening out on Banks Lake. It was just 4 of us but we have a great time.”

Sunset, Boaters, Moonrise 2022-11-08

Thanks to Lindsey Williams for leading this one at the last minute, the Banks Lake Full Frost Moon Paddle, 2022-11-08. There was confusion about who was going to lead it, and being on a Tuesday and starting before most people were off from work, not many people showed up.

The next one is also mid-week and early, but maybe more people will come: Banks Lake Full Cold Moon Paddle, 2022-12-07.

Below are pictures of the November paddle from Lindsey’s facebook photoset.

For more WWALS outings and events, see: Continue reading →

WWALS #GAGives 2022

Celebrating 10 years of advocacy in the Suwannee Basin. Help WWALS to continue working for clean water.

Incorporated in June 8, 2012, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) is ten years old. Since December 2016, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER® is a project and staff position at WWALS as the Member of Waterkeeper Alliance® for the 10,000 square miles of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia.

You can donate here, all month, not just Tuesday:
https://www.gagives.org/story/6xgv8g

See https://wwals.net/ for some WWALS projects, including stopping sewage spills, water trails, water quality testing, stopping titanium and phosphate mines, Right to Clean Water, opposing fracking, natural gas pipelines, and LNG, promoting solar power, and examining corporate agriculture.

For some WWALS accomplishments, see:
https://wwals.net/about/wwals-accomplishments/

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Alapaha River Cleanup, Sasser Landing and Statenville Boat Ramp, 2023-01-07

On-land cleanup in Georgia and Florida on the Alapaha River. You can bring a boat if you want to, so you can clean up on the river near the ramps.

These locations are on both sides of the GA-FL line on the https://wwals.net/maps/alapaha-water-trail/.

When: 9 AM – noon, Saturday, January 7, 2023

First Site: Statenville Boat Ramp, 206 GA 94 West, Statenville, GA 31648, right bank, west of river, north of highway bridge, in Echols County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.704437, -83.03468

Second Site: Sasser Landing, From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel east on CR 150; cross the Alapaha River; turn left onto NW 72 Court and follow to river, in Hamilton County, Florida.

GPS2: 30.599562, -83.069828

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.

Free: This outing is free to everyone!

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Statenville and Sasser, 2019-07-06

Continue reading →

Videos: North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan meeting @ SRWMD 2022-11-15

Update 2023-02-07: Water budget, limit water withdrawals, do better aquifer recharge –WWALS to NFRWSP 2023-01-31.

Almost all the attendees were SRWMD staff; no board members. The only public comment was by me, at the NFRWSP Constraint Meeting, at SRWMD HQ yesterday.

You can comment in writing to partnership@sjrwmd.com by January 31, 2023.

Presenters, Commenter

The presentations were informative, although they omitted a major subject, which I addressed: limits on water withdrawal permits. Will the SRWMD and SJRWMD boards address it this time, or shrug it off like six years ago, after many people suggested it?

SRWMD seemed to be recording video of this meeting, and presumably they will release the slides sometime. Meanwhile, pictures of most of the slides are on the WWALS website. Here is a a WWALS video playlist: Continue reading →

Creeks bad, OK River Water Quality 2022-11-13

Apparently the rain Thursday did not have much effect, although there were E. coli hot spots when we tested again Sunday. The Withlacoochee River from GA 133 on down seems OK for swimming, fishing, and boating, although there’s not much water until you get farther down than that.

Chart, Creeks and Rivers, Swim Guide, 2022-11-13

Looks like the Withlacoochee River is also OK from Skipper Bridge on down, except Langdale Park Boat Ramp tested very high. Also, upstream Franklinville Landing was too high. Continue reading →

Figures and Tables from NORTH FLORIDA SOUTHEAST GEORGIA GROUNDWATER MODEL (NFSEG V1.1) 2019-08-01

Update 2022-11-16: Videos: North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan meeting @ SRWMD 2022-11-15.

This rather thorough model of the Floridan Aquifer and its relatives is meant to be support planning, but does not actually do that planning. Planning is the topic of the meeting this afternoon about the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan (NFRWSP).

Collage, Figures and Tables from NORTH FLORIDA SOUTHEAST GEORGIA GROUNDWATER MODEL (NFSEG V1.1)

That’s also why we need Right to Clean Water in Florida.

The sentence I’ve bolded below from the Executive Summary is the most important thing about the North Florida-Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) regional groundwater flow model. Continue reading →

Trash, Withlacoochee River, Troupville 2022-11-13

Hot Damn! It’s the Trashy Bottom Boys!

Trash, Boats, Shoals

I went down to Troupville Boat Ramp to collect a water sample, and who should I spy? Bobby McKenzie and Russell Allen McBride, the Trashy Bottom Boys.

They were just back from a mile-and-a-half roundtrip down the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers to clean up trash. That location is now in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail as Trashy Shoals. Continue reading →

Slightly earlier kayak raffle drawing for Big Tuna with paddle and seats 2022-12-07

Update 2022-12-07: Video: Kayak raffle winner @ Banks Lake Full Wolf Moon paddle 2022-12-07.

Due to the time change, the drawing will be slightly earlier, at 4:15 PM, still at Banks Lake Boat Ramp, just west of Lakeland, Georgia, before the Banks Lake Full Cold Moon Paddle, Wednesday, December 7, 2022.

You do not have to be present to win this Jackson Big Tuna fishing kayak with two seats, a paddle, and PFDs.

Raffle kayak at Hahira Veterans Day Parade 2022-11-11

You do have to get at least one raffle ticket: Continue reading →

Pictures: Hahira Veterans Day Parade 2022-11-11

I didn’t know there was a Hahira Veterans Day Parade.

Turns out that’s because there wasn’t one since the 1950s, until Friday. WWALS was invited to participate, so we did.

Hahira Veterans Day Parade, WWALS Booth, Inside

Among the many WWALS members who are veterans, Vanessa and Nick Kroening rode in the parade with their children Jonah and Primrose. Continue reading →

Videos: Suwannee River Nights –Emmett Carlisle @ Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2022-08-20

Emmett Carlisle from Gainesville, Florida, won Best Song from Outside the Suwannee River Basin with Suwannee River Nights, at the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. That came with $50 and a plaque.

Suwannee River Nights by Emmett Carlisle @ LCC 20 August 2022

Thanks for playing, Emmett!