Category Archives: Cleanup

Troupville upstream Withlacoochee River chainsaw cleanup pictures 2024-08-17

Update 2024-08-19: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25.

Evidently nobody had been there since Hurricane Debby, because there were several new deadfalls, most small, one big, and another huge, before we got to I-75. Those and others could use more attention at lower water, but kayaks can get through now. That was our goal on this Upstream Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup.

We put in at Troupville Boat Ramp, went 1/3 of a mile down to the Little River Confluence, and turned left and up the Withlacoochee River.

There was remarkably little trash. Some locations with a few bottles or styrofoam in branches are noted in the pictures; all have GPS coordinates.

[Several small deadfalls, one big one 2024-08-17, Troupville upstream Withlacoochee River chainsaw cleanup]
Several small deadfalls, one big one 2024-08-17, Troupville upstream Withlacoochee River chainsaw cleanup

Thanks to Quen Metzler for leading this chainsaw cleanup and doing much of the sawing.

I also sawed with both saws, but there are no pictures, because then Quen was busy holding the boat steady.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qz0i9YNkM5S5-1zx3fbZQrF&si=iHgSY-2Js-zgjh99

The Valdosta (US 41, North Valdosta Road) Withlacoochee River Gauge read about 120.83 feet NAVD88 at 9:00 AM when we upstream on the Withlacoochee River from the Little River Confluence, and 120.64 when we reached the I-75 Bridge at 11:39 AM. That’s more than 2 feet below Action Stage, which is 123 feet. The current was still plenty fast and strong to contend with.

The Hahira (GA 122) Little River Gauge was at about 139.36 feet NAVD 88 when we started moving, and 139.56 when we took out at Troupville Boat Ramp. That’s more than 8 feet below Action Stage, which is 148 feet.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the 9.9hp outboard motor and the 24-inch Husqvarna chainsaw that we used on this outing.

For more Continue reading →

Upstream Withlacoochee River from Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-17

Update 2024-08-18: Pictures and video.

Kayaks and canoes and jon boats are invited to join the WWALS jon boat with 9.9hp outboard seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

We will put in at Troupville Boat Ramp, go down the 1/3 of a mile to the Little River Confluence, turn left and go up the Withlacoochee River, chainsawing what needs it, collecting trash, and ending by retracing our watery steps back to Troupville.

If we’re lucky, we’ll make it up as far as Sugar Creek. Any canoes or kayaks are welcome to take out there.

If we’re very lucky, we’ll get all the way up to Langdale Park. But we won’t be taking out there, due to water over the access road seen yesterday.
https://wwals.net/?p=65622

[Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-17, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River Confluence]
Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-17, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River Confluence

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the 9.9hp outboard motor, the 24-inch Husqvarna chainsaw, the 86lb thrust trolling motor, and the two Lithium-Iron-Oxide batteries, all of which we will be using on this outing.

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 8:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, August 17, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County. It is on the site of the future Troupville Nature Park and River Camp.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536 Continue reading →

Pictures: Withlacoochee River and Okapilco Creek jon boat outing 2024-07-27

We cut a deadfall in the Withlacoochee River just below Wetherington Branch, below Valdosta’s treated outfall from its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant. We found Okapilco Creek, cut a few deadfalls in there, and collected some trash on the creek and from the river. Including two blue barrels labeled Black Tea Extract that apparently had been used to support somebody’s dock.

We don’t see how Okapilco Creek is currently navigable up to US 84, according to GA HB 1397, a bill that did not pass the Georgia legislature this year. We had to cut some deadfalls even to get up to the mouth of Piscola Creek. Later we will motor up from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp to clear more deadfalls and trash from Okapilco Creek, and soon it will be navigable.

Both of those creeks drain Quitman, and Okapilco Creek comes down from Moultrie and above.

[Black tea blue drums, Okapilco Creek trashjam, deadfalls, rapids, two jon boats 2024-07-27]
Black tea blue drums, Okapilco Creek trashjam, deadfalls, rapids, two jon boats 2024-07-27

We went 19.5 river miles from Troupville Boat Ramp to Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. We decided due to the time spent on Okapilco Creek not to continue to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp.

The US 84 (Quitman) Gauge read 10.15 feet (93.65 feet NAVD88) at 10 AM, and rose another quarter foot while we were on the water. That’s near the WWALS recommended too-high water level, but it was fine with these boats and motors.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/_o7FqYMMg6E Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapahoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-07-21

The Alapahoochee River Cleanup was jam-packed, all right, but not exactly how we expected:

There was almost none of the usual trash, but eight of us found something unexpected in the river.

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

Shawn O’Connor and Quen Metzler and I sawed through the first deadfall in several places. At the last cut, Shawn found a snake in the hollow log. We never did see what kind.

Bird Chamberlain, leading this outing, had already fallen in at the first deadfall. He was in the water pulling sawed logs out of the way.

Shawn said to Bird, that log’s stuck on a sandbar, see if you can pull it over.

Bird pulled, and it wasn’t a sandbar.

A dead gator floated up.

Not knowing the gator was dead, Bird apparently walked on water back to his boat. “I don’t want to play anymore,” he said.

Here are some video snippets: Continue reading →

Jon boat outing, Troupville to Nankin, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27

We will take two jon boats with outboards and chainsaws to find and remove any deadfalls, collect trash, and find the mouth of Okapilco Creek.

There is a seat or two available in the jon boats. Feel free to come along with a kayak or canoe. We can tow on a rope. Or join in with your boat and motor.

We will go 26 river miles from Troupville Boat Ramp to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp. We could also let you know when we’re approaching Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, so you could join us when we get there.

Supposedly Okapilco Creek is navigable up to US 84, according to GA HB 1397, a bill that did not pass the Georgia legislature this year. If we find Okapilco Creek, we will look up it for the mouth of Piscola Creek. Both of those drain Quitman, and Okapilco Creek comes down from Moultrie and above.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, July 27, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Jon boat outing, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27, Troupville to Nankin, Cleanup with chainsaws]
Jon boat outing, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27, Troupville to Nankin, Cleanup with chainsaws

Continue reading →

Trash cans and chain link fence, Flying J Travel Center, I-75 Exit 2, Lake Park, GA 2024-04-16

Lake Octahatchee near Jennings, Florida, benefits from this cleaner detention pond near Lake Park, Georgia.

It took about three years from when a WWALS member reported it in August 2019 until Dennys and the Flying J at I-75 Exit 2 put in a chain link fence and trash cans in July 2022 to keep trash out of a detention pond.

Thanks again to Lowndes County Code Enforcement, its Director Mindy Bates, the Flying J, Dennys, Dynamis, and Deep South Sanitation for this cleanup and apparently permanent solution.

Also, thanks to all for never complaining that this site got reported and Suwannee Riverkeeper kept following up on it, and for never suggesting that we go do the cleanup work or pay for it.

[Trash cans & chain link fence, Flying J, I-75 Exit 2, In watershed of Lake Octahatchee]
Trash cans & chain link fence, Flying J, I-75 Exit 2, In watershed of Lake Octahatchee

When I checked it again this April, it’s still pretty clean, with almost no trash in the detention pond.

I was mistaken about where that water goes, when I last reported on it, saying it went down Deese Tract Creek into the Withlacoochee River upstream from Sullivan Launch.

According to the USGS The National Map, that detention pond is actually in the watershed of Lake Octahatchee, southeast of Belleville Road (Hamilton County NW CR 145). Most of Lake Octahatchee is owned by the private Octahatchee Club, whose members have houses and fish there.

Lake Octahatchee itself is an endorheic lake, also known as a sink lake or a terminal lake. It does not drain to the Withlacooochee River, nor any other river. It just gradually evaporates.

Which means any trash and accompanying food residue that got there from the Flying J would not even wash on downstream. Continue reading →

Sasser Landing Alapaha River Cleanup, 2024-07-13

Update 2025-01-18: Pictures: Sasser Landing Cleanup, Alapaha River 2024-07-13.

A river cleanup on land, at Sasser Landing, Jannings Bluff Landing, and the Dead River Sink parking lot.

When: 9 AM, Saturday, July 13, 2024

Put In: 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.

GPS: 30.599562, -83.069828

[On-land Cleanup, Sasser Landing, Jennings Bluff, Dead River Sink, Alapaha River, Hamilton County, FL]
On-land Cleanup, Sasser Landing, Jennings Bluff, Dead River Sink, Alapaha River, Hamilton County, FL

Continue reading →

Alapahoochee River Cleanup, 2024-07-21

Update 2024-07-22: Pictures: Alapahoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-07-21.

Join us for a river cleanup including many deadfalls, some interesting creeks, an old steel bridge, some rapids, and Turket Creek Waterfall.

Most paddlers will paddle and collect trash, and some of us will have chainsaws.

This is a relatively strenuous paddle, so it is not recommended for beginners. It’s only 2.83 river miles, but it’s jam-packed.

Thanks to Bird Chamberlain, who lives nearby, for leading this outing.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Sunday, July 21, 2024

Put In: GA 135 Alapahoochee Landing, Between Jennings, Florida, and Statenville, Georgia, in Echols County, 3/4 mile upstream of the GA-FL line and west of Pear Tree Lane, north side of road, left (west) bank.

GPS: 30.62845, -83.0893

[Alapahoochee River, Cleanup 2024-07-21, GA 135 to, Sasser Landing]
Alapahoochee River, Cleanup 2024-07-21, GA 135 to, Sasser Landing

Continue reading →

Video: Chainsaw Cleanups –Phil Hubbard, WWALS Webinar 2024-04-11

Phil Hubbard, longtime WWALS paddle outings leader, on March 11, 2024, told us why he started a series of chainsaw cleanups two years ago.

He and his son paddled down the Withlacoochee River and encountered more than 20 deadfalls they had to portage. That was Father’s Day, June 19, 2016. He didn’t even know Langdale Park existed before then. They got to Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River after dark. He joined WWALS to find a way to deal with the deadfalls.

[Video: Chainsaw Outings, --Phil Hubbard, WWALS Webinar, 2024-04-11]
Video: Chainsaw Outings, –Phil Hubbard, WWALS Webinar, 2024-04-11

We have done 21 chainsaw cleanups on the Withlacoochee River, including during the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle this year. Phil thinks with a few more at low water, it will be good. The stretch from Langdale Park down past Sugar Creek, around the Little River Confluence and up to Troupville Boat Ramp will be a nice paddle that anybody can do.

Here is the zoom video of this WWALS Webinar about Chainsaw Cleanups by Phil Hubbard:
https://youtu.be/DhjtzsBncOw?si=0zgQX6L04vllB7jV

WWALS also did two chainsaw cleanups on the Suwannee River and one on the Little River. Here are all the ones we can remember: Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper at Lowndes County Commission 2024-04-09

I thanked Lowndes County for their cooperation in the WWALS Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle, especially Public Works for grading the entrance road to Langdale Park on the Withlacoochee River.

[Suwannee Riverkeeper at Lowndes County Commission 2024-04-09, Chairman and Mayor's Paddle, Sugar Creek and Chainsaw Cleanups]
Suwannee Riverkeeper at Lowndes County Commission 2024-04-09, Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle, Sugar Creek and Chainsaw Cleanups

This was in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard in the April 9, 2024, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Earlier when I was talking to the Chairman he indicated the early takeout at Sugar Creek was a bit difficult due to a deadfall. So I mentioned that once the water gets low enough, we’ll work on that and other deadfalls, but meanwhile our chainsaws don’t work well underwater. I requested suggestions for when in March 2025 to hold the next one. I said WWALS has recently acquired a jon boat and outboard, and we’d be happy to take people out on the river, including Commissioners. Continue reading →