Category Archives: creeks

Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-22

Update 2025-03-19: Rescheduled: Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2025-04-19.

Rescheduled to March 22 due to high water.

Join us for a leisurely paddle on the Withlacoochee River: three miles to an early takeout, or another eight miles to Spook Bridge, with a mid-point lunch stop.

The first stretch is along the Little River frontage recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park. The right bank the whole way is Brooks County.

The second stretch goes by Valdosta’s cleaned up Outfall from its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) on the left bank in Lowndes County.

Paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter.

[Chairman and Mayor's Paddle, Troupville to Spook Bridge, Little River, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-22]
Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle, Troupville to Spook Bridge, Little River, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-22

Shuttle vans provided by Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA).
Early takeout provided by Paul DeLoach.
Spook Bridge takeout and midpoint provided by The Langdale Company.
Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.
Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading this expedition and Phil Royce for being sweep.

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 22, 2025

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.
By the boat ramp, see the WWALS water trail signs about the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536 Continue reading →

Pictures: Azalea Festival 2025-03-08

Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman, Elizabeth Brunner, Lisa Adkins-Montisano, Cindy Vedas, Sara Squires Jones, and Scotti Jay Jones for making the WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival a success.

[Azalea Festival, Thanks, Volunteers, One Mile Branch, Valdosta, GA 2025-03-08]
Azalea Festival, Thanks, Volunteers, One Mile Branch, Valdosta, GA 2025-03-08

Volunteers gave out many flyers, especially about the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, coming up this Saturday, March 15.
https://wwals.net/?p=66833

All these pictures are from delivery Friday or at the Festival Saturday. Sunday got rained out. Thanks to Scotti and Sara for delivering the booth back to its abode. Continue reading →

Pictures: Troupville Withlacoochee Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08

Phil Hubbard and I got 2.6 miles up the Withlacoochee River from the Little River Confluence, so almost 3 miles including the third of a mile down the Little River from Troupville Boat Ramp.

We stopped at a cluster of big deadfalls at the top of Riverhill Drive, as sunset approached, so we could get back to Troupville Boat Ramp before dark.

That’s 2.3 miles more than the previous WWALS chainsaw cleanup on this stretch, four days before.

And a bit more than a mile to go up to Sugar Creek.

[2.6 miles done, One mile to go, Withlacoochee River Upstream, Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08]
2.6 miles done, One mile to go, Withlacoochee River Upstream, Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08

The only casualty was one Husqvarna 24-inch chainsaw bar; I did salvage the chain. Fortunately, we had another bar. That’s the chainsaw paid for by the grant from Wild Green Future.

Which also paid for the 9.9 hp outboard motor. Which worked fine this time, except when we ran it into something going pretty fast and choked it down. Then it did not want to start.

But Phil tried something new: take off the cowling and put water on the ignition module to cool it. That worked! Back in action. Continue reading →

Another Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA 2025-03-16

Update 2025-04-15 Rescheduled due to impending thunderstorms. Another Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA 2025-04-26.

Come clean up trash along Azalea City Trail in Valdosta. Start near the notorious Wainwright Drive manhole on Sugar Creek, and go upstream and downstream.

When: 10 AM, Sunday, March 16, 2025

Put In: Wainwright Drive between Baytree Drive and Brookhaven Drive, and maybe also downstream, in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.84287, -83.30113

[Azalea City Trail Cleanup 2025-03-16, Start at Wainwright Drive, One Mile Branch]
Azalea City Trail Cleanup 2025-03-16, Start at Wainwright Drive, One Mile Branch

Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-03-06

Update 2025-03-14: Dirty Withlacoochee River 2025-03-12.

For the Withlacoochee River this week, WWALS got good results upstream and down, and Valdosta Utilities got good results for the Withlacoochee River at GA 133 and US 84.

We have no new water quality test results for Sugar Creek. Chances are that the previous sewage spill has washed out, although more testing would be good.

WWALS got excellent results for the Alapaha River at Naylor Park Beach.

No new sewage spills were reported in Florida or Georgia.

Saturday is supposed to be mostly rainless, before thunderstorms Sunday. River levels are good.

So happy fishing, swimming, paddling, and boating Saturday!

[Clean Alapaha and, Withlacoochee Rivers, 2025-03-05, 2025-03-06]
Clean Alapaha and, Withlacoochee Rivers, 2025-03-05, 2025-03-06

Join us tomorrow for the Troupville Withlacoochee Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08
https://wwals.net/?p=67153

Or come on down to the WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival, One Mile Branch, Drexel Park, Valdosta, GA 2025-03-08.
https://wwals.net/?p=67089

And Saturday week join us for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle.
https://wwals.net/?p=66833

Continue reading →

Troupville Withlacoochee Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08

Update 2025-03-09: Pictures: Troupville Withlacoochee Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08.

Join us between the Little River Confluence and Sugar Creek on the Withlacoochee River seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

When: Gather 12 PM, launch 12:30 PM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 8, 2025

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.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08, Troupville Boat Ramp, Upstream to Sugar Creek]
Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08, Troupville Boat Ramp, Upstream to Sugar Creek

Continue reading →

Modifications, Spectrum Energy pellet mill permit application, Adel, Cook County, GA 2025-03-05

Spectrum Energy has gotten some modifications to its pellet mill Air Quality application, partly due to comments during previous comment periods.

This latest comment period expires April 7, 2025.

[Modifications, Spectrum Energy pellet mill permit application, Adel, Cook County, GA @ GA-EPD 2025-03-05]
Modifications, Spectrum Energy pellet mill permit application, Adel, Cook County, GA @ GA-EPD 2025-03-05

NOTICE OF DRAFT SYNTHETIC MINOR AND SIP OPERATING PERMITS AND PERMIT MODIFICATIONS

GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION

AIR PROTECTION BRANCH

4244 INTERNATIONAL PARKWAY, SUITE 120, ATLANTA, GA 30354

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division announces its intent to issue initial Synthetic Minor Operating Permits, Synthetic Minor Modifications, and Major Source SIP Permits for the following facilities. The deadlines for submitting comments are specified for each facility.

MAJOR SOURCE SIP PERMITS

COOK COUNTY

Facility Name: Spectrum Energy Georgia, LLC

Application No: 29318

Facility Address: 801 Cook Street, Adel, 31620

EPD Notice Type: Proposed Permit

Description of Operation: Pellet Mill

Reason for Application: To construct and operate a greenfield wood pellet manufacturing facility. This application is a consolidated, smaller-scope version of the facility’s previous E-permit application.

Comment period expires on: April 07, 2025

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Continue reading →

Pictures: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River upstream from Troupville 2025-03-04

Update 2025-03-09: Pictures: Troupville Withlacoochee Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08

TJ Johnson from Live Oak, FL, and I sawed a few deadfalls, and Tish Hall from Lake Park, GA, cleared brush and got some trash, on the Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River upstream from Troupville 2025-03-04.

[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-04, upstream from Troupville, Got a few deadfalls]
Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-04, upstream from Troupville, Got a few deadfalls

We gnawed on the infamous CiHiG (Cut It Here, I Guess) Deadfall yet again.

A bit downstream from there we got through a deadfall that had been diverting boats sharp around a cypress with knees, where the WWALS jon boat more than once has canted 45 degrees.

The Valdosta Gauge read 120.27 at noon Tuesday.

Tish Hall gets the good sport award for helping tow the jon boat up the Little River when the 9.9 hp outboard would not start and the 86lb-thrust trolling motor wasn’t quite strong enough. Continue reading →

Ashburn spill locations and causes in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report 2025-02-26

Update 2025-03-07: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-03-06.

After GA-EPD forgot to list sewage spill locations or causes for several days, we can finally see where and why Ashburn had its late-January and mid-February spills into Hat Creek, which runs to the Alapaha River.

Plus an amusing update on Pinehurst, which is outside the Suwannee River Basin.

[Ashburn spill locations and causes, in GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report 2025-02-26]
Ashburn spill locations and causes

The locations are listed as different: “Rockhouse Rd. Lift Station” for the 2025-01-31 spill and “Rockhouse Rd and Sylvia Dr.” for the 2025-02-14 spill. But from time to time GA-EPD lists the latitude and longitude of spills, and these two have the same latlong: 31.691673, -83.632582.

That’s at this manhole at the corner of Rockhouse Road and Silvia Drive: Continue reading →

Try again: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River upstream from Troupville 2025-03-04

Come out Tuesday morning before the rains, start at Troupville Boat Ramp, down around the the Little River Confluence and up the Withlacoochee River towards Sugar Creek, seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

Thanks to TJ Johnson for coming up from Live Oak, Florida, to lead this one.

Looks like the water will be about a foot higher than last time, when we were stopped by the CiHiG (Cut it Here, I Guess) Deadfall, so this time we should be able to get up over that one to see what’s upstream.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2 PM, Tuesday, March 4, 2025

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.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, upstream from Troupville, Saturday, March 4, 2025]
Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, upstream from Troupville, Saturday, March 4, 2025

Continue reading →