Update 2024-08-12: Packet: Return of the proposed 2,109-acre rezoning for Planned Unit Development in floodplain –City of Chiefland, FL 2024-08-12.
Here is audio of the applicant’s answers to citizen questions in the June 24, 2024 Chiefland City Commission meeting, as well as the applicant’s slides.
If somebody wants to transcribe these audio files, that would be most helpful.
Here is part 1 of audio from the June 24, Chiefland City Commission meeting:
Continue readingUpdate 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.
Update 2024-07-24: Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line –WUFT 2024-07-23.
The Santa Fe River tested clean at the spot it didn’t last week, Wanamake (Butler) Ramp, a tenth of a mile up from the Suwannee River. Sugar Creek tested clean last Saturday.
We don’t have any more test results this week. However, since there has been little rain, chances are that nothing much washed into the rivers.
In the Suwannee River Basin Florida, High Springs reported a small inland sewage spill.
In Georgia, Ashburn yet again reported a major spill a week late, into Hat Creek into the Alapaha River.
The weather prediction all weekend is likely rain, but most likely in the afternoon.
So pick a river at a level you like, and happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Or join us Sunday morning for Alapahoochee River Cleanup, 2024-07-21.
Or, weather permitting, Sunday evening for Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21.
Continue readingUpdate 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.
Update 2024-07-19: Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17.
It looks like Ashburn, Georgia, has spilled 1,806,500 gallons of raw sewage in the twelve months until now.
The vast majority of that went into Hat Creek, which runs into the Alapaha River.
![[Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills, July 2023 to July 2024]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-08--ashburn-spill-2024-07-16--ga-epd-sewage-spills-report/many.jpg)
Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills, July 2023 to July 2024
The most recent spill, on July 8, but reported a week later on July 16, was 100,000 gallons of raw sewage due to “Mechanical failure”. Previous spills were mosty due to “Wet weather”, although there were several by “Power failure”, some by “Other”, and one by “Equipment failure”.
This list is compiled from the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report, as archived and interpreted daily by WWALS. Continue reading
Update 2024-07-19: 2024-07-19: Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills 2024-07-08.
The Alapaha, Withlacoochee, and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean, except the Santa Fe at Wanamake (Butler) Ramp, a tenth of a mile up from the Suwannee River.
No sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia, Ashburn had yet another spill.
Saturday is supposed to be sunny, and Sunday it might rain late in the day.
So pick a river at a level you like, and happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Or join us Saturday morning for Sasser Landing Alapaha River Cleanup, 2024-07-13.
![[Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers 2024-07-11, except a hot spot near the Suwannee]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-11--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers 2024-07-11, except a hot spot near the Suwannee
The Withlacoochee is in Action Stage at North Valdosta Road (US 41) and upstream, and soon will be at Pinetta. The Santa Fe River is still at rock bottom in several places. Continue reading
Update 2024-08-12: Packet: Return of the proposed 2,109-acre rezoning for Planned Unit Development in floodplain –City of Chiefland, FL 2024-08-12.
Update 2024-07-20: Applicant slides and sound recording, 2,109-acre PUD, Chiefland, FL 2024-06-24.
The City of Chiefland has an application for a 2,109-acre Planned Unit Development with a 50-year plan for residential, commercial, industrial, and other uses, in an area now zoned as Agricultural / Rural Residential. It is mostly in the floodplain of Long Pond, and upstream of the Suwannee River.
![[2,109-acre 50-year PUD rezoning, in Agricultural / Rural Residential Area, Floodplain upstream from Suwannee River, City of Chiefland, FL 2024-07-08]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-08--chiefland/fbmany.jpg)
2,109-acre 50-year PUD rezoning
A development where “when you live in the development you don’t have to leave” is not a bad idea. But the location is unfortunate.
Fortunately, the applicant pulled the agenda item for yesterday’s Chiefland City Commission meeting. Chiefland City Hall told me he would resubmit when he thinks he’s ready. So watch for it reappearing.
Two weeks before, many citizens asked many questions. The minutes for that June 24, 2024, City Commission meeting says a representative of the applicant answered all the questions, but the minutes do not say what the answers were.
The agenda for July 8 also does not say what the answers were.
If you oppose this rezoning, you can use the time to organize before the application re-appears.
You may want to consider joining the public facebook group RURL Residents United for Rural Levy.
Apparently the connection to the Suwannee River may involve an underground section. Continue reading
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-04-16--flying-j/igmany.jpg)
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
2024-07-12: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers except a hot spot near the Suwannee River 2024-07-11.
Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills 2024-07-08. Franks Creek at GA 122 west of Hahira tested far too high for E. coli for Wednesday.
And that’s the smallest set of test results we’ve ever had. Due to the Fourth of July holiday, most of the WWALS testers are on holiday, and Valdosta also did not report any results for this week.
![[Bad Franks Creek, Unknown Rivers 2024-07-03 After rain with more rain coming]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-03--wq/many.jpg)
Bad Franks Creek, Unknown Rivers 2024-07-03 After rain with more rain coming
No sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.
Since Saturday, there have been as much as 7 inches of rain on the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers and 3 or more on the Little River. More rain is predicted this weekend and all week, although mainly in the evening.
The Withlacoochee was in Action Stage Wednesday at Skipper Bridge, and is right now at North Valdosta Road. At US 84, it looks like maybe it has peaked 5 feet below Action Stage. It’s still rising at Pinetta and Lee, although far below Action Stage.
The Santa Fe River did not get much rain, and in many places such as near Fort White is at its low threshold, as is the Ichetucknee River.
If you want little chance of contamination washed in, and don’t mind really low water, try the Santa Fe or the Ichetucknee Rivers.
So pick your desired water level and tolerance for E. coli risk, and go in the morning. Happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend! Continue reading
These 120 sheets of detailed 2009 Construction Plans for the Brooks County Industrial Park contain a clue to how the sewer system there is connected to Quitman.
It turns out the clue is on the 2006 maps, too, but less obvious.
Stay tuned for that connection.
To interpret these sheets, it is useful to know that Prospect Drive is what appears on googlemaps as Fritzke Drive. Aviagen’s chicken incubation plant is south of Prospect Drive, east of GA 333. Continue reading
Congratulations to Jason Barnes on being promoted to Valdosta Director of Utilities after a year as Acting Director.
He has a lot of work left for him by previous city administrations, both in drinking water quality and a planned new well site, and of course in fixing Valdosta’s chronic sewer leaks, overflows, and spills, while expanding the sewer system to accomodate new industry.
The Withlacoochee River gets the most news, because most of Valdosta’s spills have been into creeks that flow into that river. But the collapsed sewer main next to Knights Creek ends up in Mud Swamp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, and the Alapaha River. The city seems to have finally gotten a handle on that one, having replaced most of that sewer main, with the rest to be scheduled as regular repairs instead of expensive emergency fixes.
Nobody is going to be happy until there are no more spills, but I have seen fewer spills that did not last as long since Jason Barnes has been in charge.
About the first thing I heard from him once he became Acting Director was that a sewage spill had contaminated Sugar Creek, so we rerouted from a boating cleanup to an onland cleanup. Jason Barnes showed up in person at that cleanup, where we thanked him for telling us. Continue reading
Update 2024-07-05: Bad Franks Creek, unknown rivers, after much rain 2024-07-03.
The Withlacoochee River tested clean for Wednesday and Thursday, and the Santa Fe River for Monday.
Retesting upstream and downstream from the previous One Mile Branch Valdosta Williams Street anomolous results found little to no E. coli.
No sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.
The rivers are almost all down to good boating and fishing levels; maybe too low in some areas.
There was rain on the Withlacoochee River in several places over several days, so some contamination may have washed in.
Other than that, happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend!
![[Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers, but rain 2024-06-27]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-06-27--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers, but rain 2024-06-27
Cindy Vedas tested three upstream Withlacoochee sites Thursday.
For Franklinville Road at Tyler Bridge, she got Continue reading
![[Applicant slides, sound recordings 2024-06-24, Proposed 2,109-acre PUD, Chiefland, FL, Manatee Springshed]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-06-24--chiefland/fbmany.jpg)
![[Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17, Sugar Creek 2024-07-13, Old Ashburn, High Springs, sewage spills, Rain predicted]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-17--wq/many.jpg)
![[Construction Plans, Brooks County Industrial Park 2009-03-03, DeVane PlanEng, Brooks County Industrial Authority]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2009-03-03--brookscoda-maps/fbmany.jpg)
![[Jason Barnes, Valdosta, Utilities Director 2024-07-01, Water and sewer systems, Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-01--vld-utilities-public-works/fbmany.jpg)