You can send your own comments to the addresses in the WWALS letter. If you prefer to telephone, see https://hamiltoncountyfl.com/board-of-county-commissioners/.
The Public Hearing is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at 6 PM, at 207 NE First Street Jasper, Florida 32052.
See also PDF.
Continue readingUpdate 2023-04-21: Clean WIthlacoochee River 2023-04-20.
Update 2023-04-18: Naylor Beach and Boat Ramp in Swim Guide 2023-04-18.
Happy swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-04-13]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-04-13--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-04-13
All WWALS water quality test results for Thursday show clean from E. coli for the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers. Crawford Branch at Skipper Bridge Road was a bit higher, but well within the 410 one-time test limit.
No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
Rain is predicted for Sunday morning, but probably not enough to wash much contamination into the rivers. Continue reading
Update 2023-04-17: No phosphate mine waste into recreational lakes, and more transparency –WWALS to Hamilton County BOCC 2023-04-17.
See also, from five years ago: Pictures: PCS Phosphate mine permit Public Hearings, Jasper, FL 2018-01-23.
Here are 78 more documents related to the Public Hearing at 6 PM this Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Hamilton County Commission in Jasper, Florida, about Nutrien’s phosphate mining permit renewal.
![[Mining location, reclamation, flow, and areas]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-03-28--hamco-planning-more/many.jpg)
Mining location, reclamation, flow, and areas
These documents, from a USB stick I picked up from Hamilton County today, are in addition to the documents I posted yesterday.
Ordinarily I would read everything first and post some analysis, but in the interests of time, here are the documents. Continue reading
Acting Valdosta City Manager Richard Hardy called me yesterday. This is unusual, although he does usually answer his phone if I call him.
![[Valdosta Acting City Manager Richard Hardy and City Engineer Ben O'Dowd 2023-03-25]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-04-11--seeclickfix/many.jpg)
Valdosta Acting City Manager Richard Hardy and City Engineer Ben O’Dowd 2023-03-25
Even more unusual was his news: the city may be moving ahead on keeping trash out of creeks.
First some background.
Recent adventures in Click ‘n’ Fix include this one, Continue reading
Update 2023-04-13: More materials: Hamilton County Planning Commission on Nutrien phosphate mine permit renewal 2023-03-28.
Update 2023-04-12: The County Commission meeting will be April 18th.
The Nutrien Phosphate Mine in Hamilton County, Florida,
is up for renewal by the Hamilton Board of County Commissioners
on Tuesday, April 28 18, 2023, at 6 PM.
There will be a Public Hearing.
Since time to speak will be limited, best to send written comments in advance.
The renewal request has already been reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Board (PNZ), on March 28, 2023. PNZ recommends renewal with some conditions.
Private landowners, a number of whose property is inside the mine boundary, object that some of Nutrien’s plans for disposal of waste such as clay will adversely affect those landowners’ businesses as well as wildlife and waters.
Dennis J. Price, P.G., of Hamilton County filed a page of questions.
Bienville Outdoors filed a a request to find other options for settling areas.
Maybe you would like to comment on effects of this mine on the Suwannee River, Swift Creek, the Floridan Aquifer, or public health.
![[Private landowners, Clay flows, aerial: Nutrien Phosphate Mine, Hamilton County, FL]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-03-28--hamco-planning-packet/many.jpg)
Private landowners, Clay flows, aerial: Nutrien Phosphate Mine, Hamilton County, FL
On the WWALS website are Continue reading
Update 2023-05-19: Valdosta annual stormwater reports to GA-EPD 2023-02-14.
In December GA-EPD reissued Valdosta’s stormwater permit, which happens every five years.
![[About, NOI, maps: Valdosta reissued Stormwater permit 2022-12-06]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2018-08-30--permits/valdosta/stormwater/2022-12-06--valdosta-stormwater-permit/many.jpg)
About, NOI, maps: Valdosta reissued Stormwater permit 2022-12-06
However, if I understand the response by Valdosta City Engineer Ben O’Dowd in the documents received in response to an open records request, all there is right now is a generic boilerplate permit for cities of this size. That generic permit requires Valdosta to spell out best practices it will use, and to update its Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP), all by June 4, 2023.
Since the City Engineer has been quite receptive to public input lately, I hope this means Valdosta will be accepting input into rewriting the SWMP. About trash, for example. Continue reading
Update 2023-05-30: Pictures: Portage Big Shoals, Paddle Little Shoals, Suwannee River 2023-05-20.
Join us as we portage around Big Shoals, the biggest rapids in Florida, and paddle through Little Shoals on the Suwannee River.
Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County will lead us past the lally columns of Old Godwin Bridge. Two thirds of a mile later, we will take out just before Big Shoals, and portage a quarter mile through the woods. Paddlers in good health should be able to do this. We do not recommend it for small children. We will be portaging: if you want to paddle through Big Shoals, do it on a different trip.
Then we’ll paddle past several creeks, including Bell Springs Run and Falling Creek.
About 3.5 miles downstream from Big Shoals, we’ll paddle through Little Shoals, which can get up to Class II rapids. Plus there’s another little rapid just before the railroad bridge and the US 41 bridge.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, May 20, 2023
Put In: Big Shoals Tract Launch, From White Springs, travel north on CR 135 to SE 94 Street (Godwin Bridge Road); turn right and follow road to Big Shoals, in Hamilton County, Florida.
![[Big Shoals pictures from 2021-05-19]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-20--big-shoals-suwannee/many.jpg)
Big Shoals pictures from 2021-05-19
Update 2023-04-15: Clean Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers 2023-04-13.
According to all the recent test results we have, the Withlacoochee River is pretty clean from E. coli. However, it’s raining upstream now, and predictions are for more rain tomorrow.
I’m still planning to paddle on Yet Another Cleanup Knights Ferry to Nankin, Withlacoochee River, 2023-04-08. If we’re quick, we may be finished before more than a drizzle falls.
If you want to paddle, swim, or fish this weekend, I’d recommend do it Saturday morning before the rain has much time to wash contamination out of creeks.
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide Map 2023-04-06]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-04-06--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, River, Swim Guide Map 2023-04-06
No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida since the tiny inland High Springs spill Thursday a week ago.
There is the matter of Valdosta’s followup testing after their February sewage spills, but the only bad results from that were Wednesday and Thursday a week ago, and that was in the Alapaha River basin. Continue reading
These maps show the locations of Valdosta’s Stormwater Pond Facility Clusters previously posted. They provide clues to where trash may be accumulating.
Most of the major creeks in Valdosta are represented, plus some that I didn’t know had names, such as Bunche Street Canal and Knob Hill Canal, as well as some that apparently do not have names.
Most (Sugar Creek, Hightower Creek, Dow Street Canal, One Mile Branch, Two Mile Branch, Three Mile Branch, Knob Hill Canal, Cherry Creek, and Browns Canal) are in the Withlacoochee River Basin.
Others (Knights Creek, Dukes Bay Canal, Bunche Street Canal) are in the Alapaha River Basin.
Several of the maps straddles several watersheds.
Below there is a pair of maps for each of the clusters: a map received from Valdosta in response to an open records request, and a map excerpt from one of the WWALS water trail maps.
The rest of the text below is from the document previously posted. Continue reading
Update 2023-04-07: Clean Withlacoochee River 2023-04-06.
Best to paddle, swim, and fish tomorrow morning. Rains are predicted tomorrow.
But until then, all the water quality tests we have are good, for the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers.
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide map 2023-03-30]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-03-30--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide map 2023-03-30
No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia in the past week.
But High Springs had a 150-gallon spill. That small an amount and apparently inland should have no effect on the Santa Fe River or its springs.
Thanks to WWALS tester Continue reading
![[Letter and mine]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-04-17--wwals-to-hamco-nutrien-phosphate-permit/many.jpg)
![[Example Cluster maps]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-03-01--vld-orr-pond-clusters-map/many.jpg)