Category Archives: GA-EPD

Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO) 2026-02-19

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Looks like there is ample room for improvement in the Solid Waste Open Dump Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-12-22.

https://wwals.net/?p=69496

If anyone sees any creek or river contamination that might be coming from any of these sites (on Paul King Road, Luke King Road, or Whitley Tucker Road), please let WWALS and GA-EPD know.

[Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO), 2026-02-19]
Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO), 2026-02-19

Georgia
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION

Jeffrey W. Cown, Director
Southwest District
2024 Newton Road
Albany, Georgia 31701
229-430-4144

February 19, 2026

Mr. Charles Kincaid, Operator
Caton Farms, LLC
tkincaid1967@gmail.com

RE: Notice of Violation
Caton Farms, LLC
Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO)
Berrien County, Georgia

Dear Mr. Kincaid:

A routine compliance inspection was conducted at the above referenced composting facility by representatives of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on February 10, 2026. This Notice of Violation is issued to Caton Farms, LLC for deficiencies with regard to the referenced Permit and the Georgia Rules for Solid Waste Management (Rules). The enclosed Compost Class 2 Permit-by-Rule Checklist notes three (3) deficiencies, which are listed below for your review and attention:

Continue reading →

Solid Waste Open Dump Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-12-22

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We have a candidate for what caused the nasty Alapaha River water that Mike Paulk reported on February 16, 2026, at GA 135 south of Willacoochee, Georgia.

https://wwals.net/?p=69417

Somebody from Louisiana owns land in Berrien County at three locations. According to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD), they found “chicken litter, large trees, and soybean material” at a reported site. This was a violation of Georgia Solid Waste rules, especially considering the landowner had no solid waste handling permit.

[Solid Waste Open Dump, Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-02-15]
Solid Waste Open Dump, Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-02-15

One of those locations has creeks running through it a short distance to the Alapaha River. That’s east of Luke King Road, north of Bruce Farm Road, northeast of Enigma, Georgia. See the red outline on this map. Continue reading →

Two wells, a lift station, water meters, and drainage eminent domain @ LCC 2026-01-26

Update 2026-01-26: Videos: Water treatment upgrade because GA-EPD Consent Order, Lift Station Pump Repair, Condemnation along Twin Lakes Road, VAWA, Extension Office, Red Cross @ LCC Work 2026-01-26.

Lowndes County is under a GA-EPD Consent Order about drinking water for a well near Pine Grove Middle School. They did try for multiple bids to fix that but only got one.

And they’re fixing a sewage lift station near Ocean Pond in Lake Park. Before it breaks: good. It’s a sole source bid, though.

The Consent Order is revealed by the agenda packet page for 5.a. Spring Creek Water Treatment Plant Design Build Project. Neither the board packet materials nor the ad for bids mentions where this is. However, previous research indicates it’s the well with water tower at 4245 Hattie Pl, Valdosta, GA 31605, near a creek that runs west by Pine Grove Middle School to the Withlacoochee River.

They will vote on spending $214,412.00 on the Spring Creek plant. Which also mysteriously includes “add a lift station.” Lift stations usually refer to sewer lines, and Lowndes County’s sewer lines do not go up Hattie Place to the well site. Maybe an open records request for the Consent Order will clarify that.

And another $24,400.00 on a sewage pump repair at the Peterson Road Lift Station. The packet materials don’t say where that is, either, but it appears to be in the southeast corner of 6201 Peterson Road (the Home Depo Distribution Center), east of the I-75 Georgia Visitor Center. The sign on the fence says Roadway Lift Station.

And the county thinks $12,400.00 is a fair condemnation price to get some road and drainage right of way along Twin Lakes Road.

[Two wells, a lift station, surplus water meter components, and drainage eminent domain @ Lowndes County Commission 2026-01-26]
Two wells, a lift station, surplus water meter components, and drainage eminent domain @ Lowndes County Commission 2026-01-26

That’s about a quarter million dollars they may approve Tuesday, before even adding in the $26,371.00 cash match for a VAWA grant. Continue reading →

Reissuance, Quitman WPCP, GAJ020022 –GA-EPD 2025-12-15

Quitman has applied for renewal of its wastewater treatment permit. It is lacking a major item: a Watershed Protection Plan (WPP). GA-EPD is giving Quitman about one year to produce such a plan.

Quitman’s wastewater plant consists of ponds on Highland Ave. which pipe waste to a Land Application Site (LAS), aka spray field, east of town, south of US 84. Both parts are next to Okapilco Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River between US 84 and Knights Ferry Boat Ramp.

This application was acknowledged December 15, 2025, for NPDES Permit No. GAJ020022 by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD). The comment period extends for one month from that date.

[Reissuance, Quitman WPCP, GAJ020022 --GA-EPD 2025-12-15, Lacks Watershed Protection Plan, Must supply one]
Reissuance, Quitman WPCP, GAJ020022 –GA-EPD 2025-12-15, Lacks Watershed Protection Plan, Must supply one

The application packet:
https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Public/EnSuite/Shared/pages/util/StreamDoc.ashx?id=1162182&type=PERMIT_FILLED_OBJECT&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

The WPP must include monitoring and assessment of streams in the Assessment Area (which does not seem to be defined). Also, methods to identify waters not up to designated water uses, i.e., contaminated. And “water sresource concerns and priority issues.”

The WPP must establish a baseline, include long-term monitoring, and a schedule for correcting current water quality problems, with ongoing monitoring to verify such correction. Plus best management practices (BMPs) to prevent future problems, and monitoring to verify BMPs.

Quitman also lacks an industrial pretreatment program for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). But GA-EPD has not yet determined whether Quitman needs an Industrial Pretreatment Program.

But Quitman does need a WPP, and here’s where the permit document first mentions the WPP: Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek 2025-12-17

Update 2026-01-01: Hightower Creek still dirty; Alapaha River clean 2025-12-31.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean upstream and down this week, and Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch in Valdosta tested pretty clean.

But Hightower Creek remained dirty in Valdosta Utilities’ result.

It still appears there is some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.

Downstream on the Withlacoochee River near the Suwannee, WWALS tester Russ Tatum got a near-perfect 33 cfu/100 mL E. coli. All these results are for Wednesday.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. FDEP’s Pollution Notice reporting is still half broken: see below.

After a little drizzle yesterday, no rain is predicted for the next ten days.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek, 2025-12-17]
Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek, 2025-12-17

Valdosta Utilities sampled its creeks again this week after its August 23, 2025 20,000 gallon sewage spill into One Mile Branch at Wainwright Drive. Valdosta has since replaced both manholes at Wainwright Drive with taller ones, so maybe that is finally starting to have an effect of reduced sewage in the creeks.
https://www.valdostacity.com/utilities/river-stream-water-quality-data/august-2025-sanitary-sewer-spills

Thanks again for those tests, and thanks for posting results earlier this week.

Also, Valdosta could take back up testing the Withlacoochee River down to the state line, plus Okapilco Creek, as they stopped doing after the four years required in the 2020 GA-EPD Consent Order. This would be to the advantage of the City of Valdosta, because such results help find sewage spills, and they also demonstrate when the creeks and rivers are clean, and when there are problems that are not Valdosta’s fault.

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results rainfall and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Environmental groups urge GA-EPD to finalize forever chemical limits at least as stringent as 2024 federal limits 2025-12-17

We urge GA-EPD to set real limits on forever chemicals:

In sum, why should Georgia residents be left with no choice but to drink contaminated water just because their drinking water did not have the “correct” type of PFAS contamination? We don’t believe they should. Accordingly, we urge EPD to promulgate MCLs for all six of the federally regulated PFAS compounds that are at least as stringent as the April 10, 2024 federal regulations.

Since this letter is replete with footnotes, I’m only quoting the beginning and end here. You can find the entire letter on the WWALS website in PDF, and images of each page are appended below.

[Environmental groups urge GA-EPD to limit forever chemicals 2025-12-17, at least as stringent as 2024 federal limits]
Environmental groups urge GA-EPD to limit forever chemicals 2025-12-17, at least as stringent as 2024 federal limits

You can also write to EPDComments@dnr.ga.gov.

And you can also try EWG’s action page for U.S. EPA.

For what’s in your drinking water, see:
https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/

Here’s the beginning of the letter we sent to GA-EPD yesterday: Continue reading →

Clean Rivers and Creeks, except Hightower Creek 2025-12-11

Update 2025-12-19: Clean Withlacoochee River and most creeks; Dirty Hightower Creek 2025-12-17.

The Withlacoochee River tested pretty clean this week, as did the Santa Fe River, and the Ichetucknee River for Friday last week.

Even Valdosta’s problem Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch tested OK.

But Hightower Creek was bad in Valdosta Utilities’ result, although the WWALS result the same day at the same site was OK.

It appears there is still some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida, although FDEP’s Pollution Notice reporting is half broken: see below.

No rain is predicted for the next ten days.

So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers, Mostly Good 2025-12-11, OK One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek, But not Hightower Creek]
Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers, Mostly Good 2025-12-11, OK One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek, But not Hightower Creek

Sugar Creek and its feeder creeks

For Thursday at St. Augustine Road on Hightower Creek, Valdosta Utilities got Continue reading →

Draft reissuance Tifton wastewater permit –GA-EPD 2025-11-30

This draft update to the wastewater permit for the Tifton Regional Wastewater Treatment Complex (TRWTC) tightens some pollution limits, adds others, and adds some testing and reporting.

However, I don’t see any thing about PFAS or other forever chemicals.

What do you see that needs comment to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD)?

[Draft reissuance of Tifton wastewater permit, NPDES Permit No. GA0048470, Outflow: New River --GA-EPD]
Draft reissuance of Tifton wastewater permit, NPDES Permit No. GA0048470, Outflow: New River –GA-EPD

The GA-EPD notice about this reissuance arrived via email today, with the document online here with a copy on the WWALS website.

Images of each page are below.

I hadn’t really noticed this biosolids sludge farm before: Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River downstream 2025-11-22

Update 2025-11-28: Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Sugar Creek 2025-11-26.

Better news from two recent Withlacoochee River water quality samples.

Apparently the effects of the small Valdosta sewage spill into Sugar Creek Wednesday have washed out of the Withlacoochee River downstream, at least where we tested.

Suzy Hall got zero (0) E. coli for Friday at State Line Boat Ramp, aka Mozell Spells.

John S. Quarterman got 100 cfu/100 mL for Saturday nine miles upstream at Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp.

Those are both less than the 126 cfu/100 mL three-test average limit, so quite clean.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean downstream Withlacoochee River, State Line 2025-11-21, Nankin Boat Ramp 2025-11-22]
Clean downstream Withlacoochee River, State Line 2025-11-21, Nankin Boat Ramp 2025-11-22

Nankin Boat Ramp is also 15 river miles downstream from US 84 and 27 miles downstream from GA 133 where Valdosta Utilities got way-too-high E. coli for Thursday. And about 30 miles downstream from Sugar Creek, where WWALS tester Suzy Hall got even worse Too Numerous to Count (TNTC) for Wednesday.

These new WWALS results match the zero (0) that WWALS tester Russ Tatum got for Wednesday at Holly Point, on the Withlacoochee River in Florida a few miles upstream from the Suwannee River.

So if you can find enough water, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing, at least downstream on the Withlacoochee River.

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results rainfall and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha, Withlacoochee Rivers; Sugar Creek mixed 2025-10-30

Update 2025-11-07: Clean Withlacoochee River, Dirty Sugar Creek 2025-11-06.

WWALS got a very clean result for the Santa Fe River for Wednesday, and pretty clean for the Alapaha River for Thursday.

Even for Sugar Creek, WWALS got an OK result for Wednesday at the WaterGoat. But Valdosta Utilities again got too-high results upstream on Sugar Creek at Gornto Road and Baytree Road.

However, Valdosta got OK results for the Withlacoochee River Upstream at US 41, and OK downstream at GA 133, plus clean farther downstream at US 84.

So these continuing high Sugar Creek results are still mysterious, especially given no rain to wash residue downstream

No sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in the past week in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is expected for the next ten days.

So I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near it. Other than that, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend.

Or join us tomorrow (Saturday, November 1) to Hike with a Geologist to a Spring, the Dead River Sink, and the Dry Alapaha River.

This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha, Withlacoochee Rivers, Sugar Creek mixed, 2025-10-30]
Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha, Withlacoochee Rivers, Sugar Creek mixed, 2025-10-30

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results rainfall and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →