Category Archives: Lake

ICE detention center back with no alternatives @ Bradford County BOCC 2026-04-16

Update 2026-04-16: Lease and operating requirements added to Sheriff’s ICE detention agenda item @ Bradford County BOCC 2026-04-16.

Despite two other options for use of the Douglas Building being discussed last time, only the ICE detention center is on the agenda for the Bradford County Commission tomorrow, 6:30 PM, Thursday, April 16, 2026. That’s at the Bradford County Courthouse, 945 North Temple Avenue, Starke, Florida 32091.

The board packet does not include the text of the proposed lease, nor any comment on it by the county attorney.

There’s also nothing on the agenda about any results of the FDEP contamination study they approved last time, March 7, 2026. That would have to take much longer than nine days, anyway.

According to Sheriff Gordon Smith‘s agenda item detail, such a detention center “would be capable of housing up to 3,000 detainees.” Remember the population of Starke is about 6,000. So that’s a 50% increase, plus ICE and other personnel.

As we pointed out last time, Starke has already had sewage spills, and increasing its population like that would risk more spills, on a site that sits between two creeks that go through Lakes Rowell and Sampson into the Sampson River to the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers.

Bradford County should choose one of its other options for the site.

And the county should do nothing with the site until FDEP returns results of its contamination examination. Continue reading →

Full Blue Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-05-31

Update 2026-05-31: Cancelled due to incoming thunderstorms.

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on Banks Lake, our watery living room. If we’re lucky, there will be bats.

This is the second full moon of May, thus a Blue Moon.

When: Gather 7:45 PM, launch 8:15 PM, moonrise 9:14 PM, sunset 8:31 PM, end 9:45 PM, Sunday, May 31, 2026

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Blue Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2025-05-30, Second full moon in a month is a Blue Moon]
Full Blue Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2025-05-30, Second full moon in a month is a Blue Moon

Continue reading →

Site contamination investigation before discussion of lease as ICE detention facility @ Bradford County BOCC 2026-04-06

Update 2026-04-15: ICE detention center back with no alternatives @ Bradford County BOCC 2026-04-16.

The Bradford County Commission has two related items on its agenda for tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM, Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

In 5. Approval of the Consent Agenda:

  1. Site Access Agreement with Florida Department of Environmental Protection for monitoring of the “Douglas Building” Property — 14281 US Hwy 301 South, Starke, Florida.

Farther down the agenda:

  1. Discussion of “Douglas” Building Property Options
    1. Potential Lease with Bradford County Sheriff’s Office for the purpose of installation of a temporary ICE detainment facility.
    2. Other Lease or Marketing Options

[Site contamination investigation before discussion of lease as ICE detention facility, WWALS to Bradford County BOCC 2026-04-06]
Site contamination investigation before discussion of lease as ICE detention facility, WWALS to Bradford County BOCC 2026-04-06

We’ve sent them a letter suggesting they do nothing about leasing the site until the FDEP investigations have reported back. Continue reading →

Replace WFNF with desalination and rehydration of SJRWMD wetlands –Ken Sulak 2026-04-02

Ken Sulak sent this food for thought about Water First North Florida (WFNF). I’ve added a few links.

Synopsis of JEA twofold water problem & potential rational solutions to be considered in lieu of WFNF:

Maintext:

  1. Provide sufficient freshwater to meet 120-160 MGPD demands of urban area of 1.6 million population,
  2. solve the need to treat and discharge 40-50 MGPD of sewage wastewater as per beneficial use requirements of 2021 Senate Bill 64.

Subtext:

  1. Do something wise and cost effective in the context of volume and flow restoration to offset the current JEA ~120 MGPD withdrawal of Floridian Aquifer groundwater from the Suwannee River basin. Note that 40 MGPD return does little to truly offset the ~120 MGPD current withdrawal rate. Also, after evaporative and transpiration losses in the created marshes, the real volume that would be returned to the subterranean aquifer would be more like 35 MGPD.
  2. Simultaneously do something equally wise and appropriate and compliant with SB 64 – using JEA Buckman plant treated effluent for created marsh depuration and discharge locally within the St. Johns WMD, which has its own longstanding serious aquatic recharge needs due to JEA withdrawals lowering the water table within district.

    [Replace WFNF with desalination and rehydration of SJRWMD wetlands --Ken Sulak 2026-04-02]
    Replace WFNF with desalination and rehydration of SJRWMD wetlands –Ken Sulak 2026-04-02

A logical cost-effective solution to 1A: construct a 150-200 MGPD desalination plant on the lower St. Johns River—at cost of comparative modern reverse osmosis plants elsewhere in the world ~$1.0-1.5 billion (close to the probably underestimated construction cost of the WFMF 90 mile pipeline). Pipeline operation and Continue reading →

Full Flower Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-05-01

Update 2026-05-01: Cancelled due to rain.

Come see the beauty of a sunset and full moon rising across the lake. There may be bats.

This Outing is honoring Teachers and Nurses, who get free entry.

When: Gather 7:15 PM, launch 7:45 PM, moonrise 8:30 PM, sunset 8:11 PM, end 9:15 PM, Friday, May 1, 2026

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Flower Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR, Lakeland, Georgia, 7:15 PM, 2026-05-01]
Full Flower Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR, Lakeland, Georgia, 7:15 PM, 2026-05-01

Continue reading →

Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-04-01

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on Banks Lake, our watery livingroom. Probably the bats will be flying again.

When: Gather 6:30 PM, launch 7 PM, moonrise 7:45 PM, sunset 7:52 PM, end 8:30 PM, Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2026-04-01, See the sun set, Moon rise, and maybe bats]
Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2026-04-01, See the sun set, Moon rise, and maybe bats

Continue reading →

Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-03-03

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on our watery living room, Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia. We may see bats on this mini-Okefenokee.

When: Gather 5:45 PM, launch 6:15 PM, moonrise 6:59 PM, sunset 6:33 PM, end 7:45 PM, Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats 2026-03-03]
Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats 2026-03-03

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 →

Pictures: First Day Paddle at Banks Lake 2026-01-01

Our first paddle of 2026 was during the day on beautiful Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, GA, on New Years Day.

A hardy band of five paddlers, some very experienced, some very novice, paddled into the eastern sun glare, then west to the bat tree. We saw Sand Hill Cranes and an osprey nest, but no bats.

[First Day Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-01-01, Sand Hill Cranes, See-through bat tree]
First Day Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-01-01, Sand Hill Cranes, See-through bat tree

Here are some video clips:

https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/867635092790046/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTNpYodiJhP/

https://youtu.be/glaea7oHi9g

This was Shirley Kokidko’s experiment in a day paddle on Banks Lake. This is the third time we’ve done this, after 2023-09-04, when I found this bat tree, and 2025-08-23.

Plus the outboard birding 2025-12-04, in which the birders noticed feathers falling from a nest in the bat tree.

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. Continue reading →

Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, 2026-02-01

Update 2026-01-31: Cancelled due to inclement weather.

Come see the beauty of a sunset and full moon rising across the lake, at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, our watery living room just west of Lakeland, Georgia. There may be Sand Hill Cranes, or bats.

When: Gather 5 PM, launch 5:30 PM, moonrise 6:05 PM, sunset 6:09 PM, end 7 PM, Sunday, February 1, 2026

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2026-02-01, Will Hart, Maybe bats]
Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2026-02-01, Will Hart, Maybe bats

Continue reading →