Category Archives: River

Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-04-13

Update 2024-04-11: Cancelled: Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-04-13.

Come help clean up trashjams, while encouraging Valdosta to stop trash from getting into the river.

The Global Earth Day theme for 2024 is Our Planet Versus Plastics. The City of Valdosta seems unaware of the environmental harm plastics cause while they are breaking down into micro-plastics. Styrofoam and other plastics are not just an eyesore. These plastics from Valdosta entering the watershed are breaking down and getting into all aspects of the environment. Animals eat them, and cannot digest them.

We thank Valdosta Stormwater for picking the trash up recently at the Baytree Road train trestle on Sugar Creek. But what is the city’s plan to keep trash from getting into Sugar Creek, for example from the detention pond at Baytree Road? There needs to be a plan.

We do thank Valdosta City Marshalls for sending notices to parking lot owners, and citations if they still do not follow Valdosta’s trash ordinances that require parking lot owners or managers to keep trash from escaping, no matter where it came from, and to strategically place trash cans according to the number of parking spaces.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, April 13, 2024

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Withlacoochee River, Earth Day Cleanup 2024-04-13, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville Boat Ramp]
Withlacoochee River, Earth Day Cleanup 2024-04-13, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville Boat Ramp

Continue reading →

Ashburn and Rochelle sewage spills 2024-03-09

Update 2024-03-29: Rain and river contamination 2024-03-28.

Yes, there was a lot of rain on March 9, 2024, but 315,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled by Ashburn into two river watersheds seems a bit much.

And we finally got a report of the Rochelle Sook Road spill of that same day, of 10,000 gallons into a ditch that went into Reynolds Creek and from there into the Alapaha River.

[Rochelle and Ashburn spills and maps]
Rochelle and Ashburn spills and maps

On March 9 I reported that Continue reading →

Okefenokee webinar, resolutions, bills, Suwannee River paddle

This Thursday, join us online at noon by zoom for Okefenokee Swamp over proposed strip mine —Emily Floore, WWALS Webinar 2024-03-21.
https://wwals.net/?p=64219

This Saturday at 9AM, join us to see what we’re protecting, immediately downstream of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR), Suwannee River Wilderness Paddle, Griffis Fish Camp to Fargo 2024-03-23.
https://wwals.net/?p=64423

[Okefenokee webinar, resolutions, bills, Suwannee River paddle]
Okefenokee webinar, resolutions, bills, Suwannee River paddle

Meanwhile, things are heating up against the proposal by Twin Pines Minerals, LLC (TPM) to strip mine for titanium dioxide (TiO2) within three miles of the ONWR.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) issued Continue reading →

WWALS water quality testing assurance and quality control 2023-01-06

Update 2024-04-05: Now with smartphone method for googledrive.

The document: 2024-04-05–WWALS-Water-Quality-Testing-Assurance.pdf.

See also the WWALS Water Quality Testing Committee and the Water Quality Testing web page:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

[Why Quality Assurance is Important]
Why Quality Assurance is Important
PDF

Continue reading →

Suwannee River Wilderness Paddle, Griffis Fish Camp to Fargo 2024-03-2324

Update 2024-03-22: Rescheduled because of weather prediction to Sunday, March 24, 2024.

Update 2024-03-19: Okefenokee webinar, resolutions, bills, Suwannee River paddle 2024-03-19.

This 14-mile paddle is not recommended for beginners due to high water level and currents.

Just outside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge we will launch from Griffis Fish Camp landing. The dirt road to the landing will probably be underwater so bring wheels if you have them to transport your kayak from the camp to the water.

The launch fee is $2.00 per boat, self-pay exact change, at the site. Everyone must wear a PFD at all times on the water. Have a bow line/rope for your kayak. It’s a good idea to bring a change of clothes, just in case.

There are only a few places we can stop for breaks and lunch and we’ll take advantage of those.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Sunday, March 24, 2024

Put In: Griffis Fish Camp Landing, 10333 Ga Highway 177 Fargo, Georgia 31631. From Fargo, travel south on US 441 to CR 177; turn left and travel 10 miles northeast; Griffis Fish Camp is on left, in Clinch County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.7845, -82.446333

[Suwannee River Wilderness Paddle, Griffis to Fargo, 2024-03-23]
Suwannee River Wilderness Paddle, Griffis to Fargo, 2024-03-23

Continue reading →

Atkinson County, GA, resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp against the strip mine 2024-03-14

Thanks to the Atkinson County Commissioners for passing this resolution unanimously Thursday evening. We will get a signed copy soon.

[Atkinson County Commission and Resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp against the Twin Pines Minerals Strip Mine]
Atkinson County Commission and Resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp against the Twin Pines Minerals Strip Mine

Shirley Kokidko, who lives in Pearson, the county seat, said a few words. I gave the shortest speech ever, “We could speak for half an hour. But if the Okefenokee Swamp isn’t worth protecting, what is?”

As they voted, they said things such as, “this would affect our fishing.”

A Commissioner sought me out in the parking lot afterwards to remark, “This is our heritage, our way of life.”

After Berrien County, plus the city of Nashville, this is the second county on the Alapaha River to pass such a resolution.

It is the fifth sixth such resolution in Georgia state Senate District 8, after Valdosta, Ware County and Waycross, Clinch, and Echols Counties. Maybe Senator Russ Goodman will be interested in that.

Berrien County and the city of Nashville are in Continue reading →

Clean rivers 2024-03-13

Update 2024-03-22: Ashburn and Rochelle sewage spills 2024-03-09.

We got good results for Wednesday for the Santa Fe and Withlacoochee Rivers and for Thursday for the Alapaha River.

Valdosta’s recent upstream Withlacoochee River results through Wednesday are good.

[Chart, Clean Rivers, Map 2024-03-13]
Chart, Clean Rivers, Map 2024-03-13

There are no Valdosta Monday results, because, according to Acting Utilities Director Jason Barnes, “we are collecting once a week.”

He did not say why. Perhaps it is not coincidental that it is now three years (minus one month) since the March, 2020, GA-EPD Consent Order on Valdosta that required downstream testing as a way to reduce the amount of the fine.

As previously noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023.

There’s a chance of rain today, and more chance Sunday.

The rivers are at pretty good paddling levels, and it’s not cold. So watch the weather, bring rain gear, and happy paddling, fishing, and maybe swimming this weekend.

[Chart: Clean Rivers 2024-03-13]
Chart: Clean Rivers 2024-03-13
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

No sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or in the Georgia Sewage Spills Report.

However, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) tells us via email that Rochelle, GA, had another spill on March 9 through 13, 2024. We don’t know how much. We do know all of Rochelle is upstream from the Alapaha River.

GA-EPD did clarify why the earlier, February 12, 10,000 gallon spill took more than three weeks to appear in the Sewage Spills Report: “The spill was reported to us via email on Feb. 15th. It was entered into GAPDES on the 27th due to staffing vacancies and the Program manager being on vacation. However, it was entered into CTS on Feb. 16th . See attached link: https://cts.gaepd.org/Public/ComplaintDetails/107821

As to why the earlier Rochelle spill disappeared from the Sewage Spills Report, the answer was, “Only lasted from 09:45 until 16:00 on the 12th”

I asked, “I don’t understand the answer about why it is not in later Sewage Spills Reports. Normally an item stays in there for 30 days until it rolls off. Spills for Tifton and Ashburn are still in there today, even though they occured in February. Why is this Rochelle spill different?”

Answer, “I do believe that spills to the ground don’t normally make it on the daily spill report. If it was originally updated to a spill to the ground, it may have fallen off for the report.”

That’s an exception I was not previously aware of.

I still wonder whether those very bad downstream Knights Creek results for Wednesday week after significant rain the day before indicated an unreported sewage spill upstream from the Alapahoochee and Alapaha Rivers?

In case you’re not aware, GA-EPD is woefully underfunded. Whenever I get a chance, I suggest to Georgia state legislators that EPD should be funded more.

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner said everything Continue reading →

THE OKEFINOKE SWAMP IN 1890 –Louis Pendleton 1918-03-18 1913-03-13

A century ago, Louis Pendleton of Philadelphia, formerly of Valdosta, published a newspaper story about the Ouaquaphenogan with a version of the ‘daughters of the sun’ legend and references to William Bartram.

Vickie Ledbetter Everitte posted this newspaper page image on March 13, 2024, in the Valdosta Heritage Foundation facebook group. She transcribed the date as March 13, 1913, but on closer inspection those look much more like eights than threes.

She has since clarified, “The date is 1913 – My print at home is much clearer. Sorry for any confusion.”

[THE OKEFINOKE SWAMP IN 1890 --Louis Pendleton 1918-03-18]
THE OKEFINOKE SWAMP IN 1890 –Louis Pendleton 1918-03-18

Here is a transcription of the article.

THE VALDOSTA TIMES, VALDOSTA, GA, THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1918 MARCH 13, 1913.

…

THE OKEFINOKE SWAMP IN 1890

Col. Ebenezer Wakely, of Chicago, has been saving up old copies of The Valdosta Times for many years and occasionally he sends a copy to this office containing some matter of interest. This week we received a copy of the edition of April 5, 1890, containing an article from Mr. Louis Pendleton, which was written for the Atlanta Constitution in regard to the Okefinokee swamps. The article is of interest at the present time and is reproduced here. It is as follows:

“Editor Constitution: Among those who have recently discussed the Okefinokee swamp, looking toward its sale by the State to the highest bidder, there are perhaps some who do not know that the great morass was the subject of history as long ago as a hundred years, and the subject of legend at a still earlier period.

“Not long since, Continue reading →

Petition: Right to Clean Water, Florida, for 2026 ballot 2024-03-08

Hot off the Florida state authentication process!

Florida registered voters, please sign and circulate the petition for a state constitutional amendment for a right to clean and healthy waters (RTCW).

You can get it here, or from
https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/

Or from WWALS and Suwannee Riverkeeper at any festival or outing, such as Valdosta Azalea Festival today. Yes, that festival is in Georgia, but many people from Florida attend.

[Four Florida rivers (Withlacoochee, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, Suwannee), RTCW Petition and Full Text 2024-03-08]
Four Florida rivers (Withlacoochee, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, Suwannee), RTCW Petition and Full Text 2024-03-08

With around a million signatures, RTCW will get on the ballot for 2026. The legislature and the governor do not have to approve it. The people do, and when it gets on the ballot and an overwhelming majority vote for it, it will immediately become law. Law that can be used to tilt the playing field that is currently way over towards developers and polluters. Law like has been used successfully in Pennsylvania and Montana to deal with water pollution, fracking, and climate change.

This RTCW petition is fundamentally different from the 2014 Amendment 1, Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative. That ended up in Article X, along with many other well-meaning and good-sounding provisions in that and other Articles.

RTCW goes in Article I along with other basic rights such as religious freedom and freedom of speech. Not law like all the other well-meaning and good-sounding provisions in other articles of the constition.

Sure, the legislature can still try to pass laws to circumvent RTCW and state agencies can try not to implement it. But that will be harder with a fundamental right in Article I.

The RTCW amendment is long because it has been written by attorneys to avoid complications such as Continue reading →

Clean rivers and creek 2024-03-07

Update 2024-03-15: Clean rivers 2024-03-13.

We got good results for Wednesday for the Santa Fe and Withlacoochee Rivers and Franks Creek, and for Thursday for the Alapaha River.

Valdosta’s recent upstream Withlacoochee River results through Monday are good. However, Valdosta got very bad downstream Knights Creek results for Wednesday after significant rain Tuesday. Is this an unreported sewage spill upstream from the Alapahoochee and Alapaha Rivers? And why can Valdosta get its Knights Creek followup testing results for Wednesday on its own website by Saturday, but not its Withlacoochee River test results?

Rain is predicted for Saturday, and maybe thunderstorms.

The rivers are down to good paddling levels, and it’s not cold. So watch the weather, bring rain gear, and happy paddling, fishing, and maybe swimming this weekend.

Or join us tomorrow and Sunday at Drexel Park in Valdosta for the Azalea Festival, on One Mile Branch, upstream from Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

[Chart, Rivers and creek, Map 2024-03-06]
Chart, Rivers and creek, Map 2024-03-06

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

However, on Wednesday, March 6, GA-EPD reported that Rochelle spilled 10,000 gallons of raw sewage on Monday, February 12, due to “Wet weather” from “Sook Road manhole.”

[Rochelle 10,000 gallon sewage spill 2024-02-12]
Rochelle 10,000 gallon sewage spill 2024-02-12

The waterway is given as “none” and the river basin is blank in the report. Actually, Sook Road is on a ditch that runs into Reynolds Creek into Mill Creek into the Alapaha River. It’s mysterious why this spill took more than four weeks to show up, and why the report has so little information. Even more mysterious is that it does not appear in later Sewage Spills Reports. I have asked GA-EPD about this. Continue reading →