Category Archives: River

Good Alapaha River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-30: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Little Rivers 2023-06-29.

WWALS tester Kim Tanner, fresh from a long work conference, sampled the Alapaha River Sunday, at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach. Both tested very low for E. coli, which is good.

[Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach 2023-06-25]
Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach 2023-06-25
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

I would be good with swimming, fishing, and boating on the Alapaha River.

Kind of difficult to put in right now at Lakeland Boat Ramp, which is closed until July for renovations, or at Naylor Park Beach, which as you can see is underwater.

Paddle at your own risk, as always.

But don’t try to go from Lakeland to Hotchkiss with small children: it’s too far, with too many deadfalls and rapids. That’s a fine paddle for experience adults with proper provisions.

For where else you can put in on the Alapaha River, see the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail.

See also: OK Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2023-06-25.

Here’s a live Swim Guide Map. Continue reading →

OK Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-27: Good Alapaha River 2023-06-25.

The Withlacoochee River tested good for Sunday at four locations, plus Sugar Creek.

[Chart, River, Swim Guide Map 2023-06-25]
Chart, River, Swim Guide Map 2023-06-25

So apparently the Valdosta Wednesday Williams Street One Mile Branch sewage spill, if it ever affected Sugar Creek, has already washed away. We did see a lot of background Fecal coliform bacterial colonies, but those were on plates for all the tested locations, and those bacteria are usually harmless.

Thanks to WWALS testers Cindy and David Vedas, who could not sample most of their sites Thursday, for sampling Sunday instead, and for adding Sugar Creek below the Salty Snapper, at the WaterGoat.

So I would be good with swimming, fishing, and boating on the Withlacoochee River.

Except of course that the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Little Rivers are up in or near Action Stage, which means it’s high and fast and there’s little place to pull out onshore if you get capsized by overhanging branches. So you’d probably be better off on the Suwannee or Santa Fe Rivers this weekend.

This is why this weekend’s WWALS chainsaw cleanup has been rescheduled and merged with the regular cleanup next month, Sugar Creek to Troupville, Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-07-22.

Paddle at your own risk, as always.

Despite Valdosta’s assertion Saturday evening “Georgia EPD has been notified of the issue,” no new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. Sometimes this means that Valdosta so far only telephoned in a report to GA-EPD, and has not yet submitted a written report. Continue reading →

Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-26: Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek OK Sunday 2023-06-25.

Here are two WWALS water quality testers at one of their usual spots, sampling on an unusual day.

[Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25]
Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Cindy and David Vedas could not sample most of their locations on the usual day of Thursday. So they followed up today (Sunday). Their results will be available tomorrow.

Here’s a WWALS YoutTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qx0_SfMo0jAGttJXZnjLqSm

For much more about the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/ Continue reading →

Water trail sign fixing, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-25: Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25.

Somebody stole one of the water trail signs, and pushed the signpost off from vertical. So we fixed it.

[Before, fixing, after: WLRWT signs, Franklinville Landing, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25]
Before, fixing, after: WLRWT signs, Franklinville Landing, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

This is at Franklinville Landing, on the Withlacoochee River at Franklinville Road, near the location of the old Lowndes County seat of Franklinville. It looked like somebody backed into the signpost, after somebody stole the bottom sign. That’s the one about this location, Franklinville Landing: what you can see upstream and downstream, how far, etc.

Back in 2019, when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) provided WWALS a generous educational grant through the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), we ordered duplicates of some signs. Franklinville happened to be one of them, so the duplicate now replaces the stolen sign. Continue reading →

Valdosta sewage into One Mile Branch 2023-06-21

Update 2023-06-26: Valdosta Williams Street One Mile Branch Sewage Spill Sign 2023-06-26.

Valdosta had a sewage spill starting Wednesday and did not tell the public until Saturday at 5:14 PM.

[Map: One Mile Branch, Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-24]
Map: One Mile Branch, Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-24 in the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail
All the yellow diamonds indicate earlier Valdosta sewage spills.

Where on the more than three-mile-long One Mile Branch the spill occurred was not mentioned in the Valdosta press release. This is perhaps the most vague sewage spill press release ever from Valdosta, with no location even as precise as a block, no estimate of how much sewage was spilled, and no indication of how long it had been going on.

I have inquired about those things.

It’s good that WWALS rescheduled our chainsaw cleanup that was going to be today, on the Withlacoochee River downstream from Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch, where the spill happened.

The City of Valdosta Press Release

Continue reading →

Work in progress at Lakeland Boat Ramp 2023-06-20

Update 2023-06-27: Good Alapaha River 2023-06-25.

Thanks to GA-DNR for silt fences and turbidity curtains during their upgrade of Lakeland Boat Ramp, and for that upgrade.

Also thanks to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) for officially adopting the name Lakeland Boat Ramp as decided back in 2018 by the Lakeland County Commission, as well as Berrien Beach Boat Ramp, also decided in 2018 by the Berrien County Commission, both for the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail. This naming development is specifically thanks to WWALS tester Kimberly Tanner and GA-DNR Boating Access Coordinator Jeff E. Bishop.

[At-water ARWT sign, silt fences and turbidity curtain, Lakeland Boat Ramp, 2023-06-20]
At-water ARWT sign, silt fences and turbidity curtain, Lakeland Boat Ramp, 2023-06-20

When I took these pictures, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Statenville Gauge read about 7.17 feet (83.27′ NAVD88). Today, Saturday, June 24th, the Alapaha River is almost seven feet higher, at 14.01′ (90.11′ NAVD88), into Action Stage.

So don’t be surprised if GA-DNR’s plan to start work May 30 and end about July 26 gets extended a bit. Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River 2023-06-22

Update 2023-06-24: Valdosta sewage into One Mile Branch 2023-06-21.

The Withlacoochee River good for Thursday at three locations upstream and down, also the Little River at Troupville Boat Ramp.

This is despite quite a bit of rain in the past few days. Most likely the first flush is over. That’s where the various animal and human uses of the woods as a latrine get flushed into waterways when hard rain first starts. Now what we’re mostly seeing is simply rainwater runoff.

[Chart, River, Swim Guide Map 2023-06-22]
Chart, River, Swim Guide Map 2023-06-22

Of course there could still be sewage spills. However, no new sewage spills have been reported. in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. We would most likely be seeing E. coli from them if they had happened.

So I would be good with swimming, fishing, and boating on the Withlacoochee River this weekend.

Except of course that Continue reading →

Pictures: WWALS on The Rocks between Lakeland and Hotchkiss, Alapaha River 2015-07-11

Update 2023-06-24: Work in progress at Lakeland Boat Ramp 2023-06-20.

A good trip for experienced adult paddlers: deadfalls to paddle around or climb over, the famous rapids, The Rocks, plenty of sandy beaches for lunching or swimming beside, a mysterious platform that may be the remains of a very narrow bridge, all in a fine summer day on the Alapaha River, July 11, 2015.

[Collage, Lakeland to Naylor 08:30:00, 31.0458222, -83.0433889]
Collage, Lakeland to Naylor 08:30:00, 31.0458222, -83.0433889

It took us seven hours to paddle the fourteen river miles from Lakeland Boat Ramp, on GA 122 east of Lakeland, to Hotchkiss Road Landing. We were all experienced paddlers with plenty of supplies, especially water.

If you are a family with small children, please do not try this: it’s too far. There have been cases of such families calling 911 and having to be rescued.

A much more reasonable family paddle is Lakeland to Burnt Church Landing. That’s about two miles, and can be done in an hour. Or make it a leisurely paddle and still it should be doable.

FYI, Paffords Landing, just downstream from Lakeland Boat Ramp, is closed for the forseeable future. This is because too many people left trash and shot up things.

All these distances are in the WWALS web page for the Continue reading →

Rescheduled: Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2023-06-24

We are rescheduling this Saturday’s chainsaw cleanup, due to water level too high and more rainfall predicted all week causing the Withlacoochee River to stay high.

We are merging it with the other cleanup on the same stretch of the river: Sugar Creek to Troupville, Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-07-22. Russell Allen McBride will lead the regular cleanup, and Phil Hubbard will lead the chainsaw cleanup. The groups of paddlers will probably proceed at different speeds. See:
https://wwals.net/?p=62071

Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/614883607025723

Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/withlacoochee-alapaha-suwannee-rivers-wwals-outings/events/293624535/

[Gauges, target deadfall]
Gauges, target deadfall

The Skipper Bridge gauge has predictions of water levels. Which show Continue reading →

Another reason to reject TiO2 strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp: food coloring health issues 2023-06-02

If white paint wasn’t a bad enough reason for a strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp, how about food coloring linked to serious health issues?

“Research shows the chemical [titanium dioxide] is likely a neurotoxin and immunotoxin, and can damage the reproductive system, cause birth defects and damage genes.”

[Skittles, TiO2 dragline]
Skittles, TiO2 dragline

Remember: Twin Pines Minerals is proposing to mine titanium dioxide, not titanium metal. And the Okefenokee Swamp is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers, exchanging surface water with groundwater down to the Floridan Aquifer, from which we all drink in south Georgia and north Florida.

For ways you can object to the permits for that strip mine, currently before the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD), or to support a bill that would prevent it expanding, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/

Tom Perkins, The Guardian, June 2, 2023, Health advocates urge US regulators to ban common food coloring additive: Titanium dioxide, found in candy, meat substitutes and packaged cookies, has been linked to a range of serious health issues,

Public health advocates say a common color enhancer added to thousands of US foods is toxic and dangerous, and have formally petitioned federal regulators to ban the chemical’s use.

Though the compound, titanium dioxide, has been widely used for decades and is found in foods like M&Ms, Skittles, Beyond Meat plant-based chicken tenders and Chips Ahoy! cookies, recent science has shown it is also linked to a range of serious health issues and accumulates in the body and organs.

Continue reading →