Category Archives: River

No trash can results in litter 2022-08-30

Update 2022-11-30: Parking lot litter Click ‘n’ Fix closed without cleanup 2022-11-21.

This happened at the bottom of the parking lot on St. Augustine Road next to Hightower Creek. The same parking lot we previously reported as a good example, upstream from Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Yet they never put out trash cans, and this is what results.

[Litter, litterers]
Litter, litterers

Bobby Mckenzie sent these pictures August 30, 2022, with this explanation:

Obviously there is no excuse for this woman’s actions. But she walk to look for a trash can and didn’t find one. Then she threw it in the mess that was already there.

Initially the litter bug looked for a trash can.

Just as guilty of allowing this to happen are the business/property owners, the Public Works Director, Assistant City Manager and City Marshalls for failing to do their part.

The business not complying with the existing City Ordinance, the City Marshalls REFUSING to enforce that very City Ordinance

Continue reading →

Allen Ramp to SRSP, Withlacoochee River, 2023-02-04

Update 2023-02-02: An hour later: Allen Ramp to SRSP, Withlacoochee River 2023-02-02.

Double Door Spring is an awesome thing to see for those who haven’t seen this part of the wild and beautiful Withlacoochee River. We will pass numerous rocky shoals requiring some skills so this outing may not be appropriate for beginners and young children. There are many other clear springs to explore.

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 3 PM, Gather 9 AM, launch 10:30 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, February 4, 2023

Put In: Allen Ramp, 2726 SW 64th Way Jasper, FL 32052, in Hamilton County, Florida.

GPS: 30.449167, -83.221328

Take Out: Suwannee River State Park Ramp, Left bank of the Suwannee River, upstream from Withlacoochee River Confluence, 3631 201st Path, Live Oak, FL 32060, in Suwannee County, Florida.

Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup. Mosquitoes can be bad at dusk so come prepared.

Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net/outings

Plus $5 per vehicle parking fee payable at SRSP.

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Double Door Spring, Withlacoochee River, Photo: John S. Quarterman 2019-06-01
Double Door Spring, Withlacoochee River, Photo: John S. Quarterman 2019-06-01

Continue reading →

Troupville at flood with dogs 2022-01-20

Me and the dogs were curious to see what the site of future Troupville Nature Park looked like at high water.

[Collage, Troupville River Park site, 2022-01-20]
Collage, Troupville River Park site, 2022-01-20

We did not make any exciting new discoveries; we just went to see how far we could go south and east at that water level. Well, we did find plenty of trash of various kinds.

The water level has been higher, but it was pretty high:

  • 14.5′ (147.3′ NAVD88) on the Folsom Bridge Gauge (Little River @ GA 122).
  • 14.16′ (124.56′ NAVD88) on the Valdosta Gauge (Withlacoochee River @ US 41 or North Valdosta Road)

Many pictures are on the WWALS website.

You can trace our path be the loop of binoculars on this Continue reading →

Geology in …the Real Florida ℠ – Big Shoals State Park –FGS 2022-11-17

WWALS Science Committee Chair Dr. Tom Potter found in the November 2022 issue of FGS News and Research this article: Geology in …the Real Florida ℠ – Big Shoals State Park

[Upstream and Downstream, Big Shoals, Suwannee River, FGS]
Upstream and Downstream, Big Shoals, Suwannee River, FGS

Over a length of nearly 600 feet, the Suwannee River loses 10 feet of elevation. That’s 1 foot down for every 60 linear feet as one travels downriver. Though this may not sound like much, Continue reading →

Trash cans at Freedom Park 2022-11-21

Bobby McKenzie reported yesterday, “I’m at Freedom Park and what is new? I count 11 trash receptacles strategical placed in the baseball parking lot….guess what in them..😆 trash”

[Trash cans at Freedom Park 2022-11-21]
Trash cans at Freedom Park 2022-11-21

Imagine that: trash cans in a parking lot, like Valdosta city ordinances require.

And people do use them. Continue reading →

Clean rivers 2022-11-17

Update 2022-12-09: Almost clean rivers 2022-12-08.

All test results good, no rain, no sewage spill reports: happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend!

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

I hate to be right, but when I warned last Friday that the rain the day before would probably wash contamination into the creeks and rivers, Valdosta’s testing that Friday caught the contamination. US 41, GA 133, and even US 84 showed far too much E. coli, with Fecal coliform at US 41 and GA 133 ten times the E. coli. Knights Ferry also showed E. coli higher than the one-time test limit.

By the time WWALS tested Sunday, most of that had already washed downstream or gotten diluted. We did still see high results at Franklinville and Langdale Park on the Withlacoochee River, and at several creek locations. Continue reading →

Alapaha River Cleanup, Sasser Landing and Statenville Boat Ramp, 2023-01-07

On-land cleanup in Georgia and Florida on the Alapaha River. You can bring a boat if you want to, so you can clean up on the river near the ramps.

These locations are on both sides of the GA-FL line on the https://wwals.net/maps/alapaha-water-trail/.

When: 9 AM – noon, Saturday, January 7, 2023

First Site: Statenville Boat Ramp, 206 GA 94 West, Statenville, GA 31648, right bank, west of river, north of highway bridge, in Echols County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.704437, -83.03468

Second Site: Sasser Landing, From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel east on CR 150; cross the Alapaha River; turn left onto NW 72 Court and follow to river, in Hamilton County, Florida.

GPS2: 30.599562, -83.069828

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.

Free: This outing is free to everyone!

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

[Statenville and Sasser, 2019-07-06]
Statenville and Sasser, 2019-07-06

Continue reading →

Videos: North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan meeting @ SRWMD 2022-11-15

Update 2023-02-07: Water budget, limit water withdrawals, do better aquifer recharge –WWALS to NFRWSP 2023-01-31.

Almost all the attendees were SRWMD staff; no board members. The only public comment was by me, at the NFRWSP Constraint Meeting, at SRWMD HQ yesterday.

You can comment in writing to partnership@sjrwmd.com by January 31, 2023.

[Presenters, Commenter]
Presenters, Commenter

The presentations were informative, although they omitted a major subject, which I addressed: limits on water withdrawal permits. Will the SRWMD and SJRWMD boards address it this time, or shrug it off like six years ago, after many people suggested it?

SRWMD seemed to be recording video of this meeting, and presumably they will release the slides sometime. Meanwhile, pictures of most of the slides are on the WWALS website. Here is a a WWALS video playlist: Continue reading →

Creeks bad, OK River Water Quality 2022-11-13

Apparently the rain Thursday did not have much effect, although there were E. coli hot spots when we tested again Sunday. The Withlacoochee River from GA 133 on down seems OK for swimming, fishing, and boating, although there’s not much water until you get farther down than that.

[Chart, Creeks and Rivers, Swim Guide, 2022-11-13]
Chart, Creeks and Rivers, Swim Guide, 2022-11-13

Looks like the Withlacoochee River is also OK from Skipper Bridge on down, except Langdale Park Boat Ramp tested very high. Also, upstream Franklinville Landing was too high. Continue reading →

Figures and Tables from NORTH FLORIDA SOUTHEAST GEORGIA GROUNDWATER MODEL (NFSEG V1.1) 2019-08-01

Update 2022-11-16: Videos: North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan meeting @ SRWMD 2022-11-15.

This rather thorough model of the Floridan Aquifer and its relatives is meant to be support planning, but does not actually do that planning. Planning is the topic of the meeting this afternoon about the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan (NFRWSP).

[Collage]
Collage, Figures and Tables from NORTH FLORIDA SOUTHEAST GEORGIA GROUNDWATER MODEL (NFSEG V1.1)

That’s also why we need Right to Clean Water in Florida.

The sentence I’ve bolded below from the Executive Summary is the most important thing about the North Florida-Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) regional groundwater flow model. Continue reading →