Test wells for arsenic –South Health District

Janet McMahan and Erin Brocovich More than three years after Janet McMahan found toxic levels of arsenic in her well water in Ben Hill County, more than half a year after she told us about it at a WWALS water quality testing training, and four months after Erin Brokovich agreed it was a problem, the Georgia Departnment of Health finally has sounded the alarm. They still left out part of the story, though.

The Valdosta Daily Times carried the story in its paper Saturday edition, but apparenlty never put it online. WTXL’s story Friday by Jade Bulecza, UPDATE: South Georgians urged to test private wells due to arsenic risk, quoted Dr. Grow, head of our local eleven-county South Health District:

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Tim Carroll of Valdosta at WWALS board meeting tonight

Valdosta City Council member Tim Carroll will speak tonight at the monthly WWALS Watershed Coalition board meeting at 7:30 PM at the IHOP in Adel (exit 39 from I-75, 1200 W 4th St, Adel, GA, 229-896-2662); the public is invited. In advance he sent the appended letter from the City of Valdosta to the Army Corps of Engineers requesting assistance related to flooding and droughts.

March 11, 2013

William Bailey
Chief of Planning Division
US Army Corps of Engineers – Savannah District Office
100 W. Oglethorpe Avenue
Savannah, Georgia 31401

Dear Mr. Bailey,

Over the last several years, the City of Valdosta and neighboring communities have been severely impacted by the increase of flood events that have occurred throughout our region and particularly the drainage basin we are located in. The city recognizes the various levels of responsibility throughout government agencies for flood management and flood control and is interested in furthering the discussions to understand the changes that are occurring and to ensure the protection of our communities from future flood events.

In February 2009, the city began updating its 1996 Master Stormwater Management Plan. In April, just two months later, our county along with 46 counties in south Georgia, experienced historic flooding and were declared disaster areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported

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Flooding in Brooks and Lowndes County –jkluke

CNN iReports lets citizens send in videos. One jkluke has posted four videos of flooding on the Withlacoochee River.

Here’s that last video embedded:

-jsq

PS: Owed to John C. Griffin.

Emily Davenport, Storm Water Utilities Director, City of Valdosta, at WWALS 27 June 2013 2012

The first speaker at a WWALS board meeting after incorporation was Emily Davenport, the Storm Water Utilities Director for the City of Valdosta.

Emily Davenport, Brittney Hull, Angela Bray of SGRC, Dave Hetzel Emily Davenport, Brittney Hull (Treasurer), Angela Bray of SGRC, Dave Hetzel (President), Nathan Wilkins (Secretary), visitor, Gretchen Quarterman, Bret Wagenhorst, John S. Quarterman (VP, photographing)
Emily Davenport, Brittney Hull (Treasurer), Angela Bray of SGRC, Dave Hetzel (President), Nathan Wilkins (Secretary), visitor, Gretchen Quarterman, Bret Wagenhorst, John S. Quarterman (VP, photographing)

Bret Wagenhorst, Gretchen Quarterman, visitor, Emily Davenport, Brittney Hull, Angela Bray of SGRC

-jsq

Withlacoochee River flood stage 27 February 2013

The Withlacoochee River in flood stage after 10 inches of rain, at the GA 122 bridge in Lowndes County, Georgia.

Buildings beyond flood Fire truck

Trash Pan Bridge

Closer

Here’s a video playlist:

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Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers @ GA 122 18 February 2013

video playlist Movies on 18 February 2013 after the first rains of the Alapaha River on GA 122 at Lakeland in Lanier County and the Withlacoochee River at GA 122 and Hambrick Road in Lowndes County and some points in between.

Withlacoochee in the woods with sunlight Withlacoochee River overflow Withlacoochee River broad

Withlacoochee River broad

Here’s a video playlist.

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Hotchkiss Landing Closed

On Tuesday evening, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners voted 3-1, with one commissioner absent to close Hotchkiss Landing, the only public access to the Alapaha River in Lowndes County. The only commissioner to vote against the closure of the road was Demarcus Marshall, and I would like to thank him for listening to the public on this issue, and ultimately deciding on its merit.

Big Little River Paddle Race

188253_10200781394396347_1903725575_n Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Bret Wagenhorst, WWALS Watershed Coalition will be hosting the first Big Little River Paddle Race on Saturday March 23rd at 10am. The goal for the days event will be to have fun, enjoy the natural beauty of our watershed, and to hopefully raise funds for watershed conservation and preservation. The paddle race will be held on a three mile course, where we will float upon the tannin stained waterways, and pass both indigenous as well as invasive species. For anyone who has not previously paddled the Little River, we hope you will enjoy yourselves, and hopefully make use of this resource more frequently. For the experienced paddler, good luck and enjoy the journey.

Register Here

Registration costs $20 per boat in advance through 20 March 2013. Event day sign-in will be from 8:30 to 9:30am; registration at the event costs $30 per boat.

Flyer with details: PDF

First Annual

Big LITTLE RIVER Paddle Race

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Proceeds to benefit Friends of Reed Bingham and WWALS Watershed Coalition

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Lead, arsenic, and uranium in water causing cancer –Janet McMahan

Uranium? Yes, really: it comes out of granite rocks up deep water wells in the Georgia Piedmont. The other metals arsenic come from human energy, industrial, and agricultural activities, ranging from fenceposts to Plant Scherer, dirtiest coal plant in the country, emitting mercury, some of which ends up in the Alapaha River. Here’s video of Janet McMahan speaking about this:


Janet McMahan spoke to the group after the
Adopt-A-Stream water quality testing training
taught by Angela Bray and Richard Batten.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 5 August 2012

Janet McMahan adds:

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Alapaha River Park?

Update 2019-11-12: This is happening, as Naylor Boat Ramp.

WWALS logo WWALS Watershed Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alapaha River Park?

Adel, GA, 18 February 2013 — WWALS Watershed Coalition opposes closing Old State Road to Hotchkiss Landing at the Alapaha River, and proposes Lowndes County instead increase access and conservation of the Alapaha River by creating a park, which will also boost the regional economy.

looking upstream The Lowndes County Commission will vote Tuesday February 26th on closing the only public access to the Alapaha River in that county. A regional watershed group, WWALS Watershed Coalition, suggests instead that the county purchase land along the Alapaha to create a county park with a boat ramp and trails to match the ones on the Withlacoochee River in Langdale Park.

“A park would simplify maintaining the 100 foot natural vegetative buffer required by the state in a Protected River Corridor,” said Dave Hetzel, WWALS President. “It could even reduce potential liability to the county from Continue reading →