Hike: Bell Springs to Big Shoals, Suwannee River 2022-03-19

Due to high water, we have rescheduled the Saturday paddle to become a 2-hour easy hike from Bell Springs to Big Shoals on the Suwannee River, led by Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. Here’s a way to see Florida’s only Class III rapids with no need for a boat.

When: Gather 8 AM, caravan 9 AM, hike 9:30 AM, end 12 PM, Saturday, March 19, 2022

Put In: Nature & Heritage Tourism Center, 10499 Spring St, White Springs, FL 32096, at the corner of Bridge and Spring Street.

GPS: 30.32947, -82.759426

Take Out: Meet at the Tourism Center, sign in, and Dennis will lead a caravan to Bell Springs, where the hike begins and ends.

Bring: hiking boots and clothes, drinking water, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.

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

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

Event: facebook, meetup

[Map: Bell-Springs to Big Shoals]
Map: Bell-Springs to Big Shoals

Continue reading →

WWALS at Wild Azalea Festival, White Springs, FL 2022-03-19

A very congenial festival next to the Suwannee River in White Springs, Florida.

When: 10 AM – 4 PM, Saturday, March 19, 2022

Put In: Nature & Heritage Tourism Center, 10499 Spring St, White Springs, FL 32096, at the corner of Bridge and Spring Street.

GPS: 30.329470, -82.759426

Take Out: Same as Put In.

Free: No charge.

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

Volunteer: WWALS members, we could use you at the WWALS booth.

What: according to the Town of White Springs:

The Town of White Springs and the Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center are pleased to present the 🌺 20th Annual Wild Azalea Festival on Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm, at the Nature & Heritage Tourism Center in historic White Springs, Florida. Come out and enjoy live entertainment, craft and food vendors, raffles, duck race, cornhole tournament, kids’ area, and more! 😍

Event: facebook, meetup

[Wild Azalea Festival, WWALS Booth]
Wild Azalea Festival, WWALS Booth (2019)

Continue reading →

Banks Lake Full Worm Moon Paddle, 2022-03-18

Update 2022-03-18: Canceled due to thunderstorms.

Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on Banks Lake, our mini-Okefenokee, just west of Lakeland, Georgia, on GA 122.

When: Gather 6:45 PM, launch 7:15 PM, moonrise 8:19 PM, sunset 7:43 PM, end 9:30 PM, Friday, March 18, 2022

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

Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp

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.

Safety: Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD.
You must have a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow sticks work well, or head lamp, flashlight, etc.) so other boaters can see you in the dark. It will be totally dark after sunset. A whistle is not required, but it’s a good idea in the dark.

Boats: Bring your own if you have it.
Thanks to Banks Lake Outdoors for free boat rental for these WWALS Full Moon Paddles.
Please ask for boats at least 2 days prior to the event: on the web form on https://wwals.net/outings, or on the facebook event, the meetup, or call 850-290-2350.

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

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

Event: facebook, meetup

[Sunset, Moonrise at Banks Lake 2022-02-18]
Sunset, Moonrise at Banks Lake 2022-02-18

Continue reading →

Bad Knights Ferry heading downstream 2022-03-10

Update 2022-03-18: OK water quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha Rivers 2022-03-17.

Not a good weekend for boating, fishing, or swimming in the Withlacoochee River. Better stick to the Alapaha River, or the Suwannee upstream from the Withlacoochee River Confluence.

WWALS found very high E. coli at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp for Thursday, and high background Fecal coliform there and downstream at Nankin and State Line Boat Ramps.

[Chart, River, Swim Guide]
Chart, River, Swim Guide

Knights Ferry is where E. coli from cattle manure usually is first detected in the Withlacoochee River after washing down Okapilco Creek out of Brooks County, Georgia. Notice almost an inch of rain on the east side of Brooks County at US 84 on the Withlacoochee River, and 1.4 inches on the west side at Dixie, GA. When there’s more than half an inch of rain on Brooks County, we usually see this problem. Continue reading →

Valdosta completing buys of 37 sewer lift station generators @ VCC 2022-03-10

Tonight Valdosta Mayor and Council will approve the last two of 37 emergency standby generators for lift stations, which is a milestone for Valdosta’s ongoing upgrades to its sanitary sewer system. Congratulations, Valdosta Mayor and Council and staff!

About Item 5.a. Consideration of bids for the purchase of two emergency standby Generators for Lift Stations located at Dillard’s and the Second Harvest Food Bank, on tonight’s agenda:

[Photograph of a lift station generator @ VCC 2022-03-10]
Photograph of a lift station generator @ VCC 2022-03-10

BUDGET IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE: User Fees

HISTORY: To ensure continued sewage lift station operations during power outages and to satisfy the Georgia Environmental Protection Division requirements, the Utilities Department developed a scope of work to purchase two emergency standby generators. These generators are needed to prevent lift station failures due to power outages from storms or other unexpected causes. Several years ago, the City initiated a program to purchase standby generators or emergency standby diesel pumps for all of its existing sewage lift stations. These are the final two generators needed to complete the Program. Once they are installed, all 37 of our lift stations will have some form of dedicated emergency backup capability from generators and/or backup diesel pumps. Additionally, this will complete Condition 18 of the EPD Consent Order which requires the installation of fixed generators and/or backup pumps at all lift stations by September, 2023. Moving forward, all new City lift stations will include a dedicated emergency backup capability as part of their construction.

I added the emphasis to the above quotation. The italicized part about going forward is maybe as important as the boldfaced part about catching up.

Thanks to Valdosta City Council Tim Carroll for pointing out this completion of the lift station generator purchases.

Now we look forward to Valdosta finishing fixing manholes and sewer lines that leak in big rains, such as the one on Wainwright Drive at One Mile Branch.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

WWALS at Azalea Festival, Drexel Park, Valdosta, GA 2022-03-12-13

Update March 10, 2022; 5:00p.m.
Attention Azalea Festival Vendors and Patrons,
Severe Weather Statement:
There is a cold front expected to come through between the hours of 6am and 10am on Saturday, and wind gusts of 60-70 mph are expected to push that front through during those hours. The worst of the rain and wind is expected to move out of Lowndes County by 10am. With that being said, after consulting with local officials, arts & crafts vendor setup will be moved to 10am-12:30pm on Saturday. The Festival will open to patrons at noon on Saturday. Because of the late start, the Festival hours will be extended to 7:30pm Saturday evening.

Come to Drexel Park in Valdosta to help WWALS celebrate spring with 30,000 of our south Georgia and north Florida friends, at the Azalea Festival.

[WWALS Booth, One Mile Branch, Azalea Festival]
WWALS Booth, One Mile Branch, Azalea Festival

Come talk to us about our outings and advocacy (yes, including Valdosta trash and wastewater), our Water Trails, the pictures for sale Gretchen took of our rivers, notecards, stickers, hats, t-shirts, plus a kayak raffle.

Help everyone out by reporting any trash or litter problem you see with Valdosta’s Click ‘n’ Fix smartphone app.

Like last year, “The Azalea Festival is a 100% all outdoor event. Patrons are encouraged to socially distance and wear masks.”

When: 10AM-6PM 12PM-7:30PM Saturday 12 March 2022
10AM-3:30PM 10AM-5PM Sunday 13 March 2022

Volunteer: If you are a WWALS member and you have had both vaccinations against COVID-19, we could use some help at the WWALS booth.

Where: Drexel Park, 1401 North Patterson Street, Valdosta, GA, 31601
30.846771, -83.285066
That’s east across Patterson from VSU and north of Brookwood Drive.
It is on One Mile Branch, which flows into Sugar Creek, then the Withlacoochee River, the Suwannee River, to the Gulf of Mexico.
Fortunately, Valdosta has not had any significant sewage spills for several years. WWALS is discussing with the City the trash that washes down these creeks. You can help with cleanups or water quality testing, and by using Click ‘n’ Fix.

Event: facebook, meetup

Schedule: Continue reading →

Pictures: Azalea Festival 2021-03-13-14

It was a fine sunny weekend last year at Azalea Festival, in Valdosta, in Drexel Park, across Patterson Street from Valdosta State University. WWALS will be back there this rainy weekend.

[Booth, One Mile Branch, Azalea Festival 2021]
Booth, One Mile Branch, Azalea Festival 2021

We’ve got a great location, at the entrance from E. Brookwood Drive. Continue reading →

Valdosta Stormwater cleanup on Threemile Branch 2022-03-04

Thanks to Valdosta Stormwater for cleaning up that trash on Threemile Branch at Country Club Road. Thanks even more for modifying the Click ‘n’ Fix procedures for litter tickets.

Maybe more of this trash can get cleaned up and upstream problems fixed before the WWALS paddle Langdale Park, Sugar Creek, Troupville Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2022-05-07. If not, the Mayor and others will be paddling through trash rafts. Everyone please use Click ‘n’ Fix to report trash problems to help Valdosta clean them up.

[Trash, Where, Cleanup]
Trash, Where, Cleanup

That trash got submitted to Valdosta as Click ‘n’ Fix as Issue ID 11870600 on February 13, 2022.

A long chain of responses followed. Continue reading →

All Rivers Clean 2022-03-03

Update 2022-03-11: Bad Knights Ferry heading downstream 2022-03-10.

All WWALS water quality tests are good for Thursday, including zero E. coli at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps, on the Withlacoochee River thanks to Michael and Jacob Bachrach. Elizabeth Brunner for her three GA 122 sites got 133 cfu/100 mL at Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, still well within acceptable bounds, and zero at Folsom Bridge on the Little River and zero at Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.

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

Valdosta tests for Friday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at US 41, GA 133, and US 84 were also well within bounds; thanks to Scott Fowler for publishing those today.

So all the tests we have say all clear for boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend. With no rain, no E. coli to speak of has washed into the rivers. With no rain predicted for many days, nothing should. Continue reading →

Trash boom still working; need help from Zacadoo’s, Cook Out 2022-02-26

As WWALS volunteers keep up with it, cleaning out the WWALS Sugar Creek trash boom is like the top row: not bad. Of course, no rain for weeks helps: less washes down the creek.

It would be even less if fast food outlets upstream in Valdosta such as Cook Out and Zacadoo’s (pictured) would clean up their act. And if the owners of their parking lots would put in the trash cans required by Valdosta city ordinances. Sure, there will still be people tossing trash out of their cars, but most of this mess is coming from fast food outlet parking lots.

[Boom, Trash, Cleaned]
Boom, Trash, Cleaned

Before the boom, those trashjams in the bottom row got down Sugar Creek, and there is more on the Withlacoochee and Little Rivers. Such trash, also coming out of Threemile Branch, is not good for the planned Troupville River Camp and Nature Park, featured as their number one BIG thing by One Valdosta-Lowndes and a priority of the updated Parks and Rec. Master Plan. It’s also not good for the WWALS May 7th paddle from Langdale Park to Sugar Creek and Troupville Boat Ramp or even for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

And that turtle should not have to live with that trash.

For more background, see https://wwals.net/issues/trash/.

Before

Notice the pool noodles tied on top of the boom for extra flotation. Local ingenuity! Continue reading →