WLRWT Road Signs by GDOT 2020-12-10

Yesterday I picked up some of the signposts for the at-water signs for the water trails. The road signs had just come in, and GDOT let me photograph them. Here are two examples:

[Two examples]
Two examples

That’s more or less how they will look once GDOT plants them on signposts along the roadsides for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

Pictures of all these new road signs are on the WWALS website:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2020-12-10–wlrwt-road-signs

There are actually two typos, one for which GDOT is reprinting the signs, and another that is not so serious. Can you spot them?

All of these road signs go on the Little River, except this one, which goes on the Withlacoochee River: Continue reading →

Water Trails, Okefenokee, Pellet Plant, Songwriting Contest, Light Parade –Suwannee Riverkeeper on Steve Nichols Radio 2020-12-08

Always fun to be on the Steve Nichols radio show, 105.9 FM WVGA, especially when he just agreed to be the Master of Ceremonies for the 2021 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

You can ask Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to get GA-EPD to deny permits for a titanium strip mine far too close to the Okefenokee Swamp. While you’re at it, you can ask him to deny a permit for the Adel wood pellet plant. You’ll see our water trail signs popping up along the rivers and on the roadways, and we’re distributing the brochures. Don’t forget to come to the Solstice Light Parade at Banks Lake, Saturday, December 19, 2020, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Saturday, August 21, 2021 at the Turner Center Arts Park in Valdosta.

Here are WWALS videos.

Water main burst at Baytree Road, ran into Onemile Branch 2020-12-09

“Something looking funny at one mile,” reported Scotti Jay Jones last night, from the Wainwright Drive bridge over Onemile Branch.

Soon, from Baytree Road, he added: “There’s workers neck deep in this stuff. I saw workers neck deep. In this water main break. Repair. How does this affect our drainage system?”

I would like to compliment Valdosta Utilities and its Director Darryl Muse for being on site and dealing with the situation. We do have a few questions, though.

[From Onemile Branch to Baytree Road]
From Onemile Branch to Baytree Road

Here’s what Scotti saw that tipped him off: Continue reading →

Alapaha River Water Trail At-Water signs ready to plant 2020-12-08

Here are all the at-water signs for the Alapaha River Water Trail, and the top signs for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail. We thank the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) for the grant that enabled printing these at-water signs. The same grant also funded printing 10,000 copies each of z-fold brochures for each of the two water trails, as well as some road signs we bought from the Georgia Department of Transportation, along with some metal posts for hanging the at-water signs. More later on those other items.

You can help defray the cash match. Also, we will print and sell you a pair of signs if you like.

Who wants to dig some postholes and pour some of the ton of concrete the grant paid for?

[All the ARWT signs and WLRWT top signs]
All the ARWT signs and WLRWT top signs

For what’s on the signs in more detail, see
https://wwals.net/pictures/2020-09-26–drafts-metal-signs/.

The Statenville Boat Ramp sign is one of my favorites. That stretch has waterfalls, rapids, a fallen island, and it crosses the state line. Continue reading →

Videos: Judges Play at Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2020

Here are videos of an unusual feature of the 2020 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest: the three judges each played a song.

[Judges play]
Judges play

Stay tuned for more videos, of the 2020 headliners, finalists, awards, and more.

The annually-reconstituted WWALS Songwriting Contest Committee now has four songwriters on it, and is considering right now who to ask to be judges and headliners for the 2021 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. Send your suggestions to song@suwanneeriverkeeper.org.

Song submissions by contestants will commence in April.

Once again we thank our top-tier sponsor Georgia Beer Company, who said they would do it again in 2021.

More sponsors are welcome. It’s a good opportunity to get your name or your organization’s out there along with a fun time and a good cause.

Plastic free 2020-12-08

Want to stop Nestlé from sucking up Floridan Aquifer water and selling it in plastic bottles? Tired of picking up plastic from rivers and springs, and futile recycling? Stop disposable plastic at the source by stopping single-use plastic.

[Plastic Free: WWALS, Suwannee Riverkeeper]
Plastic Free: WWALS, Suwannee Riverkeeper

WWALS and Suwannee Riverkeeper are among the more than 550 signatories on this Presidential Plastics Action Plan. You’ll recognize many Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina Waterkeepers, as well as Waterkeeper Alliance, plus Our Santa Fe River.

For the Plan, see the online summary or the PDF. The first action alone could have a massive effect: stop the federal government from buying single-use plastic.

Individuals can sign a petition. Please help.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Valdosta catching illegal dumpers, and some new management

Valdosta is actively pursuing the culprits ditching trash and dumping fecal waste into the Withlacoochee River, causing repeated spikes at GA 133.

They say they have even caught some.

And Valdosta has promoted two people: Catherine Ammons of Human Resources to Deputy City Manager of Administration, and Richard Hardy of Public Works to Deputy City Manager of Operations. Hardy is still Director of Public Works, but now he’s also over Engineering and Utilities, which also still retain their same Directors.

We don’t know whether these two news items are related. We do know we’re glad Valdosta recognizes that people downstream will continue to think they’re the cause of every Withlacoochee River contamination incident unless they actively find the real culprits.

Don’t worry: we post positive news about Valdosta when there is some, but we continue to watch them and other possible contamination sources like a hawk.

[Cleanups, Deputy City Managers]
Cleanups, Deputy City Managers

Pursuing dumping culprits

Valdosta PR, December 2, 2020, City Stresses Importance of Reporting Illegal Dumping in Local Waterways (see also Valdosta Today), Continue reading →

Bad GA 133 for a week, yet good downstream, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-03

Update 2020-12-12: Clean downstream, Withlacoochee River 2020-12-10; odd Gibson Park, Suwannee River 2020-12-05.

Thanks to Madison Health and WWALS testers Josh and Angela Duncan, we have good bacterial water quality results for Thursday at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps, as well as at Sullivan Launch and FL 6.

This is mysterious, since Valdosta has gotten very high bacterial results at GA 133 for Friday, Monday, and Wednesday. Yet Valdosta got acceptable results downstream at US 84 those same days.

It appears that somebody is still dumping into the Withlacoochee River at or upstream from GA 133. Valdosta says it’s on the case and they’re encouraging everybody else to help find the culprits. Yes, please help.

[Chart and KF Plates]
Chart and KF Plates

Despite all that, according to the water quality results from US 84 downstream all the way to FL 6, I’ve marked all the WWALS “beaches” on Swim Guide Continue reading →

At-water metal sign drafts, ARWT and WLRWT

Thanks to a generous Educational Recreational Trails Program grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, on the WWALS website are images of new metal signs to go near the water along the WWALS water trails:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2020-09-26–drafts-metal-signs

They have all gone to the metal sign printer.

You can still help defray the cash match, and yes, we will sell you a pair of signs if you like.

If you click on any small image, you will see a larger image. Click again and get a still larger image. Or click on the word PDF to get a PDF version.

These signs go in pairs on each signpost:

  • The top sign is about the entire water trail.
  • The bottom sign is about the specific access point.

Here are three examples, for Statenville Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River, in the Alapaha River Water Trail, and for the two rivers in the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, for Red Roberts Landing on the Little River, and for Langdale Park Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River.

[ARWT and WLRWT signposts]
ARWT and WLRWT signposts

As part of the grant, we ordered extra copies of eight of these signs as spares and for educational display and demonstration purposes.

Also included for reference, Continue reading →

Valdosta: Catch Basin finished

Valdosta has completed the long-awaited catch basin at the entrance to the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). That won’t stop spills that happen elsewhere, such as the big one in December 2019, but it might have stopped 2/3 of the December 2018 sewage spill gallons. And Valdosta’s press release also emphasizes further fixes elsewhere.

Valdosta WWTP Catch Basin

First proposed December 6, 2018, by by City Council Tim Carroll, just as Valdosta had its third major sewage spill episode of 2018, including eighteen locations, followed by five more on December 14 and 15. Only three of those spills came from the WWTP, but those three did account for most of the gallons spilled. However, the record December 2019 spill did not come from the WWTP at all.

Valdosta got a permit for the catch basin from GA-EPD in December 2019, before it was required to dig it in a new GA-EPD Consent Order. Valdosta held a groundbreaking July 21, 2020.

Now the catch basin is finished, after only a year and a half. It should decrease the likelihood of spills from the WWTP. December is the traditional Valdosta sewage spill season, and so far there have been none. Meanwhile, sanitary sewer work continues elsewhere in Valdosta.

Valdosta PR, November 19, 2020, Equalization Basin at Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Completed, Continue reading →