Tag Archives: Alapaha River Water Trail

Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO) 2026-02-19

Looks like there is ample room for improvement in the Solid Waste Open Dump Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-12-22.

https://wwals.net/?p=69496

If anyone sees any creek or river contamination that might be coming from any of these sites (on Paul King Road, Luke King Road, or Whitley Tucker Road), please let WWALS and GA-EPD know.

[Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO), 2026-02-19]
Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO), 2026-02-19

Georgia
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION

Jeffrey W. Cown, Director
Southwest District
2024 Newton Road
Albany, Georgia 31701
229-430-4144

February 19, 2026

Mr. Charles Kincaid, Operator
Caton Farms, LLC
tkincaid1967@gmail.com

RE: Notice of Violation
Caton Farms, LLC
Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO)
Berrien County, Georgia

Dear Mr. Kincaid:

A routine compliance inspection was conducted at the above referenced composting facility by representatives of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on February 10, 2026. This Notice of Violation is issued to Caton Farms, LLC for deficiencies with regard to the referenced Permit and the Georgia Rules for Solid Waste Management (Rules). The enclosed Compost Class 2 Permit-by-Rule Checklist notes three (3) deficiencies, which are listed below for your review and attention:

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Solid Waste Open Dump Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-12-22

Update 2026-02-26: Notice of Violation, Caton Farms, LLC, Permit No. PBR-010-0020(CO) 2026-02-19.

We have a candidate for what caused the nasty Alapaha River water that Mike Paulk reported on February 16, 2026, at GA 135 south of Willacoochee, Georgia.

https://wwals.net/?p=69417

Somebody from Louisiana owns land in Berrien County at three locations. According to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD), they found “chicken litter, large trees, and soybean material” at a reported site. This was a violation of Georgia Solid Waste rules, especially considering the landowner had no solid waste handling permit.

[Solid Waste Open Dump, Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-02-15]
Solid Waste Open Dump, Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-02-15

One of those locations has creeks running through it a short distance to the Alapaha River. That’s east of Luke King Road, north of Bruce Farm Road, northeast of Enigma, Georgia. See the red outline on this map. Continue reading →

Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-04-01

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on Banks Lake, our watery livingroom. Probably the bats will be flying again.

When: Gather 6:30 PM, launch 7 PM, moonrise 7:45 PM, sunset 7:52 PM, end 8:30 PM, Wednesday, April 1, 2026

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

[Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2026-04-01, See the sun set, Moon rise, and maybe bats]
Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2026-04-01, See the sun set, Moon rise, and maybe bats

Continue reading →

Datacenter water use and Irwin County Planning Commission and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16

In an interview yesterday by WALB TV:

Meanwhile, WWALS Watershed Coalition Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said his own research raises concerns about what large-scale data centers could mean for local water resources and river health.

[Datacenter water use, Irwin County Planning Commission, and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16]
Datacenter water use, Irwin County Planning Commission, and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16

Quarterman said data centers typically require significant water for cooling and large amounts of electricity to operate, which he argues can indirectly affect water resources through increased demand on power generation. He said the Suwannee River Basin and surrounding aquifer systems are closely connected, meaning impacts to surface water can also affect drinking water supplies, agriculture and recreation.

[Whirlpak 2026-02-26 --WALB TV]
Whirlpak 2026-02-26 –WALB TV

Quarterman adds that water levels in some rivers and springs are already low during drought conditions, and he said he worries additional industrial demand could place further strain on natural resources.

See also the datacenter bills in Datacenter proposed, Irwinville, near Alapaha River 2026-02-26.

https://wwals.net/?p=69394

Taylor Lewis, WALB News 10, February 16, 2026, updated 6 PM, 2nd South Georgia county moves to dissolve industrial authority: What it could mean for future data center builds. Continue reading →

Nasty water, Alapaha River, GA 135 2026-02-16

Update 2026-02-25: Solid Waste Open Dump Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-12-22.

Update 2026-02-21: Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers, cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers 2026-02-19.

Mike Paulk sent this video of what he saw yesterday at GA 135 on the Alapaha River, south of Willacoochee, Georgia.

[Nasty water, Alapaha River @ GA 135, After big rain, Rose 1 foot in 3.5 hours]
Nasty water, Alapaha River @ GA 135, After big rain, Rose 1 foot in 3.5 hours

He said the river rose a foot in 3 and a half hours, and he’s never seen it look like that.

Here’s the video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1433056248290635

https://youtube.com/shorts/ppVqQc3FRkY

Anybody who has any information, please send it to us.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Sen. Carden Summers tries to amend to weaken GA SB 34 that would require datacenters to pay their own electric bills @ GA Sen. Comm. on Regulated Industries and Utilities 2026-02-12

Update 2026-02-24: Datacenter electricity SB 34 in GA Senate Committee 2026-02-24.

Update 2026-02-17: Datacenter water use and Irwin County Planning Commission and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16.

Georgia state Senator Carden Summers, who represents Irwinville, tried last Thursday to “gut” SB 34, which would require datacenters to pay their own electric bills. That’s a bill he co-sponsors.

Sen. Summers represents Irwinville, where a datacenter is planned, with a special exception request to be heard at an Irwin County Planning Commission in Ocilla next Thursday, February 26, 2026.

[Sen. Carden Summers tries 2026-02-12, to amend to weaken GA SB 34, that would require datacenters to pay their own electric bills]
Sen. Carden Summers tries 2026-02-12, to amend to weaken GA SB 34, that would require datacenters to pay their own electric bills.

He tried a similar amendment a year ago in the same committee, and could not get a second for his motion, according to Dave Williams, Capitol Beat, February 25, 2025. The committee favorably reported SB 34 on February 26, 2025, and apparently its text remains unchanged since then.

Maybe you’d like to ask Sen. Carden Summers why he is a co-sponsor of SB 34 if he doesn’t like what it says?

https://www.legis.ga.gov/members/senate/4971?session=1033
(404) 463-5258
carden.summers@senate.ga.gov

He represents Berrien, Tift, Worth, Crisp, Turner, Ben Hill, Irwin, and west half of Coffee Counties.

If he’s not your state Senator, feel free to contact yours:

https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/georgia-senate/

This is the Senate video of the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities on February 12, 2026, about SB 34.

Continue reading →

Datacenter proposed, Irwinville, near Alapaha River 2026-02-26

Update 2025-03-01: Datacenter: recommended approval –Irwin County Planning Commission 2026-02-26

Update 2026-02-17: Datacenter water use and Irwin County Planning Commission and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16.

Update 2026-02-17: Sen. Carden Summers tries to amend to weaken GA SB 34 that would require datacenters to pay their own electric bills @ GA Sen. Comm. on Regulated Industries and Utilities 2026-02-12.

Update 2026-02-16: So-called AI hallucinates no matter how good its training data –OpenAI 2025-09-18.

Apparently the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, February 26, at 6 PM, has been moved to the Courthouse. If so, that indicates much interest in this case.

I’m told this datacenter would be for Google, but it doesn’t really matter which big company wants it.

[Datacenter proposed, Irwinville, GA, near Alapaha River, Planning Commission 2026-02-26]
Datacenter proposed, Irwinville, GA, near Alapaha River, Planning Commission 2026-02-26

Datacenters for so-called AI are wasteful misuses of water that could go to agriculture and other uses, and of power that requires more power plants that use more cooling water.

The current alleged artificial intelligence (AI) and especially the current brute-force methods of implementing it will be leapfrogged by something else within a few years, just like expensive computer workstations got leapfrogged by Intel PCs and now everybody has something faster and more capable in their pocket.

https://wwals.net/?p=69238

Why waste our most irreplaceable resource, water, for this? Continue reading →

Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-03-03

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on our watery living room, Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia. We may see bats on this mini-Okefenokee.

When: Gather 5:45 PM, launch 6:15 PM, moonrise 6:59 PM, sunset 6:33 PM, end 7:45 PM, Tuesday, March 3, 2026

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

[Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats 2026-03-03]
Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats 2026-03-03

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Pictures: First Day Paddle at Banks Lake 2026-01-01

Our first paddle of 2026 was during the day on beautiful Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, GA, on New Years Day.

A hardy band of five paddlers, some very experienced, some very novice, paddled into the eastern sun glare, then west to the bat tree. We saw Sand Hill Cranes and an osprey nest, but no bats.

[First Day Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-01-01, Sand Hill Cranes, See-through bat tree]
First Day Paddle, Banks Lake 2026-01-01, Sand Hill Cranes, See-through bat tree

Here are some video clips:

https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/867635092790046/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTNpYodiJhP/

https://youtu.be/glaea7oHi9g

This was Shirley Kokidko’s experiment in a day paddle on Banks Lake. This is the third time we’ve done this, after 2023-09-04, when I found this bat tree, and 2025-08-23.

Plus the outboard birding 2025-12-04, in which the birders noticed feathers falling from a nest in the bat tree.

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. Continue reading →

Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, 2026-02-01

Update 2026-01-31: Cancelled due to inclement weather.

Come see the beauty of a sunset and full moon rising across the lake, at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, our watery living room just west of Lakeland, Georgia. There may be Sand Hill Cranes, or bats.

When: Gather 5 PM, launch 5:30 PM, moonrise 6:05 PM, sunset 6:09 PM, end 7 PM, Sunday, February 1, 2026

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

[Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2026-02-01, Will Hart, Maybe bats]
Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2026-02-01, Will Hart, Maybe bats

Continue reading →