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).
![[Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2026-04-01, See the sun set, Moon rise, and maybe bats]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-04-01--full-pink-moon-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
Full Pink Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2026-04-01, See the sun set, Moon rise, and maybe bats
Whoever is behind it is making big claims for Irwin Forward Tech Park: $20 million in tax revenue, 200-300 high-paying local permanent jobs, no fumes, limited noise, closed loop water, and no discharge.
This is according to a package of materials somebody sent me that I hear has been circulating in Irwin County.
If all this is true, why aren’t we hearing about it in public?
And where are the references to other places where this has already been done?
Remember, the Planning Commission Public Hearing on the special exception is Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 6 PM in Ocilla, supposedly moved to the Irwin Courthouse, 301 South Irwin Avenue, Ocilla, Ga. 31774.
The County Commission meeting is Monday, March 2, 2026, at 5:45 PM.
This is for the proposed site south of Irwinville, west of Ponderosa Drive, east of the Alapaha River.
More details here:
Someone has started a change.org petition against this datacenter:
https://www.change.org/p/protect-irwin-county-from-data-centers
And don’t forget the two bills in the legislature right now: Continue reading
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.
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.
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.
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
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-16--alapaha-river/fbmany.jpg)
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/
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.
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 readingJoin 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).
![[Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats 2026-03-03]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-03--full-worm-moon-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
Full Worm Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA, Sunset, Moonrise, and maybe bats 2026-03-03
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-01-01--banks-lake-day-paddle-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
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/
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
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).
![[Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2026-02-01, Will Hart, Maybe bats]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-01--full-snow-moon-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2026-02-01, Will Hart, Maybe bats
Happy New Year! Join us for our first paddle of 2026 on beautiful Banks Lake. We’ll paddle the perimeter of the lake, which is approximately 4 miles around. Once we launch there will be no place to get out of your kayak until we return to the boat ramp. Dress accordingly for the weather, we will cancel if it’s raining.
When: Gather 9:30 AM, launch 10 AM, end 12 PM, Thursday, January 1, 2026
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
![[First Day Paddle at Banks Lake, Happy New Year, January 1, 2026]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-01-01--banks-lake-day-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
First Day Paddle at Banks Lake, Happy New Year, January 1, 2026
Sara Squires Jones reported, “It went well; we had a pretty good turnout. Thunderstorms ran most of the folks off, but we had a few hang around to see a rainbow. Unfortunately I forgot the banner so we didn’t get a group photo.”
![[Rainbow over WWALS Social 2025-11-09, at Georgia Beer Co., Valdosta, GA]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-09--meet-greet-ga-beer-co-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Rainbow over WWALS Social 2025-11-09, at Georgia Beer Co., Valdosta, GA
That was the WWALS Social at Georgia Beer Company, Sunday, November 9, 2025. Thanks to Sara Jay for organizing. Thanks to Janet Martin for scheduling it, even though she couldn’t be there. Continue reading
![[Irwin Forward Tech Park, Irwinville, Irwin County, GA, Claims closed loop water, Limited noise, no discharge]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-19--irwin-forward-tech-park/fbmany.jpg)
![[Datacenter water use, Irwin County Planning Commission, and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-16--walb-datacenters/fbmany.jpg)
![[Whirlpak 2026-02-26 --WALB TV]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-16--walb-datacenters/2026-02-26--whirlpak.jpg)
![[Sen. Carden Summers tries 2026-02-12, to amend to weaken GA SB 34, that would require datacenters to pay their own electric bills]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-12--ga-sen-comm-regulated-industries-and-utilities/fbmany.jpg)