Tag Archives: Berta’s Pizza Kitchen

OK Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, Dirty New River, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-01-15

Upate 2025-01-18: Alapaha River clean, Sugar Creek worse 2025-01-16.

For Wednesday water quality samples, The Little River at US 82 west of Tifton, Georgia, tested OK, as did the Withlacoochee River at GA 133, US 84, and Holly Point four miles from the Suwannee.

The New River on 18th Street in Tifton tested too high in E. coli.

We hear there is a Sugar Creek bypass, but that creek is still filthy from the sewer line break upstream of Gornto Road on down to the Withlacoochee River.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia one new Valdosta spill showed up, although it apparently did not get into waterways.

This weekend, I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near downstream from it. If you like rain (Saturday) or cold (Sunday), this weekend may be good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, elsewhere, such as the Little, Alapaha, Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, or Suwannee Rivers.

[OK Little, Withlacoochee Rivers, Dirty New River, Filthy Sugar Creek, 2025-01-15]
OK Little, Withlacoochee Rivers, Dirty New River, Filthy Sugar Creek, 2025-01-15

New River

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Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Alapaha River 2025-01-09

Update 2025-01-17: OK Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, Dirty New River, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-01-15.

Update 2025-01-13: Sugar Creek still filthy Saturday in Valdosta test results 2025-01-11.

Update: 2025-01-11: Samantha Carr, WWALS Intern and water quality tester 2025-01-10.

Sugar Creek is still filthy from the sewer line break upstream of Gornto Road on down to the Withlacoochee River.

The Little River tested clean at Troupville Boat Ramp Sunday, and the Withlacoochee River tested clean Thursday at Langdale Park upstream of Valdosta and OK Wednesday at Holly Point, a few miles from the Suwannee River.

The Alapaha River tested clean Thursday at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach.

Valdosta Utilities has not yet posted its Withlacoochee River results for this week.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia the Valdosta Sugar Creek broken sewer pipe finally showed up today.

This weekend, I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near downstream from it. If you like cold, this weekend may be good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, elsewhere, such as the Little, Alapaha, Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, or Suwannee Rivers.

[Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Alapaha River, 2025-01-09]
Filthy Sugar Creek, OK Withlacoochee River, Clean Alapaha River, 2025-01-09

Sugar Creek

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Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02

Update 2025-01-06: Valdosta has found the Sugar Creek sewage leak 2024-01-06.

Sugar Creek is still filthy at Gornto Road to the Withlacoochee River, and at a sewer line upstream. It’s not as bad farther upstream, so that sewer line could be the creek contamination source. It’s time to fix it.

The Withlacoochee River is also filthy 62 river miles downstream, only 4 miles from the Suwannee River.

Yet Valdosta Utilities reported OK water quality in between at GA 133 and at US 84.

Did the downstream contamination wash that far down from Sugar Creek after last Sunday’s rains? Or did the downstream contamination come from somewhere else, such as from Quitman, GA, down Okapilco Creek into the Withlacoochee River? Valdosta used to test on Okapilco Creek at US 84 and on the Withlacoochee River at Knights Ferry just below Okapilco Creek, but they stopped that a year ago, so we don’t know.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia. But sometimes reports come late or not at all.

This weekend, I’d avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River downstream from it all the way to the Suwannee River. If you like cold, this weekend may be good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, on other rivers, such as the Alapaha, Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, or Suwannee.

[Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02, No rain, no reported sewage spills. What is the contamination source?]
Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02, No rain, no reported sewage spills. What is the contamination source?

Sugar Creek

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Sugar Creek still filthy, Alapaha River OK 2024-12-26

Update 2024-01-04: Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River 2025-01-02.

Update 2024-12-29: Sugar Creek sewer lines, Valdosta, GA 2024-12-29.

Sugar Creek is still filthy from Gornto Road to the Withlacoochee River.

Rain is predicted for this weekend, which will probably make it worse.

The Alapaha River is OK at Sheboggy Boat Ramp near Alapaha, Georgia.

We have no other river results, due to the holidays.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.

No flooding is shown on any river gauge in the Suwannee River Basin. The Santa Fe River at Fort White is still too low to paddle.

So if you like cold and wet, this weekend may be good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, as long as you avoid the vicinity of Sugar Creek and get out before the big rain Sunday.

Please note that the WWALS cleanup at Wainwright Drive on Sugar Creek for this Sunday has been rescheduled because of predicted rain. The new date is Saturday, January 25, 2025.

[Sugar Creek still filthy, Alapaha River OK 2024-12-26 Thunderstorms predicted this weekend]
Sugar Creek still filthy, Alapaha River OK 2024-12-26 Thunderstorms predicted this weekend

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Heather Brasell for Thursday got OK results at the outflow creek from the Alapaha, Georgia, wastewater plant: 267 cfu/100 mL, which is below the 410 one-time-test limit.

She got 233 for the Alapaha River above Sheboggy Boat Ramp, also OK.

Sugar Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman drew four Sugar Creek samples on Thursday.

At Baytree Road, the results were OK, with 200 cfu/100 mL.

At Gornto Road, we got Too Numerous to Count (TNTC). Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha River, OK Withlacoochee River, Filthy Sugar Creek 2024-12-19

Update 2024-12-27: Sugar Creek still filthy, Alapaha River OK 2024-12-26.

With no rain since last week, Sugar Creek is better, but still has too much E. coli at the WaterGoat near the Withlacoochee River. River water dilutes it below there, and upstream also the Withlacoochee River is clean. The Little and Alapaha Rivers tested clean.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia, Ashburn had yet another small spill.

No flooding is shown on any river gauge in the Suwannee River Basin. The Santa Fe River at Fort White is actually too low to paddle.

So if you like cold, this weekend seems good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, as long as you avoid the vicinity of Sugar Creek.

[Clean Alapaha, Little Rivers, OK Withlacoochee River 2024-12-19 Avoid Filthy Sugar Creek; Good paddling this weekend]
Clean Alapaha, Little Rivers, OK Withlacoochee River 2024-12-19 Avoid Filthy Sugar Creek; Good paddling this weekend

Alapaha River

Ashburn reported quickly for once that it had a 2,000-gallon sewage spill into Hat Creek from the usual location of Rockhouse Road and Sylvia Drive. This time the cause was “Equipment failure.” Get a grip, Ashburn! Continue reading →

Filthy Sugar Creek, dirty Franks Creek, bad upstream Withlacoochee River, clean downstream 2024-12-12

Update 2024-12-21: Clean Alapaha River, OK Withlacoochee River, Filthy Sugar Creek 2024-12-19.

Update 2024-12-21: Malia Thomas of WTXL TV at closed Gornto Road bridge over Sugar Creek 2024-12-20.

Update 2024-12-18: Where are the sewage spill signs, Valdosta? 2024-12-17.

WWALS testing showed Sugar Creek got even more contaminated after the rains Wednesday. Valdosta Utilities testiong showed Hightower Creek and One Mile Branch were bad again, and the Withlacoochee River too high in E. coli at GA 133.

WWALS tests showed Franks Creek bad, upstream from the Little River.

WWALS water quality results downstream at Holly Point for Wednesday showed the Withlacoochee River clean there. But upstream contamination from the recent rain had not had time to get there.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia. But this E. coli contamination has to be coming from somewhere.

No flooding is shown on any river gauge in the Suwannee River Basin.

So if you like cold, this weekend seems good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, as long as you avoid the vicinity of Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River near GA 133, and possibly the Little River downstream of Franks Creek.

Or join us Sunday evening for the Banks Lake Full Cold Moon Paddle, 2024-12-15 and, also at Banks Lake, raffle drawing for the Skimmer 128 Hurricane kayak.

[Filthy Sugar Creek 2024-12-12, dirty Franks Creek 2024-12-11, bad upstream Withlacoochee River, clean downstream 2024-12-11]
Filthy Sugar Creek 2024-12-12, dirty Franks Creek 2024-12-11, bad upstream Withlacoochee River, clean downstream 2024-12-11

Sugar Creek

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Pictures: Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-02-11

Three of us cleared boating passage between the Sugar Creek WaterGoat on the Withlacoochee River behind the Valdosta YMCA and Wood Valley, around the future Troupville Nature Park and River Camp, past the Little River Confluence, then upstream on the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading, and his Stihl chainsaw and electric chainsaw, to Shawn O’Connor for using his polesaw.

[Sawing Hurricane and other deadfalls, Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-02-11]
Sawing Hurricane and other deadfalls, Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-02-11

I brought the new Husqvarna 460 Rancher 24-inch chainsaw, paid for through a generous grant by Wild Green Future.

That grant also paid for some other things you will see in the near future. Today at Troupville Boat Ramp, at 4:30 PM, we will be trying out some of those things.

The big deadfall between GA 133 and I-75 was underwater, but there were plenty more to work on.

This is all in preparation for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Saturday, March 2, 2024, starting at Langdale Park.

There are more pictures below.

 -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

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Pictures: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek –Phil Royce 2024-02-03

Thanks to Shawn O’Connor for leading this chainsaw cleanup, Saturday a week ago, from Langdale Park to Sugar Creek on the Withlacoochee River.

This is in preparation for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, March 2, 2024.
https://wwals.net/?p=64095

Phil Royce drove an hour from Live Oak, Florida, and Gary Koch drove two hours from Ocala, Florida, saying it was better to stop trash upstream. In addition to regulars Russell Allen McBride and Bobby McKenzie, Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson came to see us off; he’s second from left in the banner picture. More on that in a later post.

These pictures are by Phil Royce. Phil had to leave early, so his portage pictures are before we came along and sawed a river passage.

[Banners, bass fisher, chain saws, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek 2024-02-03]
Banners, bass fisher, chain saws, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek 2024-02-03

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading →

Pictures: Langdale Park to Sugar Creek Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-01-27

We got some deadfalls out of the way of canoe and kayak paddling, between Langdale Park Boat Ramp and Sugar Creek on the Withlacoochee River, January 27, 2024.

Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading and doing the most sawing, to Shawn O’Connor for sawing, to Russell Allen McBride for collecting trash, and I also sawed, although I did not video myself doing it.

The weather was sunny and warm. The water level was about 119.3 NAVD 1988 on the US 41 (North Valdosta Road) USGS gauge.

[Got some deadfalls, more to do, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek, 2024-01-27]
Got some deadfalls, more to do, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek, 2024-01-27

Join us tomorrow, February 3, to get more. The water level is down to 118.4, so it should be about a foot lower tomorrow than last Saturday, which should make our job easier.

Or join us February 11 for the Sugar Creek to Troupville chainsaw cleanup.

These chainsaw cleanups are in preparation for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, March 2, 2024, which will run from Langdale Park three miles to the early takeout at Sugar Creek, then another four miles to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Here’s a WWALS video of last Saturday’s chainsaw cleanup:
https://youtu.be/4hrVr93KQnw

Don’t try this at home.

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Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2024-02-11

Update : Pictures: Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-02-11.

Come help clean up the Withlacoochee River behind the Valdosta YMCA and onwards to the Little River Confluence, then upstream on the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Bring a chainsaw if you really know how to use it, but you do not have to saw to join us.

You can help by taking pictures, moving sawed branches out of the way, or collecting trash.

We’ve already done this stretch more than once, but we know there’s at least one big deadfall between GA 133 and I-75, and we do not know what Hurricane Idalia added. Bring a rope on each end of your boat in case of portages.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 4 PM, Sunday, February 11, 2024

Put In: Meet at the back of the Berta’s Pizza Kitchen parking lot, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602 and we’ll go to the put-in from there.

GPS: 30.861764, -83.318854

[Crowe Deadfall 2022-07-30; Riverhill Drive Deadfall 2022-10-16; Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-02-11]
Crowe Deadfall 2022-07-30; Riverhill Drive Deadfall 2022-10-16; Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-02-11

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