Tag Archives: Blueway

Sewage spill, Cherry Creek, Valdosta, FOG 2020-04-09

Sewage ran down the ditch from Bemiss Road down Cherry Creek Church Road on Thursday, but there is good news about that.

[Pumping]
Pumping

This is why you don’t want to be flushing any old thing down the drain. Continue reading →

Reroute: Little River, Cook County Boat Ramp upstream to Stone Bridge 2020-05-16

Update 2020-05-26: Pictures: Stone Bridge paddle from Cook County Boat Ramp (GA 76) 2020-05-16.

Update 2020-05-21: Three Little River Landings in Swim Guide 2020-05-21

Update 2020-05-20: Clean weekend 2020-05-17.

Changed to put in at Cook County Boat Ramp on GA 76 and paddle upstream past Stone Bridge, and then back. This avoids the outings problem during the stay-home period of the novel coronavirus pandemic: no shuttle, so no crowding together. Yes, boating is not just permitted, it is encouraged by the state of Georgia; see Florida and Georgia Boat Ramps Status 2020-04-09. To keep it that way, everyone please remember to stay 6 feet apart on land and 10 feet apart on the water.

This is a leisurely paddle on a very seldom-paddled stretch of wild south Georgia blackwater river, the Little River, between Adel and Barney.

When: Gather 9:30 AM, launch 10 AM, Saturday, May 16, 2020

Put In: Cook County Boat Ramp, Mile 31.41. 966 Quitman Highway (GA 76), Adel, GA 31620, in Cook County.
Between Adel and Barney, southeast side of GA 76, northeast side (left bank) of Little River, gravel ramp. Also known as Cook County Landing (GDOT). Left or right bank means when facing downstream.

GPS: 31.040042, -83.493085

Landmark 1: Stone Bridge, 31.04962, -83.49932, Mile 32.36, about a mile upstream from Cook County Boat Ramp.

Take Out: Same as Put In.

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. These days, a facemask would not be amiss.

Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook, meetup

Burt Kornegay, March 24, 2018, Stone Bridge
Photo: Burt Kornegay, March 2018, of Stone Bridge over Little River, SW of Adel, GA.
More about Stone Bridge, including more pictures: Stone Bridge, Little River, by Dan Phillips 2016-08-01.

Duration: 2 hours (depending on how far upstream we go)

Shuttle: None, so no crowding together.

Landmark 2: Continue reading →

Video of facebook livestream from Banks Lake 2020-04-09

Shelby Miller did facebook livestream from Banks Lake last night.

[Bobby staying dry]
Bobby staying dry

In this still, you can see Bobby McKenzie in the raffle kayak, Continue reading →

Livestream: Banks Lake Full Pink Moon Paddle, 2020-04-08

Shelby Miller will go live on the facebook event at 7:15 PM tonight. She’ll be streaming for an hour through sunset at 7:51 PM. She will have to miss moonrise in order to be out well before the 9PM Lanier County curfew.

[Sunset spire (MM)]
Photo: Monica McKenzie, Sunset spire (MM), Banks Lake, 2020-02-09.

Bobby McKenzie will be on Banks Lake with Shelby, paddling the raffle kayak, and also taking video for later publication. Continue reading →

Within these WWALS Contest 2020-04-06

The first in a series of contests, Within these WWALS, opens today, Monday, April 6, 2020, and ends Saturday, April 11, 2020 at midnight.

Please identify (by scientific or common name) each of the items highlighted in a set of photos and then come up with the name of the WWALS waterway where all the photos were taken.

[Contest pictures]
Contest pictures

Please resist the urge to post answers here. We want everybody to have the same chance to answer.

The first person to submit the correct answers wins a packet of WWALS photo cards from that watershed.

Winners will be listed in the Tannin Times Newsletter that goes to WWALS members each month, as well as in a followup WWALS blog post shared on facebook, Instagram, and twitter. We will not publish your contact information; just your name.

WWALS charter board member emeritus Bret Wagenhorst, who writes the monthly Biota column in the newsletter, and who designed the notecards, will select the winner and send him or her the packet of notecards.

If this contest goes well, we will have more contests frequently.

Follow this link to the contest form.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Source of the Little River 2020-02-27

The source of the Little River (of the Withlacoochee) is in those trees.

[From Warwick Hwy @ CR 16, 31.749923, -83.767258]
From Warwick Hwy @ CR 16, 31.7499230, -83.7672580

I took this picture from Warwick Highway (CR 249) where CR 16 (Charlie Lamb Road) joins it, in Turner County, Georgia. Perhaps another time I will have time to Continue reading →

Naylor Boat Ramp & Alapaha River Water Trail signs 2020-04-02

Update 2020-06-08: Signs printed and ready to be planted at Naylor Boat Ramp Out and Back, Alapaha River 2020-06-13.

Update 2020-04-04: Improved maps on both signs and better text on Naylor Boat Ramp sign.

The WWALS Trails Committee has drafted these two metal signs to go near the water at the new Naylor Boat Ramp that Lowndes County has built at US 84 with SPLOST VI penny sales tax funds. You can help by commenting on these designs, or by contributing to the cost of the signs.

[Naylor Boat Ramp]
Naylor Boat Ramp

What do you think should be added, deleted, or edited on the sign above, about this particular boat ramp? Yes, we know the type looks squinchy. That’s because the metal signs will be printed about twice this size.

What do you think of the sign below, about the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)? Continue reading →

Zero E. coli at Nankin and State Line, Withlacoochee River 2020-03-29

Update 2020-04-06: Rain and dirty Withlacoochee River again 2020-04-02

A clean river is what we like to see, and the most recent bacterial tests show the Withlacoochee River clean. You can help us keep determining when it is clean.

[Downstream]
Photo: Suzy Hall, Nankin Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, Downstream, Sunday, March 29, 2020.

We haven’t seen this in more than three months: zero (0) cfu/100 mL E. coli at multiple landings on the Withlacoochee River:

[Zero E. coli, Nankin, State Line]
Zero E. coli, Nankin, State Line
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of Georgia and Florida data, see wwals.net/issues/testing/.

Madison Florida Health Department get zero at CR 150 (near Sullivan Launch) last Thursday, and only Continue reading →

Hagan Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2020-03-26

The water was a bit high at the Withlacoochee River Hagan Bridge Landing, east of Hahira on GA 122.

[2020-03-15]
2020-03-15

On Sunday, March 15, the Skipper Bridge USGS Gauge showed about Continue reading →

Cleaner downstream with no rain 2020-03-24

Update 2020-03-26: Hamilton, Madison Counties Health Lift Advisory for the Withlacoochee River 2020-03-26.

Suzy Hall’s Sunday testing at State Line Boat Ramp started the good news this week.

So WWALS can continue testing, WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman just bought another case of Petrifilm, to the tune of $753.25. That’s a big buy for a tiny nonprofit such as WWALS. You can help.

[Suzy Hall retrieving test bucket at State Line Ramp 2020-03-22]
Suzy Hall retrieving test bucket at State Line Ramp 2020-03-22

The Withlacoochee River is clean this week, and even Okapilco Creek is cleaner than it sometimes is.

[Clean Sunday through Tuesday]
Clean Sunday through Tuesday
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of Georgia and Florida data, see wwals.net/issues/testing/.

At State Line Boat Ramp, Suzy Hall for WWALS, the City of Valdosta, and Madison Health all got Continue reading →