Update 2023-01-18: Pictures: sites of Morven Solar 2023-01-18.
It may be a long meeting even with only one item, since Morven Solar seems to be contentious.
![[Aerial Map of Morven Solar and Agenda, Brooks County Planning Commission 2023-01-19]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-01-19--brooks-co-planning-agenda/many.jpg)
Aerial Map of Morven Solar and Agenda, Brooks County Planning Commission 2023-01-19
Here is the agenda, received in response to a WWALS open records request from Brooks County Zoning and Code Enforcement Agent Melissa Smith. Continue reading
Update 2023-01-18: Agenda: One item, Morven Solar @ Brooks County Planning Commission 2023-01-19.
A large solar project, in agricultural fields and pecan groves scattered around wetlands, will be heard by the Brooks County Planning Commission at 5:30 PM this Thursday, January 19, 2023, at 610 S Highland Road, Quitman, GA 31643.
![[Morven Solar, Slaughter Creek, Withlacoochee River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-01-19--brooks-co-planning/many.jpg)
Morven Solar, Slaughter Creek, Withlacoochee River
Staff’s recommendation:
Due to the staff’s concern of the amount of “prime farmland”, the quantity of jurisdictional wetlands, the threatened and candidate species potential impacts, and the amount of access roads because the parcels are not contiguous (especially Peach Road — dirt), the Staff recommends DENIAL of the applicant’s proposed use as a Large-Scale Solar Energy System.
WWALS is generally in favor of solar power, but this project raises serious doubts, most of which are expressed in the Staff Analysis.
The final decision will be made by the Brooks County Commission, 5:00 PM, Monday, February 6, 2023, also at 610 S Highland Road, Quitman, GA 31643.
The project is between Morven and Hahira, straddling Slaughter Creek, upstream from the Little River. Continue reading
Update 2022-11-07: a few more dam pictures in here: Troupville River Park Scouting 2022-07-02.
About halfway between Troupville Boat Ramp and the Troup Bridge (the GA 133 Little River Bridge), are these remains of an old dam.
Phillip Williams pointed this out some time back.
Maybe Don Davis can turn up some records of this dam.
![[Timbers seen from downstream, 11:05:42, 30.8519297, -83.3472014]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-11-03--wq/20221103_110542.jpg)
Timbers seen from downstream, 11:05:42, 30.8519297, -83.3472014
in the WWALS Map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail
Bridge pilings are vertical, not horizontal.
Horizontal timbers would make sense to hold a dam in place. Right next to Troupville would be a good place for a mill, which would need a dam. Continue reading
Update 2022-08-12: Bad Water Quality Creeks and Withlacoochee River 2022-08-11.
Chances are the rivers are OK today for this weekend.
The test results we have for Thursday from WWALS and for Wednesday from Valdosta are all good. No new sewage spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida in the Suwannee River Basin.
However, there was more than an inch of rain on the west side of Brooks County, Georgia, yesterday. We don’t know whether that washed any cattle manure down Okapilco Creek into the Withlacoochee River. That rain fell in the afternoon, after testing times, and our downstream WWALS testers are off this week anyway. More rain is predicted every day for a week. Continue reading
Update 2022-04-08: All rivers bad water quality 2022-04-07.
Quitman’s 48,000 gallon sewage spill on Sunday, March 20, 2022, was from the Quitman settling ponds, which are slightly uphill from Okapilco Creek. Which explains why Valdosta got too-high E. coli at US 84 on Okapilco Creek, and at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps downstream on the Withlacoochee River.
We know this location because of the response to the WWALS open records request to Quitman asking where is this “Influent Liftstation”:
GPS 30.793581, -83.544316
800 North Highland Dr
This has been going on for years. For example, the April 24, 2022 spill from the same location contaminated the Withlacoochee River and the Suwannee River probably as far as Running Springs, if not all the way to the Gulf.
The form Quitman’s contractor sent GA-EPD says the spill was not preventable. Well, according to Quitman’s permit from GA-EPD, “Power failure” is not an excuse, because the permitee is supposed to have backup power. It’s time for Quitman to find a way to prevent these spills from contaminating Okapilco Creek and the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers. This is a public health hazard.
What will the Georgia Environment Protection Division (GA-EPD) do to stop these spills from Quitman, and meanwhile to get much more timely reporting by Quitman to GA-EPD and to the public?
![[Map and doc: location of Quitman sewage spill]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-03-20--quitman-spill/many.jpg)
Map and doc: location of Quitman sewage spill
It’s only 1.10 creek miles to US 84, and 5 creek miles all the way down Okapilco Creek to the Withlacoochee River. Then 3.68 river miles more to Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, for 8.68 water miles total. At even two miles per hour, that’s less than five hours for contamination to travel. Continue reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hahira, GA, October 15, 2021 — We have a group coming three hours from Dublin, GA, to paddle down the Withlacoochee River from Georgia three miles into Florida, and back upstream, in the WWALS Boomerang, one week from now, Saturday, October 23, 2021. Last year’s winner came from Tallahassee, FL. In one week, you could be the winner of the $100 First Prize! Or win in one of the many categories.
Today is the last day for the
$20 early bird tickets.
Later it’s $30 online or at the event.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wwals-boomerang-paddle-race-2021-tickets-168646372841
Canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards are welcome to register starting at 9 AM, Saturday, October 23, 2021, to be on the water by 10:45 AM. There will be prizes, and food, and drink.
You do not even have to bring a boat, if you reserve soon and let us know what type of boat you need: kayak or canoe, single or tandem. Free boat rental is provied by Madison Outpost Adventures of Lee, Madison County, Florida, and VSU CORE of Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Boomerang mastermind Bobby McKenzie says, “Water levels were steadily dropping and now they are rising slightly.” We have a plan if the Withlacoochee River is running too fast to paddle up; we’ll just straighten out the course to go to Sullivan Landing.
“This is a great way to bring the outdoors community together and showcase the recreational opportunities we have to offer locally,” Bobby McKenzie added. “This event caters to all ages and skill levels, you can either blaze ahead and take first place overall, or push yourself for a personal achievement on the main course or one of the modified routes. You can even just come do a leisurely paddle with like minded outdoor enthusiasts. Just remember to make your way back before the time expires, at most will be 2.5 hours.”
State Line Boat Ramp is at Continue reading
Get some fresh-fried food at the Skillet Festival, and come by the WWALS booth, in Quitman, Georgia, this Saturday. Yes, we will have the raffle kayak, the $950 value Vibe Yellowfin 120. And what will NextEra be up to this year?
When: 9AM-5PM, Saturday, October 16, 2021
Where: Brooks County Courthouse, 100 Screven Street, Quitman, Georgia 31643
What: Brooks County Skillet Festival is an artisan craft fair, food festival and vintage market, all tied up in a pretty burlap bow.
Volunteer: You can help at the WWALS booth. Send us email to contact@suwanneeriverkeeper.org.
Event: facebook
WWALS at the Skillet Festival in 2018.
Update 2021-10-01: All Clean, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha Rivers 2021-09-30.
All WWALS test results for Wednesday were clean in Georgia and Florida, but Valdosta got bad results at US 84 on the Withlacoochee River.
Yet there has been no significant rain since Tuesday, so in the opposite of last time, I’m going to say that E. coli has probably washed downstream and gotten diluted by now.
Make your own decisions, but I would boat on the Withlacoochee River this weekend. And the Alapaha River yet again seems clean. The Little River, probably, according to the one site we tested.
Valdosta results for last Friday corroborate what I said last time: because of the heavy rains, it would not be a good idea to boat, swim, or fish in the Withlacoochee River last weekend.
Valdosta even got too high results at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp for Monday, after heavy rains Sunday in Brooks County, presumably because of the usual cattle manure runoff down Okapilco Creek. Continue reading
Update 2021-06-27: Cattle and hogs: Withlacoochee River water quality status 2021-06-27.
Going by WWALS water quality testing results for Thursday, it’s best to stay off the Withlacoochee River, and maybe the Alapaha River, for a few more days.
![[Bad Knights Ferry and Willacoochee Landing]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-06-24--wq/many.jpg)
Bad Knights Ferry and Willacoochee Landing
Very unusual: too-high E. coli on the Alapaha River, at Willacoochee Landing on GA 135 in Atkinson County, Georgia. Thanks to WWALS tester Valerie Folsom. There was a lot of rain upstream in the previous few days, which make me wonder about the city of Alapaha’s wastewater treatment plant.
Unfortunately expected: way-high E. coli on the Withlacoochee River, at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, downstream of Okapilco Creek, with many thousand cattle in Brooks County, Georgia. Thanks to WWALS tester Michael Bachrach. Don’t be surprised if Quitman had a spill and gets around to reporting it about a week later.
Somewhat puzzling: downstream on the Withlacoochee results range from acceptable to clean as a whistle at Cleary Bluff, between Allen Ramp and the Suwannee River. Thaks to WWALS tester Gus Cleary. Even with the river high and fast after the recent rains, it takes a little while for the contamination to wash downstream. Three inches of rain fell in Brooks County Thursday, so don’t be surprised if things get dirty downstream.
We have no new data upstream of Knights Ferry, because we had a technical glitch with upstream WWALS tests.
Meanwhile, Valdosta has posted nothing newer than for Monday. They did catch up to last week with the downstream data, which corroborated what we already knew from WWALS tests.
The Tuesday too-high Madison Health result for the state line still has not appeared on the FDEP website. Continue reading
As usual, the big rains washed more contamination into the Withlacoochee River, most likely mostly down Okapilco Creek from cattle in Brooks County, Georgia.
However, since the rains were Monday and Tuesday, by the time Madison Health and WWALS tested Thursday, much of it had already started washing downstream. By Thursday it appears to have already been flushed down to the state line and beyond by more rainwater. By now it’s probably down into the Suwannee River, where it may well have been diluted by even more rainwater coming down the Alapaha and Suwannee Rivers.
So above the state line the Withlacoochee is probably OK to boat, swim, and fish this weekend. It may even be safe below the state line by Saturday morning, although we have no data on that.
![[Last week, Swim Guide, this week]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-03-04--wq/many.jpg)
Last week, Swim Guide, this week
So on Swim Guide I’ve set red from the state line down into Florida, yet green at Knights Ferry and Nankin Boat Ramps, as well as green for Valdosta’s readings upstream Monday before the rains.
The 3,784 cfu/100 mL E. coli Madison Health got at Florida 6 Thursday is far higher than the 1,000 alert limit. But a year ago on Thursday, March 5, 2020, Madison Health got TNTC (Too Numerous To Count) at all three of State Line, Sullivan Launch, and Florida 6. Plus that Friday Valdosta got 4,600 at the state line and 25,000 at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. So there is still ample room for improvement, but it’s possible that the Best Management Practices (BMPs) the Brooks County dairies have been implementing are starting to work. Continue reading
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-04--wq/many.jpg)
![[Flyer]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-10-23--boomerang/big/WWALS-Boomerang-Flyer-2021-0001.jpg)
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-09-22--wq/many.jpg)
![[Map: Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-03-04--wq/2021-03-04--map-swim-guide.jpg)