Acting Valdosta City Manager Richard Hardy called me yesterday. This is unusual, although he does usually answer his phone if I call him.
![[Valdosta Acting City Manager Richard Hardy and City Engineer Ben O'Dowd 2023-03-25]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-04-11--seeclickfix/many.jpg)
Valdosta Acting City Manager Richard Hardy and City Engineer Ben O’Dowd 2023-03-25
Even more unusual was his news: the city may be moving ahead on keeping trash out of creeks.
First some background.
Recent adventures in Click ‘n’ Fix include this one, Continue reading
Update 2023-05-19: Valdosta annual stormwater reports to GA-EPD 2023-02-14.
In December GA-EPD reissued Valdosta’s stormwater permit, which happens every five years.
![[About, NOI, maps: Valdosta reissued Stormwater permit 2022-12-06]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2018-08-30--permits/valdosta/stormwater/2022-12-06--valdosta-stormwater-permit/many.jpg)
About, NOI, maps: Valdosta reissued Stormwater permit 2022-12-06
However, if I understand the response by Valdosta City Engineer Ben O’Dowd in the documents received in response to an open records request, all there is right now is a generic boilerplate permit for cities of this size. That generic permit requires Valdosta to spell out best practices it will use, and to update its Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP), all by June 4, 2023.
Since the City Engineer has been quite receptive to public input lately, I hope this means Valdosta will be accepting input into rewriting the SWMP. About trash, for example. Continue reading
Update 2023-03-29: Valdosta Creek Trash Tour 2023-03-29.
Why did Valdosta City Marshalls close this Click’n’Fix ticket when nothing has been cleaned up?
![[Trash, Two Mile Branch upstream from Ashley Street 2023-03-24]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-24--two-mile-branch-ashley-street/many.jpg)
Trash, Two Mile Branch upstream from Ashley Street 2023-03-24
It took nine days for City Marshals to make any response, then they said they would notify the property owner and closed the ticket.
I went there the next day and photographed the same trash in the same locations, plus I took more pictures of more trash upstream.
Today, March 29, 2023, when I asked why the ticket was closed and posted more pictures, the City Marshalls said “The ticket was closed because a citation was written and there is now an open case with the City Marshal’s. We have to legally give the property owner a certain amount of time to address the issue.”
That is new information, and a welcome change from just notifying the property owner.
But why did the City Marshalls again close the ticket? The problem has not been fixed.
In the next big rain, trash will wash down Two Mile Branch into Sugar Creek. If it is not caught by the WaterGoat there, it will wash into the Withlacoochee River. All along the way it is a health hazard to humans, and wildlife eat the trash, especially styrofoam, and cannot digest it. Continue reading