Tag Archives: conservation

Wainwright Drive Manhole not leaking after several inches of rain –Scotti Jay 2026-10-04

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Scotti Jay reports that the replacement manhole at the previously-notoriously-leaky Wainwright Drive site by One Mile Branch is not leaking, even after substantial rain!

Congratulations, Director Jason Barnes and Valdosta Utilities on this upgrade back in August 2025.

[Wainwright Drive Manhole not leaking into One Mile Branch after several inches of rain --Scotti Jay 2026-10-04]
Wainwright Drive Manhole not leaking into One Mile Branch after several inches of rain –Scotti Jay 2026-10-04

Before the upgrade, that manhole had spewed 965,875 gallons of raw sewage from 2016 through 2025.

Since the upgrade, it has spewed none.

Not only that, after even more rain, as of Friday, October 8, 2026, Valdosta had reported no sewage spills at all.

This doesn’t mean there are no remaining Valdosta sewage problems. Plenty of old leaky sewer lines to fix yet.

And something is still getting into Sugar Creek after big rains.

But credit where credit is due: Valdosta has gotten much better about keeping its sewage from spilling.

Oh, and Floridians, that’s Valdosta, not Lowndes County. Lowndes County has its own sewer system, which has not reported any sewage spills in years.

Here’s the new manhole not leaking this Sunday, October 4, 2026. Continue reading →

WWALS Webinar Video: Sturgeon and the Suwannee River –Ken Sulak and Christiaan Ard 2026-09-22

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Thanks to Ken Sulak and Christiaan Ard for talking about Gulf Sturgeon in the Suwannee River, with above and underwater pictures and video footage that Ken Sulak and Chris Getlinger captured this past spring.

What better way to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox?

[WWALS Webinar Video: Sturgeon and the Suwannee River --Ken Sulak & Christiaan Ard, Noon, September 22, 2026]
WWALS Webinar Video: Sturgeon and the Suwannee River –Ken Sulak & Christiaan Ard, Noon, September 22, 2026

That was noon to 1 PM, Tuesday, September 22, 2026, by zoom.

Here’s a WWALS video playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVp0PyIbdJJY&si=meD7NZdo8V6os8dU

Continue reading →

Agenda: WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting 2026-10-18

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Here is the draft agenda and the zoom parameters for the WWALS Quarterly Board meeting Sunday evening, October 18, 2026.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89308028204?pwd=VmwyMzVTMVR6WGJxbUFUSlFXWFRWQT09

When: 6:00 PM, Sunday, October 18, 2026

What: The usual board business.

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3254156951436889/

[Agenda: WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting, By zoom, 6-8 PM, 2026-10-18, Advocacy, outings, events, Board, Staff, and Committees]
Agenda: WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting, By zoom, 6-8 PM, 2026-10-18, Advocacy, outings, events, Board, Staff, and Committees

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Filthy upstream 2026-10-05, clean downstream Withlacoochee River, clean Santa Fe River 2026-10-08

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The Withlacoochee River tested filthy upstream Monday, but clean downstream Thursday. The Santa Fe River tested clean downstream Wednesday.

The big rains this week from Hurricane Isaias may have washed more contamination into creeks and rivers, especially from Sugar Creek.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia Tifton spilled unknown gallons of raw sewage; see below.

Isaias is only a post-tropical cyclone now, but it’s still bringing thunderstorms.

The Little River is in Action Stage at Folsom Bridge on GA 122. The Withlacoochee River is in Action Stage down to Pinetta. The Alapaha River is in Action Stage at Statenville. The Santa Fe River is in Action Stage at O’Leno State Park.

So according to the results we have, happy paddling, swimming, boating, and fishing, but avoid the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers, go downstream on the Santa Fe, or try the Ichetucknee or Suwannee Rivers. Also maybe wait until Sunday for the rains to clear.

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for details.

[Filthy up 2026-10-05 clean down, Withlacoochee River 2026-10-08, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-10-07, More rain, more contamination]
Filthy up 2026-10-05 clean down, Withlacoochee River 2026-10-08, Clean Santa Fe River 2026-10-07, More rain, more contamination

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

County and City revenue gaps due to property tax change –Vote No on 3, 2026-10-09

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Reducing property taxes by shifting the burden to everybody else is a problem, as Vote No on 3 illustrates.

https://votenoonamendment3.com

[County and City revenue gaps, e.g., Gilchrist County FL --Vote No on 3]
County and City revenue gaps, e.g., Gilchrist County FL –Vote No on 3

We have an example from an April 2026 workshop by Gilchrist County, which would lose about half its revenue.

https://wwals.net/?p=70387

That means Gilchrist would have to either increase taxes such as on gasoline and special tax districts for EMS, and fees such as park and boat ramp fees. Or increase property tax millage on everybody else.

Or decrease or eliminate many services, ranging from road maintnance to veteran services to library to 4-H to park maintenance.

So, please vote no on Florida Amendment 3.

Back to the drawing board. Hey, how about tax big corporations that can afford it, such as NextEra? Use that to decrease homestead property taxes.

But meanwhile, please vote no on Amendment 3. Continue reading →

Ridge Road, River Chase Drive 2026-09-27, and Camelot Crossing Sinkholes 2022-08-29

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Update 2026-10-10: Camelot Crossing Paperwork for Acceptance of Infrastructure @ LCC 2026-06-23.

Here are still more sinkholes near North Valdosta Road and the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County, Georgia.

[River Chase Drive Sinkhole, Ridge Road Sinkhole 2026-09-27, Camelot Crossing Sinkholes, South, NE, and North 2022-08-29]
River Chase Drive Sinkhole, Ridge Road Sinkhole 2026-09-27, Camelot Crossing Sinkholes, South, NE, and North 2022-08-29

Let’s start with the Camelot Crossing subdivision, which recently got notices of violation from GA-EPD.

On the Site Plan of August 29, 2022, there are three “FLAGGED ISOLATED WETLAND”s. Looking through satellite image history in Google Earth Pro, those sure look like sinkholes, with water even in droughts. Continue reading →

Two Notices of Violation on Camelot Crossing –GA-EPD 2026-10-07

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2026-10-08: Ridge Road, River Chase Drive, and Camelot Crossing Sinkholes 2026-09-27.

GA-EPD issued two Notices of Violation on the Camelot Crossing subdivision, presumably related to the pump and pipe into a sinkhole on the neighboring YMCA property.

We can’t yet see what pictures were submitted with the complaint, but it’s a safe bet they included the ones I sent GA-EPD about that site.

https://wwals.net/?p=71105

[Two Notices of Violation on Camelot Crossing about pipe to neighbor sinkhole --GA-EPD 2026-10-07]
Two Notices of Violation on Camelot Crossing about pipe to neighbor sinkhole –GA-EPD 2026-10-07

Received today from Lisa Myler, Southwest District Office, Environmental Protection Division:

Gates Rodimon, a specialist in this office, inspected the two permitted construction activities at this site. Both inspection reports were issued as Notices of Violation.

As for the pumping situation, we were able to determine that Mike Fletcher with Lowndes County may have additional information for you. I have copied him on this email. The pumping was reported to be associated with completion of a permitted lift station supporting this development.

At the moment, the complaint is still open so you will only be able to see basic information. Once the complaint has been closed, you will be able to see the full record here: https://cts.gaepd.org/Complaint/118252

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks,

Continue reading →

Blounts Ferry –Ken Sulak 2026-10-01

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After we published Shirley Kokidko’s pictures of a possible location of Blounts Ferry on the Suwannee River, I asked Ken Sulak what he thought.

Ken has been researching historic ferries and bridges for many years, and he provided a thorough response.

[Blounts Ferry --Ken Sulak 2026-10-01, Suwannee River, downstream of Toms Creek]
Blounts Ferry –Ken Sulak 2026-10-01, Suwannee River, downstream of Toms Creek

However, he says the text is a work in progress. And I’ve omitted the two Carter family maps, because he is not sure he has permission to publish them.

Here is what I have determined as best as possible from old accounts, maps, three site visits, meeting up with Carter/Hale land owners, and researching early settler genealogy and Acts of the Florida Legislative Assembly. You may pass this along to Ms. Kokidko.

Refer to two Google Map excerpts below, from 2021 when the planted pine atop the west bank was harvested for pulpwood. Yellow trails are the courses of old roads. The one on the east side is a road cut by the Carter Hale family and used as a deer hunting access road in from US 441.

Continue reading →

Hike to Dead River Sink 2026-11-07

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Approximately 3 mile hike on the Dead River and the dry Alapaha River bed. Initial meetup at Jennings Bluff cemetery. Short stop there where we will climb down a steep bank to explore a spring. Then a drive into public lands to Dead River Sink where we will hike out to the Alapaha River and hike the river bed.

When: Gather 9:30 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 1 PM, Saturday, November 7, 2026

Put In: Jennings Bluff Cemetery. End of NW 25th Lane, Jennings, FL 32053, on the right, in Hamilton County.

GPS: 30.56693, -83.035297

[Hike to Dead River Sink and Alapaha River 2026-11-07, Jennings Bluff Spring, Dennis J. Price, P.G.]
Hike to Dead River Sink and Alapaha River 2026-11-07, Jennings Bluff Spring, Dennis J. Price, P.G.

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WWALS at Our Water Our Future Our Voice, Alachua, FL 2026-10-10

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Join WWALS at a North Central Florida Water Summit, presented by Suwannee-St. Johns Group, Sierra Club, Florida, and Alachua County League of Women Voters at the Alachua Lions Club.

That’s at 2 PM, Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Location: Alachua Lions Club 15125 NW 142 Terrace, Alachua, FL 32615, USA

“What’s really in the water coming from our taps and wells? How much stress is the Floridan Aquifer under? And who makes the decisions that determine how much water is pumped, where development occurs, and how our springs, rivers, and wetlands are protected?”

It’s free and open to the public.

https://bit.ly/OurWaterOurFutureOurVoice

[WWALS Booth at Our Water Our Future Our Voice, by SSJGSC, in Alachua, FL 2026-10-10]
WWALS Booth at Our Water Our Future Our Voice, by SSJGSC

Representing WWALS will be Events Committee member Hailey Hall. She will also be representing AquiferWatch. Continue reading →