Tag Archives: creeks

Clean Rivers 2022-12-29

Update 2023-01-06: Bad Upstream: Little and Withlacoochee Rivers 2023-01-05.

WWALS tests for Thursday upstream and downstream, and Valdosta upstream tests for Wednesday agree: clean Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers.

There was some rain last night, but probably not enough to wash much contamination into the rivers.

So happy swimming, fishing, and boating for New Years!

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide, 2022-12-29]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide, 2022-12-29

Two pollution spills have been reported this week.

On Sunday, December 18, 2022 (reported more than a week later on December 27), Ashburn, Georgia, spilled 3,000 gallons of sewage from their MLK Lift Station into Ashburn Branch, which flows into the Little River. But that’s too little and too far upstream to affect the river. Ashburn’s excuse: power failure. Maybe they should invest in a backup generator.

On Monday, December 26, 2022, the Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine southeast of Starke, Florida, spilled some unknown amount of not exactly sure what, at the top edge of the Santa Fe River Basin. Their excuse? Cold weather.

More on those spills later in separate posts. Continue reading →

Steep Hill Branch, Little River, Miller Bridge Road, Lowndes County, GA 1914-06-08

Phillip Williams found this 1914 plat map showing Steep Hill Branch.

[Plat and maps: Steep Hill Branch]
Plat and maps: Steep Hill Branch

USGS did not know a name for it, but now its Steep Hill Branch in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT). Phillip says it’s been known by that name since at least the 1860s.

Evidently either the Little River was much straighter there back then, or they just didn’t bother to try to draw it more accurately. Nonetheless, it is clear this is the right place by the land lot and land district numbers, and the old property owner names. Continue reading →

Pretty clean rivers 2022-12-16

Update 2022-12-23: Mostly clean rivers 2022-12-22.

Update 2022-12-19: And also good water quality at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp for Saturday, December 17, 2022, test thanks to WWALS Water Quality Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall.

[2022-12-17--knights-ferry.html Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, 2022-12-17]
2022-12-17–knights-ferry.html Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, 2022-12-17

The Thursday rain appears to have had little effect on water quality or levels in the Little, Withlacoochee, or Alapaha Rivers.

So downstream of the Little River Confluence, as near as we can tell, happy boating, fishing, and, if you really like cold, swimming.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map

Valdosta found very high E. coli for Monday a week ago at both US 41 and GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River. This was with no rain.

Experience indicates that whatever that was, it was probably gone by Friday. Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper on Scott James Radio 92.1 FM 2022-12-15

Update 2022-12-23: Videos: Troupville Nature Park and River Camp, Trash, Cleanups –Helen Tapp & Suwannee Riverkeeper @ Scott James Radio 2022-12-15.

Suwannee Riverkeeper will talk trash, parks, creeks, and rivers on Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio tomorrow morning, Thursday, 8:30 AM.

[Withlacoochee River cleanup, Radio, Troupville park land purchase, Langdale Park trail clearing]
Withlacoochee River cleanup, Radio, Troupville park land purchase, Langdale Park trail clearing

Topics discussed will probably include: Continue reading →

Dark Branch and Three Mile Branch with trails in Langdale Park by Phillip Williams 2022-12-12

Phillip Williams has found and marked more trails and waterways in his continued exploration of Langdale Park on the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County just west of Valdosta, Georgia. As you can see, the trails are much more usable since Parks and Rec. has been cleaning them up lately. Yay, George Page, Jessica Catlett, and Jeff!

[Dark Branch, trashjam, canebreak, island, log bridge, waterfall]
Dark Branch, trashjam, canebreak, island, log bridge, waterfall

I’ve updated his material in the WWALS WLRWT map, so you can pan, zoom, and click.

He’s been communicating with the park owner, Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA). He’s updated many of the trail names. For example, the trail south from Langdale Park Boat Ramp by the Withlacoochee River is Trail B. Trail A runs all the way from the Pavillion just south of Hyta Mederer Drive down to Three Mile Branch. Supposedly it then turns right and goes west to the river, but apparently VLPRA hasn’t finished cleaning up that stretch. Continue reading →

Clean Rivers 2022-12-01

Little rain, no new sewage spills reported, and good test results: happy swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

Maybe you’d like to join us on the WWALS Trashjam cleanup, Knights Ferry to Nankin, Withlacoochee River 2022-12-03.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide map]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide map 2022-12-01

We all took last week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, since there was no rain that week. Except thanks to Suzy Hall for testing Knights Ferry and Nankin last Saturday. She got very low E. coli.

Valdosta got high results at US 41 three times and most recently at GA 133 on Monday, which is the most recent date for which Valdosta has published results. While that contamination has probably washed downstream and gotten diluted by now, we have no more recent results for that location. There’s not enough water to boat there, anyway. Continue reading →

Individual Langdale Park Trails 2022-12-01

Update 2022-12-02: In-progress Langdale Park trail map @ VLPRA 2022-12-01.

Had some discussions with Bobby McKenzie and Phillip Williams about the names of the Trails at Langdale Park. Much of this is still tentative, but I’ve added names to the WWALS map derived from Phillip’s map.

[Example trails in Langdale Park --Phillip Williams]
Example trails in Langdale Park –Phillip Williams

Here are images of each trail, with links into the WWALS WLRWT map for that trail.

You can pan and zoom in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail,

We are all ears for corrections, suggestions, additions, etc.

No doubt George Page and Jessica Catlett at Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) will organize integrating all this information into their own VLPRA map, which I hear does exist.

Meanwhile, for the WWALS map, remember: Continue reading →

Figures and Tables from NORTH FLORIDA SOUTHEAST GEORGIA GROUNDWATER MODEL (NFSEG V1.1) 2019-08-01

Update 2022-11-16: Videos: North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan meeting @ SRWMD 2022-11-15.

This rather thorough model of the Floridan Aquifer and its relatives is meant to be support planning, but does not actually do that planning. Planning is the topic of the meeting this afternoon about the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan (NFRWSP).

[Collage]
Collage, Figures and Tables from NORTH FLORIDA SOUTHEAST GEORGIA GROUNDWATER MODEL (NFSEG V1.1)

That’s also why we need Right to Clean Water in Florida.

The sentence I’ve bolded below from the Executive Summary is the most important thing about the North Florida-Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) regional groundwater flow model. Continue reading →

Franklinville, Skipper Bridge, Langdale Park, GA 133, Withlacoochee River WQ 2022-10-27

Yesterday I went to five water quality testing sites and sampled four of them. Results tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Brunner sampled nine sites on Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek. If nothing else we should have a good baseline to use in deciphering what is causing the E. coli and Fecal coliform that keeps showing up at US 41 and GA 133.

And inquiring minds want to know: what happened to all the trees at the entrance to Langdale Park?

[4.5 sites, Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-27]
4.5 sites, Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-27

Toms Branch

No water in Toms Branch, so no sample. Continue reading →

Clean water quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, Rivers 2022-10-20

Update 2022-10-28: Bad Beatty Branch and Cat Creek, good downstream Withlacoochee River 2022-10-27.

All the WWALS water quality results for this Thursday were pretty clean. We have nothing new on GA 133 since Valdosta’s Monday results there were bad. My guess is whatever that was has probably washed away by now, but we don’t know.

So I’d say probably OK for swimming, boating, and fishing this weekend.

Come on down to the State Line Boat Ramp for the WWALS Boomerang paddle race, from Georgia into Florida and back!
https://wwals.net/pictures/boomerang2022

[Chart, River, Swim Guide]
Chart, River, Swim Guide

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

The only bad spot is that Monday GA 133 result in the Valdosta data. That upstream incident that started last week. It may have been caused by upstream rain on Thursday, October 12, 2022. What it washed into the Withlacoochee River is a mystery that we are working on resolving. Continue reading →