Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats.
When: Gather 7:15 PM, launch 7:45 PM, moonrise 8:33 PM, sunset 8:19 PM, end 9 PM, Thursday, August 11, 2022
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
![[Bat tree, sunset, moonrise, 2022-08-03, Photos: Bobby McKenzie]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-11--banks-lake-full-sturgeon-moon/many.jpg)
Bat tree, sunset, moonrise, 2022-08-03, Photos: Bobby McKenzie
Update 2022-07-29: Good Water Quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha Rivers 2022-07-28.
Update 2022-07-26: Madison Health Alert, Withlacoochee River 2022-07-25.
Update 2022-07-23: High Springs 500-gallon sewage spill, mostly cleaned up 2022-07-07.
Avoid the Withlacoochee River this weekend for fishing, swimming, and boating.
Try the Little, Alapaha, or Alapahoochee Rivers, or the Suwannee River upstream from the Withlacoochee River Confluence.
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide 2022-07-21]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-07-21--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, River, Swim Guide 2022-07-21
WWALS tested a record 18 sites Thursday, thanks to Elizabeth Brunner, Michael and Jacob Bachrach, and Gus CLeary, with WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall reviewing all the plates.
We didn’t find much upstream, except too high on Beatty Branch at Cat Creek Road.
I did take DNA samples on Cat Creek at Cat Creek Road and on the Withlacoochee River at US 41, so maybe we’ll see what’s getting into the waterways upstream. Continue reading
Update 2022-07-22: Bad Quality Withlacoochee River 2022-07-21.
All clear for fishing, swimming, and boating on the Withlacoochee, Little, and Alapaha Rivers, according to the latest water quality test results we have.
But avoid Cat Creek and Beatty Branch for fishing. See below. (I don’t know anybody crazy enough to boat or swim in those creeks.)
There hasn’t been much rain the past few days, so probably not much contamination will wash into the rivers. No sewage spills have been reported in Florida or Georgia, other than Valdosta’s 200 gallon sewage spill on Baytree Road, which they vacuumed up quickly enough that probably little if any ever reached the Withlacoochee River.
Thunderstorms could change things quickly, but that’s what we know now.
Thanks to Scott Fowler of Valdosta Utilities for forwarding Valdosta test results soon after they are finished, so we know that Valdosta E. coli results were good for Wednesday and Monday at US 41, GA 133, and US 84. And we know Valdosta’s US 41 and GA 133 results for last Friday, July 8, 2022, were sky-high: 4,700 and 5,200 cfu/100 mL, respectively. The alert limit is 1,000.
Those high results could not be related to the July 9th Valdosta spill, because it hadn’t happened yet. That E. coli is probably not coming from Valdosta, since US 41 is upstream of almost all of Valdosta. Sure, something could be coming down Cherry Creek through Lake Cleve into the river, or it could be septic tanks in houses around there, or septic tanks across the river in Lowndes County.
Since high E. coli keeps turning up at US 41 and GA 133, WWALS set out to find out where it is coming from. Continue reading
Many different paddlers and boats all had a fine time at the Banks Lake Full Strawberry Moon Paddle 2022-06-14.
Thanks to Elizabeth Brunner for leading that one.
![[Banners, paddlers, gator, sunset, moonrise]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-14--banks-lake-full-strawberry-moon-pictures/many.jpg)
Banners, paddlers, gator, sunset, moonrise
The next one is: Continue reading
Update 2022-07-03: PFAS testing, Withlacoochee River, Georgia and Florida 2022-06-30.
Update 2022-07-03: Madison Health Advisory, Withlacoochee River 2022-07-02.
Please avoid the Withlacoochee River this weekend, at least downstream from Hagan Bridge (GA 122). Try the Little River or the Alapaha, or the Suwannee upstream of the Withlacoochee River Confluence.
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide 2022-06-30]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-30--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, River, Swim Guide 2022-06-30
There was already contamination washed into the river by rain up to 4 inches in spots, according to Valdosta’s Wednesday results at US 41 and GA 133: 1,000 cfu/100 mL and 2,000 cfu/100 mL, where 1,000 is the alert level.
Then Valdosta had a major sewage spill. Continue reading
Update 2022-07-01: Bad Water Quality, Withlacoochee River 2022-06-30.
Update 2022-06-25: Plus Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers also clean, thanks to Pam Thomas and the TREPO crew.
Not good at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River: 1,333 cfu/100 mL E. coli, above the alert level of 1,000. That was a Thursday sample, so watch out downstream. This is puzzling, since there has been no rain to speak of. Also, no sewage spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida in the Suwannee River Basin. Yet chances are something came down Okapilco Creek from Brooks County, Georgia. Sure, it could have been wild hogs directly on the river, but that’s less likely. Maybe there was more rain in Brooks County than the stations we use reported. Or maybe there was a sewage spill that has not yet been reported.
Everywhere else tested by WWALS Thursday was good: Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers.
The most recent Valdosta downstream results were for Monday, and was clean. The most recent Valdosta upstream were for Friday (apparently Valdosta city staff took Monday off for the new Juneteenth holiday), and were also clean, after the high GA 133 results last week.
So I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp on down this weekend. Elsewhere looks good for boating, swimming, and fishing.
Thundershowers are expected this weekend, so conditions could change rapidly.
Thanks to Continue reading
Update 2022-06-24: Bad Knights Ferry, Withlacoochee River 2022-06-23.
All WWALS Thursday samples tested clean. But Valdosta got very bad Wednesday results for US 41 and GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River. Maybe that has gotten diluted by now. But I’d avoid US 41, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, and downstream on the Withlacoochee from Troupville Boat Ramp for this weekend.
Elsewhere, happy boating, swimming, and fishing, so far as we can tell.
For example, come up to Reed Bingham State Park tomorrow (Saturday) for Juneteenth, where WWALS will be getting children (and adults) into boats, some for their first time.
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-06-16]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-16--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-06-16
What happened at US 41 and GA 133? Continue reading
2022-06-17: WWALS Thursday tests clean, but Valdosta bad Wednesday results for US 41 and GA 122, Withlacoochee River 2022-06-16.
All tested clean: Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, and Santa Fe Rivers, for Thursday. Sure, those were only a few test sites on each river. But there’s been little rain, none predicted, and no sewage spills reported. So happy swimming, boating, and fishing this weekend.
Thanks to Continue reading
Update 2022-07-11: Pictures.
Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats.
When: Gather 7:30 PM, launch 8 PM, moonrise 9:19 PM, sunset 8:37 PM, end 10 PM, Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
![[bm-0-boats-in-cypress-204040291_10221770130814864_9203863038532809013_n]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-06-24--banks-lake-full-strawberry-moon-pictures/bm-0-boats-in-cypress-204040291_10221770130814864_9203863038532809013_n.jpg)
Boats in Cypreas, Photo: Bobby McKenzie 2021-06-24
Update 2022-06-11: Five Rivers Clean 2022-06-09.
Seventh week: all rivers clean! Happy swimming, fishing, and boating in the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers.
For example, tomorrow morning, Florida Campsites to Allen Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2022-06-04.
Of course, there can be undetected local water quality problems (see below). But all the WWALS sites tested Thursday got clean results. While there is a prediction of rain today and tomorrow, if it’s like what we’ve been seeing, it will be light and won’t wash much contamination into the river. No sewage spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida in the past week. So have a good weekend.
The most recent results we have from Valdosta are for Wednesday upstream and Wednesday of last week downstream. Those were all clean, too.
But earlier contamination was detected in Valdosta results. Continue reading
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-07-14--wq/many.jpg)
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-23--wq/many.jpg)
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-09--wq/many.jpg)