Tag Archives: GA EPD

Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30

1 Reply

Back in 2020, this Task Force of the dozen downstream Florida counties was instrumental in getting a Consent Order on Valdosta by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD).

The Task Force was dormant for a while, but recent Valdosta sewage spills have caused it to be reactivated. Some of its members already met privately with several Valdosta City officials a month or more ago. Now a long-awaited public meeting has been announced.

Also, we finally have a list of the members of the Task Force.

Y’all come.

[Florida River Task Force and Valdosta City Council, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Wednesday, July 30, 2025]
Florida River Task Force and Valdosta City Council, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The email notice received this morning says: Continue reading →

Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill update 2025-07-17

2 Replies

Update 2025-07-18: Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30

Test results continue to show high Fecal coliform and E. coli in Sugar Creek after the weekend’s sewage spill, even though the bypass pump has been running normally since Sunday. It can take many days for sewage to wash downstream, especially without much rain.

The spill was too small to have much effect on the Withlacoochee River downstream, and probably none on the Suwannee River.

[Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-16, Still high, even upstream at Baytree Road]
Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-16, Still high, even upstream at Baytree Road

This is the bypass pump yesterday. Continue reading →

Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill 2025-07-14

3 Replies

Update 2025-07-17: Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-17

Here is the location of the Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill 2025-07-12 and what Valdosta has to say about it, including the city’s press release of this morning. Plus a few suggestions from WWALS.

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes requests that next time anybody smells or sees something, please go ahead and call Valdosta Utilities so Utilities can go look right then.

  • For Valdosta water or sewer problems,
    • please call Valdosta Utilities at 229-259-3592
    • or for after hours emergencies at 229-434-4132.

Please also report it to WWALS so we can follow up, as well.
https://wwals.net/report/

Utilties Director Barnes also told me that they had already started the required daily sampling after a major spill. Even though the city is reporting this as less than 10,000 gallons, nonetheless it affected a waterway (Sugar Creek), so he’s calling it major.

This spill has not yet shown up on the daily GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

[Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill, West of RR trestle, by Sherwood Drive, North of bypass pump 2025-07-14]
Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill, West of RR trestle, by Sherwood Drive, North of bypass pump 2025-07-14

This is what failed: the bypass pump, due to overheating.

It’s very easy to tell when it is running, because it makes a loud noise. Evidently, nobody regularly checks on it.

I have suggested a remote sensor to at least show when the pump is running. Perhaps a remote thermometer, as well. Jason Barnes said he was already looking into remote sensors. Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-07-09

1 Reply

Update 2025-07-13: New sewage spill in Sugar Creek 2025-07-12.

We have good E. coli results on the Withlacoochee River for this week.

[Clean Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-09, Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing]
Clean Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-09, Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week. Strange as it seems, chances are that creek is also clean.

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

Rain or thunderstorms are likely for the next ten days.

As near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

Maybe join WWALS today for Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-12.
https://wwals.net/?p=67870

Withlacoochee River

Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-07-02

1 Reply

We have good E. coli results on the Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers and Franks Creek for this week.

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week.

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

Rain or thunderstorms are likely for the next ten days.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Alapaha River 2025-06-29, Withlacoochee River and Franks Creek 2025-07-02]
Clean Alapaha River 2025-06-29, Withlacoochee River and Franks Creek 2025-07-02

Maybe join WWALS tomorrow for Turner Bridge to Cone Bridge Paddle, Suwannee River 2025-07-05.
https://wwals.net/?p=67557

Alapaha River

Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-06-26

Update 2025-07-04: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-07-02.

WWALS and Valdosta Utilities got good E. coli results on the Withlacoochee River.

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida. There was one tiny spill near Adel, Georgia, reported to be completely contained.

Rain or thunderstorms are likely for the next ten days.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida, 2025-06-26; Small spill near Adel, GA, 2025-06-20, Morrison Creek, Little River]
Clean Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida, 2025-06-26; Small spill near Adel, GA, 2025-06-20, Morrison Creek, Little River

Maybe by a week from Saturday there will be no rain for Turner Bridge to Cone Bridge Paddle, Suwannee River, 2025-07-05.
https://wwals.net/?p=67557

Withlacoochee River

Continue reading →

Willacoochee River overflow Satilla Road variance 2025-07-11

The deadline to comment on GA-EPD environmental variance request BV-077-25-01 is July 11, 2025. (PDF)
https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/GADNR/2025/06/11/file_attachments/3290440/BV-077-25-01%20Irwin%20County%20PUBLIC%20NOTICE.pdf

It’s for replacing a bridge at County Road (CR) 181/Satilla Road at Willacoochee River Overflow (GPS Coordinates:_31.563505, -83.170928).

[Willacoochee River overflow, Satilla Road variance, BV-077-25-01, Irwin County 2025-06-12]
Willacoochee River overflow, Satilla Road variance, BV-077-25-01, Irwin County 2025-06-12

That’s six miles east of Ocilla, in Irwin County, Georgia. Continue reading →

Alabama miners failed to post bond to mine near Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia 2025-06-06

The future looks cloudy for the Alabama miners.

You can ask GA-EPD to end the suspense by denying their permit application:
twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov

Dylan Jackson, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 6, 2025, Controversial Okefenokee mine project delayed as company fails to post required funds: Georgia EPD says Twin Pines Minerals has not provided the $2 million in collateral required to obtain a permit.

[Alabama miners failed to post bond to mine near Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia --AJC, June 6, 2025]
Alabama miners failed to post bond to mine near Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia –AJC, June 6, 2025
AJC posted a picture captioned in part:
“Twin Pines began storing equipment at this site in Charlton County near the Okefenokee Swamp.”
They’ve been doing that since at least 2019, as this WWALS picture shows.

Twin Pines Minerals has not produced the $2 million bond or other collateral required to receive its permit to mine titanium near the Okefenokee Swamp, a delay that comes as the company and its affiliates continue to show signs of financial distress.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division spokeswoman Sara Lips confirmed on Wednesday that Twin Pines has yet to submit the financial assurance required for permit approval. The agency requested a bond or other collateral from the company in February 2024, shortly after draft permits were released.

Continue reading →

Community water well water quality test results

How do you get water quality test results for a subdivision water well?

Somebody asked that question, and I couldn’t answer it. So I called some people until I found the answer.

[Search gadrinkingwater.net and example water quality test results]
Search gadrinkingwater.net and example water quality test results

Go to gadrinkingwater.net Continue reading →

GA-EPD Consent Order on Lowndes County for the Alapaha Plantation Subdivision Water System 2025-01-06

This long-troubled water system, run by Lowndes County to serve the Lake Alapaha Plantation subdivision next to the Alapaha River, in January 2025 got a Consent Order for the county to move along and fix it.

[GA-EPD Consent Order on Lowndes County, January 2025, for the Alapaha Plantation Subdivision Water System]
GA-EPD Consent Order on Lowndes County, January 2025, for the Alapaha Plantation Subdivision Water System

This drinking water plant has been getting notices of violation from GA-EPD since 2004.

In 2013 and 2014, Lowndes County spent at least $35,500 to fix it.

In 2018 the county spent another $16,915 to upgrade a water line for a private developer there.

In 2021, another proposal was for $173,000 to fix the same plant.

In 2024, Lowndes County tried a pilot of a potential solution, which failed. See The never-ending Lake Alapaha Water Treatment Plant saga @ LCC 2021-08-10.

Remember this ongoing expenditure of tax funds next time you see a subdivision rezoning on an agenda for zero BUDGET IMPACT.

In 2025, apparently some time in January, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) issued a Consent Order.

That Order was mentioned in the board packet for the April 7, 2025, Lowndes County Commission meeting, and discussed briefly in their April 8, 2025, Regular Session.

The bulk of the Consent Order is about Maximum Contaminant Levels being exceeded on many dates for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5). These contaminants form when river water is chlorinated for drinking use.

The Consent Order, received in response to a WWALS open records request to Lowndes County, is on the WWALS website.

The gist of the Order is on Page 14:

Conditions

Continue reading →