Tag Archives: Georgia Adopt-A-Stream

Training: water quality testing by Georgia Adopt-A-Stream standards 2020-02-08

Chemical and Bacteriological water testing training for Georgia Adopt-A-Stream standards by our local trainers. Yes, we will also be scheduling a training for Florida methods.

Before attending either, please sign up using this google form. Be prepared to start testing soon afterwards in our water quality testing program.

Obviously E. coli from Valdosta’s December 2019 worst-ever raw sewage spill is motivation for testing, but that’s not all that gets into our waterways. The only way to tell when our rivers are clean and when they are not is regular testing.

When: 9 AM, Saturday, February 8, 2020

Location: SGRC, 327 W Savannah Ave, Valdosta, GA 31601, for the indoor classroom part.
The outdoor practicing part will be at Onemile Branch in Drexel Park, Valdosta. Please be dressed appropriately for the weather and wear boots for potential contact with the water.

Free: No charge to anyone. But be prepared to start testing soon after the training. We also recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook

[Papers and chemicals]
Papers and chemicals at training in Drexel Park, 2019-09-14.
Kits, chemicals, and supplies such as Petrifilms are expensive, especially the more we test.
You can contribute to supplies at https://www.gagives.org/story/Wwals-Waterqualitykits.

Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper asks Georgia EPD to require Valdosta to do better about its record sewage spill 2019-12-17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hahira, Georgia, December 19, 2019 — Compelled by the severity of Valdosta’s record raw sewage spill and the expenses and stigma incurred nearby and downstream, Suwannee Riverkeeper for WWALS Watershed Coalition has sent a letter requesting ten enforcment actions to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD). WWALS member Deanna Mericle of Hamilton County, Florida, summed it up: “As a person living downstream on the Withlacoochee River in Florida, I feel shat upon by Valdosta over and over. I cannot drink the water from my well. I worry about the health of the river itself and the animals that live in it and drink from it. We in Florida were patient while Valdosta was improving their wastewater plant, which apparently was not adequate since we still have spills when it rains heavily. But this time it was not a rain event. It was gross negligence. I am out of patience. I believe it is time for legal action.”

The Suwannee Riverkeeper letter notes GA-EPD already has a legal action against Valdosta, a Consent Order. WWALS asks GA-EPD to use its enforcement power to require notification, water quality testing, education, and plans and procedures not only for preventing such spills but also for tracking them as they travel down our creeks and rivers and for remediation of effects on wells and reputation.

[2019-12-17--WWALS-GA-EPD-Valdosta-sewage-0001]
2019-12-17–WWALS-GA-EPD-Valdosta-sewage-0001

“Valdosta says it does what GA-EPD tells it to do, so we’re asking GA-EPD to tell them,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. “Today we’re forwarding the letter to Continue reading →

Valdosta sewage at GA 133 on Withlacoochee River? 2019-12-17

Update 2019-12-19: Still dirty at GA 133 Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2019-12-19.

It looks like Valdosta’s record raw sewage spill may finally be washing downstream after the recent small rains.

[Sugar Creek via Ga 133 to US 84]
Sugar Creek via Ga 133 to US 84, Withlacoochee River with the GA 133 bridge highlighted,
on the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Valdosta’s numbers went way down at Gornto Road on Sugar Creek on Sunday, December 15 and Monday, December 16, in this table the Valdosta City Clerk sent this data today in response to my open records request: Continue reading →

Water Quality Testing Training @ SGRC 2019-11-09

Come on down and get trained to do water quality testing:

When: 9 AM to 3 PM, Saturday, November 9, 2019

Where: SGRC, 327 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia 31601

Wear: comfortable clothes, and bring boots to get in the water.

[9 AM to 3 PM, Saturday, November 9, 2019 @ SGRC Valdosta]
9 AM to 3 PM, Saturday, November 9, 2019 @ SGRC Valdosta

Reserve: your spot by November 5th by contacting Erica McLelland, emclelland@sgrc.us or (229) 333-5277 ext 109.

And sign up to do actual testing afterwards.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Testing One Mile Branch after Sewage Spill 2019-06-24

Pretty clean at the bottom of Vallotton Park (33.3 cfu/100 ml), but rather dirty at the top of Drexel Park (533 cfu/100 ml), on Onemile Branch, with the site of last week’s FOG sewage spill in between; that’s what WWALS water quality testers Sara Squires Jones and Scotti Jay found Monday. These numbers are for the disease-causing bacteria E. coli. The state limit is 200 colony-forming units per 100 mililiters of water (cfu/100 ml). That 533 reading is still below the state’s 1000 limit for real alarm, but it’s still not good.

[#1: 6 colonies]
Downstream #1: 6 colonies

This map shows in red the spill location on Ashley Street near La Jalisco Supermercado, with the testing locations in blue, at North Lee Street near Mr. B’s IGA at Vallotton Park, and at Williams Street at the east end of Drexel Park.

[Spill and testing locations]
Map: Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT), with added Spill and testing locations. Continue reading →

Training for water quality testing 2019-04-27

Thanks to Julie Shutters for training us at Reed Bingham State Park in water quality testing by Georgia Adopt-A-Stream methods.

Very serious, Testing Training

As you can see, it was deadly serious. Maybe those of you who couldn’t make it this time can Continue reading →

Training for Water Quality Testing, RBSP after BLRPR 2019-04-27

Update 2019-05-02: Pictures.

After the BIG Little River Paddle Race this Saturday morning, also at Reed Bingham State Park, you can get trained to do water quality testing, at 2PM Saturday afternoon. This is both chemical and bacterial training.

When: 2PM, Saturday, April 27, 2019

Where: Shelter #3, Reed Bingham State Park, 542 Reed Bingham Rd, Adel, GA 31620

Event: facebook, meetup

Sign up: Please use the google form to sign up so we’ll know how many are coming, Continue reading →

Water Quality Testing, Troupville Boat Ramp 2019-01-06

You can learn how to do water quality testing, and help WWALS test our waters. We have Florida training coming up this Monday, January 21, 2019, at noon, at Suwannee River State Park. We’ll be scheduling another Georgia training soon.

[Air]
Air

Here is Sara Jay testing Little River water at Troupville Boat Ramp, Sunday, January 6, 2019.

[Continue titrating with Sodium Thiosulfate ONE DROP AT A TIME, swirling thoroughly after each drop,]
Continue titrating with Sodium Thiosulfate ONE DROP AT A TIME, swirling thoroughly after each drop,

Pictures of the whole test procedure are Continue reading →

WWALS Cleanup at Sheboggy Boat Ramp, US 82, Alapaha River 2018-09-09

Update 2024-04-20: Better picture format, links, and signature.

Gretchen took some pictures at the cleanup at Sheboggy. Others took pictures of the upstream paddle; probably we’ll post some of them later.

[A dynamic group]
A dynamic group

Continue reading →

Training, Water Quality Testing, Pictures 2018-09-16

Update 2018-10-24: First test kit complete! Now waiting for analysis equipment to arrive. For more details on recent background, see Valdosta (and other) wastewater.

Thanks to Julie Shutters of Golden Triangle R&D for coming down from Sylvester to Valdosta, GA to do Georgia Adopt-A-Stream training for WWALS.

(No, we haven’t forgotten about Florida. We’re just starting with the biggest problem area.)

Class

[Julie Shutters, Ronnie Thomas, Erica McLelland, Shirley Kokidko, Joanne A. Wardell, Gretchen Quarterman, Bobby McKenzie, John S. Quarterman (hat)]
Julie Shutters, Ronnie Thomas, Erica McLelland, Shirley Kokidko, Joanne A. Wardell, Gretchen Quarterman, Bobby McKenzie, John S. Quarterman (hat)

Continue reading →