The local TV station is keeping Lowndes County and Valdosta on their toes about sewage, while WWALS starts testing and continues urging GA-EPD to tell everybody when anybody spills.
Emma Wheeler, WCTV, 6 December 2018, Heavy rain causes sewage spill in Lowndes County, Continue reading
Another mysterious rise of bacterial counts at Horn Bridge, at Mozell Spells, near State Line Ramp, Withlacoochee River, in the latest data from Valdosta, from Wednesday, December 5, 2018, obtained as usual through open records request.
Maybe you’d like to come compliment Valdosta on the sewer system items on their agenda for tonight (see below), and ask them what they’re doing to prevent WWTP spills, in Citizens to be Heard. That’s 5:30 PM, today, Thursday, December 6, 2018, at Valdosta City Hall, 216 East Central Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia.
Nothing is on the agenda about the recent major spill at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant for tonight’s Valdosta City Council meeting.
However, there are three other sewage-related items: Continue reading
The Alapahoochee River at the GA-FL line measured ten times the EPA limit on Fecal coliform again this Wednesday, November 28, 2018.
It does not seem to be coming downriver from Valdosta. Continue reading
Update 2018-12-23: Pictures.
Join us for a leisurely sunset paddle to watch a cold Full Moon rise over Banks lake, the day after the winter solstice, the first day that is longer.
Plan to arrive early enough to prep your boat so that we can launch on time, so we can paddle around most of the lake before dark while we look for birds, gators and bats.
This is a leg of the Alapaha Quest, since Banks Lake is in the Alapaha River Water Trail.
When:
Gather 4:45 p.m., launch 5:00 p.m., Saturday, December 22, 2018
Sunset will be at 5:36 p.m., and on the lake is usually spectacular. If the sky is clear we will see the full moon rise at 5:51 p.m.
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County.
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: Bring a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow stick, head lamp, or flashlight), and bring a rope for your boat. You must wear a PFD. A whistle is not required, but it’s a good idea in the dark. Mosquitos can be bad at the ramp but bugs are usually not a problem on the water. Don’t forget boat, paddles, anacks, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
A previous Banks Lake paddle, 2018-07-27.
Suddenly, all the fecal coliform readings are down. Was there a first flush from the rain on November 14 that caused the high readings of that day, and all that washed down the rivers within a week?
At US 41 (North Valdosta Road), the Withlacoochee River was actually in minor flood several of the intervening days, according to the USGS US 41 (Valdosta) Gauge. Continue reading
It was a nice day for a Hike to the Dead River Sink in the Alapaha Quest on the Alapaha River Water Trail, with Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. Here are some pictures and a Google map from Saturday, January 27, 2018.
![[Almost there, 13:16:34, 30.5837666, -83.0535975]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2018-01-27--hike-dead-river-sink/20180127_131634.jpg)
Almost there, 13:16:34, 30.5837666, -83.0535975
You can come along when we do it again in January 2019. Continue reading
Twenty five times the state limit for Fecal coliform could be a problem. What got into the Alapahoochee River last week?
If you want to help find out what’s getting into our rivers, you can Continue reading
Please sign up to volunteer to do Water Quality Testing, in either Florida or Georgia, using this google form.
https://forms.gle/WfNQEnoiv7LDBAsd8
You can help find out what is getting into our rivers, springs, and wells beyond sewage spills: fertilizer nitrates, livestock, wildlife, septic tanks, other. We also want to follow up after sewage spills, because the limited testing required by states doesn’t tell us how far the spill went.
WWALS testing trainer Gretchen Quarterman does trainings as trainees sign up. See the main Water Quality Testing web page for the next scheduled testing trainings.
Be sure to fill out the google form above so we will know how many. Be ready to test regularly after you get trained.
Anybody can take the training, which is free. But to test for WWALS requires being a WWALS member:
Remember to post your results in Georgia Adopt-A-Stream, and we can use them in Swim Guide.
Sign up, get trained, and then test and report. Continue reading
Join us for a leisurely sunset paddle to watch the Hunter’s Moon rise over the lake.
Plan to arrive early enough to prep your boat so that we can launch by 5:30p.m. That will allow time to paddle around most of the lake before dark while we look for birds, gators and bats. Sunset on the lake is usually spectacular. If the sky is clear we will see the nearly full moon rise at 6:10p.m.
This is a leg of the Alapaha Quest, since Banks Lake is in the Alapaha River Water Trail.
When: 5:15 PM, September 11, 2018; be on the water by 5:30 PM
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County.
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: Bring a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow stick, head lamp, or flashlight), and bring a rope for your boat. You must wear a PFD. A whistle is not required, but it’s a good idea in the dark. Mosquitos can be bad at the marina but bugs are usually not a problem on the water. Don’t forget boat, paddles, anacks, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
A previous Banks Lake paddle, 2018-07-27.
![[Kit]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-06-05--new-tester-renee-kirkland/kit.jpg)