Update 2022-05-20: Videos: Valdosta Mayor announces first trash trap @ VCC 2022-05-19.
WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman spoke about WWALS at the Valdosta Public Works No Water No Beer festival at Georgia Beer Co.
Here’s the video of Valdosta Public Works Director introducing and WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman speaking. Continue reading
Update 2023-07-22: Pictures: Sugar Creek Withlacoochee River on-land cleanup 2023-07-22.
Update 2023-05-18: Sugar Creek to Troupville, Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-07-22.
Update 2022-05-16: Trash at No Water No Beer 2022-05-07.
When Russell says don’t bring a boat to a cleanup, bring a boat for use as a garbage scow. Fortunately, Valdosta Mayor Scott James brought a boat. He and Council Andy Gibbs helped clean up at Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River, in that Council district. We filled that kayak with trash, floated it down the river, loaded it on the Mayor’s truck, and he drove it straight to No Water No Beer at Georgia Beer Co. (his idea).
The Mayor and Phil Hubbard sawed off some deadfalls, clearing passage in the creek. Thanks to them and all the other volunteers for this cleanup. Special thanks to Russell for organizing it.
![[Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, trash, Valdosta Mayor and Council]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-05-07--pictures-cleanup-sugar-creek-withlacoochee-river/many.jpg)
Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, trash, Valdosta Mayor and Council
Of course, cleanups don’t solve the trash problem. Fortunately, Continue reading
Here are pictures and commentary by WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman at the WWALS Earth Day Pafford’s Landing cleanup on the Alapaha River.
Meanwhile, I’d like to know what we need to do to get people from Lakeland and Lanier County to come clean up? What happened to the regular cleanups apparently promised by the Sheriff and the County Commission? Must we call in the Marines every time to clean up Pafford’s Landing?
After previous cleanups in Lanier County, the county dump accepted all the trash we got from the river, including tires. Why not these three tires this time?
The dump did accept the approximately 300 pounds of bagged trash. Thanks to the Marine recruits for helping bag it.
Also, Hooters, KFC, Hardees, Chick-fil-A, and Budweiser, maybe if you didn’t produce so much single-use trash, there wouldn’t be so much of it thrown away.
![[Begin, Volunteers, Marines, Trash]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2022-04-16--pictures-paffords-landing-cleanup/many.jpg)
Begin, Volunteers, Marines, Trash
Shirley and I were the volunteers to sign in and we waited for other WWALS members or Lanier County people to help out but no more came. We are looking fresh and clean at 9AM. Continue reading
It was a ten!
It was a fine spring day for thirteen miles on the Alapaha River from Mayday to Statenville. Cypress, oaks, pines, tea-colored water, and a sandy lunch spot.
See it in these pictures by Gretchen Quarterman.
The water level was about 9 feet or 85.1′ NAVD88 on the Statenville Gauge. That’s higher than our old recommended maximum, so we’re raising the max to 10 feet (86.1′ NAVD88). Continue reading
Adel, GA, May 3, 2022 — Nineteen canoeists and kayakers set out on a beautiful blue-sky morning on Saturday, April 30, 2022, and one from far away won the BIG Little River Paddle Race.
![[Carl Fuller, First Prize Winner]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2022-04-30--blrpr-pictures/many.jpg)
Carl Fuller, First Prize Winner
They paddled three miles from Red Roberts Landing to the Colquitt County boat ramp on Reed Bingham State Park Lake.
![[Five boats]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2022-04-30--blrpr-pictures/P4300037.jpg)
Carl Fuller already in the lead.
The overall winner was Continue reading
Come to the Gaskins Forest Education Center near Alapaha, Georgia, for an education opportunity about the piney woods and WWALS and the Alapaha River Water Trail.
When: Setup 12 PM, festival starts 1 PM, ends 5 PM, Saturday, April 23, 2022
Put In: Gaskins Forest Education Center, 3359 Moore Sawmill Rd., Alapaha, Georgia 31622.
Free: This event is free.
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
Event: facebook
![[Pictures by Gretchen Quarterman from 2018 festival]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-23--day-in-the-woods/many.jpg)
Pictures by Gretchen Quarterman from 2018 festival
Update 2022-04-15: Clean Rivers 2022-04-15.
Best to avoid the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers this weekend. In very unusual results, all three were too high in E. coli at GA 122, and the Withlacoochee was way too high at Nankin Boat Ramp.
The Ichetucknee tested clean for Tuesday at TREPO’s Hodor Park.
You might try lakes that are not downstream from likely rivers, such as Banks Lake and Grassy Pond, and maybe Reed Bingham State Park, but we have no data on those lakes.
In good news, no sewage spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida. Of course, certain cities (Quitman, Ashburn) almost always report a week or more late, so stay tuned on that.
The most recent data we have from Valdosta is for Monday upstream, which was before the Wednesday and Thursday rains. So WWALS data is what we have to go on, and the WWALS results are pretty bad. Continue reading
This was a nice, short, one-mile paddle on the Alapaha River from Hotchkiss Road Landing beyond US 84, past the then-future site of Naylor Boat Ramp. All on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT). Thanks to Chris Graham for leading this paddle.
![[Hotchkiss Road Landing, Shoals, Naylor Beach, US 84 bridge, Alapaha River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2014-08-24--alapaha/many.jpg)
Hotchkiss Road Landing, Shoals, Naylor Beach, US 84 bridge, Alapaha River
Update 2022-05-12: Pictures: Pafford’s Landing cleanup 2022-04-16.
Join us for a cleanup at the white sand beach of Pafford’s Landing on the Alapaha River east of Lakeland, Georgia. This is one of the WWALS events celebrating Earth Day 2022.
When: Gather 9 AM, end 12 PM, Saturday, April 16, 2022
Put In: Pafford’s Landing, east of Lakeland, GA, on the south side of GA 122 and GA 37, into the woods, on the right bank (west side) of the Alapaha River, in Lanier County, on the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail.
Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along. No boat is required, but if you want to bring one, you can use it.
Free: This outing is free to everyone!
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
![[Pafford's Landing ARWT signs, beach with view of bridge]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-16--cleanup-paffords-landing/many.jpg)
Pafford’s Landing ARWT signs, beach with view of bridge.
Update 2022-03-26: Bad downstream Withlacoochee River 2022-03-24.
Surprisingly, after the recent rains, the rivers show mostly clear again. Apparently the efforts of the cattle owners in Brooks County, Georgia, to be part of the solution are working.
I would not hesitate to boat, swim, or fish in the Withlacoochee River today. After checking water levels: they may still be high. And the Alapaha and Little Rivers showed even better results. All could change with more rain, but for now it’s a go, so far as we know.
Meanwhile, could people stop stealing our water trail signs? Looks like somebody even stole the signposts at Nankin.
The most recent results we have from Valdosta are from Monday, both upstream and downstream. Their Friday and Monday downstream results for Okapilco Creek @ US 84 confirm what our WWALS results for last Thursday at Knights Ferry on the Withlacoochee indicated: contamination coming down Okapilco Creek from Brooks County. However, that contamination apparently was diluted by high Withlacoochee River levels, and E. coli on the river did not exceed limits for Friday or Monday.
Valdosta did get higher Fecal coliform than E. coli for Friday Continue reading
![[Booth, speech, kayak]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-05-07--no-water-no-beer/many.jpg)
![[Collage]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2019-03-23--wwals-alapaha-mayday/many.jpg)
![[Chart, rivers, Swim Guide]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-07--wq/many.jpg)
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-03-17--wq/many.jpg)