Tag Archives: John S. Quarterman

Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Troupville 2026-03-21

Update 2026-03-21: The water level is now too low for the jon boat. Still meet at Troupville Boat Ramp to decide on the actual put in with a WWALS canoe and any kayaks or canoes you bring.

Launching the WWALS jonboat from the Troupville Ramp, around the Little River Confluence and up the Withlacoochee River, we will remove deadfalls and debris to permit passage as far upstream as we are able within an approximate 6 hour time frame. Volunteers do not have to use a chainsaw if not experianced. Help with debris and trash removal as well as photos and videos assistance are always welcome. Bring your kayak and join this adventure.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 3:30 PM, Saturday, March 21, 2026

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Troupville, 9 AM, 2026-03-21]
Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Troupville, 9 AM, 2026-03-21

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WFNF Update, an interactive WWALS Webinar 2026-03-25

A more interactive than usual WWALS Webinar update about what happened in the previous week’s meetings on Water First North Florida (WFNF), the plan to pipe treated wastewater from Jacksonville into the Suwannee River Basin.

https://wwals.net/issues/wfnf

Hailey Hall will give a brief rundown.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman will expand, especially on modern desalination examples.

Then we will keep it casual and conversational. We will field and pose questions, and “popcorn share”. We will call on various people if they are present, and others can chime in.

When: 6 PM, Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Put In: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zDdB5oQARxeUvH8U7ypW4A

[WFNF Update, an interactive WWALS Webinar, Online by zoom, 6 PM, Wednesday, March 25, 2026]
WFNF Update, an interactive WWALS Webinar, Online by zoom, 6 PM, Wednesday, March 25, 2026

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Filthy Sugar Creek 2026-03-12

Sugar Creek is filthy again, according to a WWALS sample of Thursday.

All the Withlacoochee River results we have are clean, but the most recent are from Monday, so we don’t know what conditions are like now.

The Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean for Thursday samples.

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

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, but I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River downstream from Sugar Creek.

Come join us today, Saturday, at the WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival 2026-03-14, in Drexel Park, on One Mile Branch, in Valdosta, Georgia.

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for the details.

[Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2026-03-12, Clean Santa Fe River, Withlacoochee unknown]
Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2026-03-12, Clean Santa Fe River, Withlacoochee unknown

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival 2026-03-14-15

Come help WWALS celebrate spring with 30,000 of our south Georgia and north Florida friends.

That’s in Drexel Park, Valdosta, Georgia, this Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, 2026.

The festival starts at 9 AM each day, and runs until 6 PM Saturday and 5 PM Sunday.

We’ll be at our usual location at the entrance on Slater and Brookwood.

GPS: 30.848576, -83.285556.

Drexel Park is on One Mile Branch, which runs into Sugar Creek, into the Withlacoochee River, on the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

[WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival, Valdosta, GA, March 14-15, 2026]
WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival, Valdosta, GA, March 14-15, 2026

If you are a WWALS member, you can come help give out flyers and answer questions about outings and events, advocacy and education.

We’re on our own this year, because Continue reading →

Videos: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek 2026-02-28

We continued chainsawing downstream on the Withlacoochee River, starting at the train trestle.

Phil Hubbard and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman cut passage for kayaks, canoes, and jon boats through hurricane deadfalls. We got through a bunch of deadfalls, past the other train trestle beside the river, before paddling back up.

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson came to see us off, wearing a tie, on his way to a day of funerals.

[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek downstream, 2026-02-21]
Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek downstream, 2026-02-21

Here is some video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1458995909184651/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVZGwxMiPky/

https://youtu.be/j1xd3FdCw-M

We are preparing for the Mayor andd Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Saturday, March 7, 2026.

We used several of our own chainsaws, and the Husqvarna 460 Rancher 24-inch chainsaw bought with a generous grant to WWALS from Wild Green Future.

We will continue chainsaw cleanups later.

There are many pictures below.

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. Continue reading →

Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Troupville to Spook Bridge, 2026-03-07

Back at the original date, because we got enough rain. And the old original route: Troupville Boat Ramp to Spook Bridge.

Suwannee Riverkeeper invites you to paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter on the idyllic Withlacoochee River.

Thanks to Joe Brownlee for a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.

[Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, March 7, 2026]
Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, March 7, 2026

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 9 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 7, 2026

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602.
From I-75 exit 18, go west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall; at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp.
GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536 Continue reading →

Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Withlacoochee River 2026-04-18

Update 2026-02-27: Rescheduled back to the original date: Mayor and Chairmans Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge 2026-03-07.

Rescheduled due to low water, to Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Suwannee Riverkeeper invites you to paddle on the idyllic Withlacoochee River with the Mayor of Valdosta and the Lowndes County Commission Chairman.

Mayor Scott James Matheson and Chairman Bill Slaughter always seem to enjoy this outing, and you will, too.

Under towering oaks, cypress, and longleaf pines, we will pass the most populous city and county in the Suwannee River Basin and the site of the future Troupville Nature Park and River Camp, on the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

Thanks to Phil Hubbard for once again leading this paddle.

Thanks to Joe Brownlee for a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.

Thanks to Paul Batts and Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for agreeing to bring shuttle vans.

The city and county will probably also post their own announcements.

[Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, April 18, 2026]
Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, April 18, 2026

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 9 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, April 18, 2026

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp or Troupville Boat Ramp
Which put in will depend on water levels and any remaining obstructions in the river.
WWALS will announce that decision in advance. Continue reading →

Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers, cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers 2026-02-19

Update 2026-02-27: Valdosta dry land sewage spill 2026-02-25.

Update 2026-02-25: Solid Waste Open Dump Consent Order on Dwight Caton in Berrien County, GA 2025-12-22.

Avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River from there to the Little River Confluence.

We’ve postponed the chainsaw cleanup on that stretch for a week, to February 28.

https://wwals.net/?p=69438

The Alapaha, Little, and Santa Fe Rivers tested good. The New River tested OK at US 82, but as usual bad upstream.

This is all from WWALS results for Thursday (and Wednesday for the Santa Fe). We have no new results from Valdosta Utilities since our last report, when they got horrible numbers for the Withlacoochee at GA 133 and US 84.

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

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this sunny Saturday, before the cold snap sets in.

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for the details.

[Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers; Cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers; Avoid Withlacoochee River below Sugar Creek 2026-02-19]
Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers; Cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers; Avoid Withlacoochee River below Sugar Creek 2026-02-19

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek to Troupville 2026-02-28

Update 2026-03-02: Videos: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek downstream 2026-02-28.

Update 2026-02-20: Rescheduled to Saturday, February 28, 2026, due to continued bad water quality.

Last time was fun and productive, so we’re continuing chainsawing downstream on the Withlacoochee River.

Meet at the Salty Snapper parking lot. Unless it’s raining; then we’ll try for Sunday.

We will cut passage for kayaks, canoes, and jon boats through hurricane deadfalls. You do not have to use a saw: you can pull sawed limbs aside, collect trash, photograph, or just paddle along.

The river is very low. This is convenient for sawing through dead trees while standing on the river bottom. But beware there will be much dragging of boats.

We are preparing for the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 3 PM, Saturday, February 28, 2026
We may continue the following day, Sunday.

Put In: Gather in Salty Snapper parking lot, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602-2232

GPS: 30.861251, -83.3189

[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek, Downstream 2026-02-21]
Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek, Downstream 2026-02-21

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Filthy Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2026-02-17

Update 2026-02-21: Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers, cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers 2026-02-19.

WWALS got filthy river results on the Withlacoochee River at US 41 and Langdale Park Boat Ramp for Monday, but Valdosta Utilities got even worse at GA 133 and US 84 for Tuesday.

In between, WWALS got pretty bad on Hightower Creek, but the worst on Sugar Creek, both for Tuesday.

Yet downstream in Florida, WWALS got clean on the Withlacoochee River for Tuesday.

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

So this filthiness is probably first flush after the Sunday rains. That’s a utilities term: after a long drought, a big rain washes the woods, which animals have been using as a latrine.

If so, the waterways will clean up in a few days as the water runs. But I’d avoid all these for a few days.

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for the details.

[Filthy Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2026-02-17, After big rains, But clean far downstream]
Filthy Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2026-02-17, After big rains, But clean far downstream

Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →