Tag Archives: Kimberly Tanner

Banks Lake Full Beaver Moon Paddle 2023-11-27

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Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on our watery living room, Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Before we paddle, we will be drawing the winning raffle ticket for a Vibe Sea Ghost 130 kayak; you can still get raffle tickets.

When: Gather 4:30 PM, launch 5 PM, moonrise 5:40 PM, sunset 5:31 PM, end 6:40 PM, Monday, November 27, 2023

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full moon rising over Holly Jones and family in the raffle kayak they won 2022-12-07]
Full moon rising over Holly Jones and family in the raffle kayak they won 2022-12-07

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Pictures: WWALS at Brooks County Skillet Fest 2023-10-21

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It was a good time at the WWALS booth at the Brooks County Skillet Festival.

[Collage @ Brooks County Skillet Festival 2023-10-21]
Collage @ Brooks County Skillet Festival 2023-10-21

Thanks to Jan Powell, Kimberly Tanner, and her Brazilian exchange student for assisting WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman at the WWALS booth.

Quitman is on Okapilco Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River. The Withlacoochee, and, upstream, the Little River form the east border of Brooks County with Lowndes County.

There are more pictures below.

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading →

Clean rivers, dirty Sugar Creek 2023-11-02

In yet another week with no rain, the rivers were clean: the Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers. Not so clean was Sugar Creek that runs into the Withlacoochee River, but even that was below the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test E. coli limit. That’s 14 WWALS test sites on three rivers and one creek in two states. Good baselines for later when there is contamination.

No rain is predicted for this weekend.

In the last week, no new sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

So happy swimming, boating, and fishing this weekend!

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-11-02]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-11-02

Joanne Tremblay got clean results for the Santa Fe River at High Springs Ramp @ US 41 and at US 27.

Reina Lingle got clean results for the Suwannee River at Ivey Metropolitan Park in Branford and at Royal Springs.

Kimberly Tanner says about the Alapaha River at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach, “Great results at both locations this week. And both areas were as clean as a whistle, too.”

Cindy Vedas got good results for the Withlacoochee River at Franklinville, Crawford Branch (yes, really), Staten Road, and US 41 (North Valdosta Road), with trash at US 41.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall tested Sugar Creek, and got too-high results, but clean at Knights Ferry and Nankin Boat Ramps on the Withlacoochee River. She also double-checked everybody else’s results. And the other testers cross-checked each others’ results.

Russ Tatum got clean results for the Withlacoochee River at Holly Point, between Allen Ramp and the Suwannee River.

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman delivered testing supplies to several testers. She is also our testing trainer.

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

The most recent Valdosta results we have are for Wednesday upstream, which were good. As usual, Valdosta’s last week upstream results corroborated what WWALS saw Thursday last week.

And, as previosly noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023. Continue reading →

Mostly Clean Rivers 2023-10-19

Update 2023-10-27: Clean Rivers and some dirty creeks 2023-10-26.

With no rain this week, the rivers were mostly clean: the Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers, plus Sugar Creek in Valdosta and Alligator Lake in Lake City. Except not clean were Langdale Park Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River, and Crawford Creek upstream.

No rain is predicted for this weekend.

In the last week, no new sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

So happy swimming, boating, and fishing this weekend!

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-10-19]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-10-19

Please welcome new WWALS testers Joanne Tremblay and Reina Lingle.

Joanne got very clean results at High Springs Ramp @ US 41 on the Santa Fe River.

Reina got very clean results at Ivey Metropolitan Park in Branford on the Suwannee River.

Kimberly Tanner got very clean results at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River.

WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall tested Sugar Creek, just upstream from the Withlacoochee River, and got suprisingly clean results.

Cindy Vedas was out sick, but she reviewed most everybody else’s results. I tested her sites at Franklinville, Crawford Branch (bad), and Langdale Park (worse), plus Hagan Bridge and GA 133, all on the Withlacoochee River, and Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River.

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman tested at Clyattville-Nankin and State Line Boat Ramps, plus Sullivan Launch, all on the Withlacoochee River, and at Alligator Lake Boat Ramp in Lake City, where she taught some students and delivered a test kit to Joanne.

About Nankin, she notes, “The pile of trash just off to the side of the turn around drive is still there.” Continue reading →

Banks Lake Full Hunters Moon Paddle 2023-10-28

Update 2023-11-07: Pictures: Banks Lake Full Hunters Moon Paddle 2023-10-28 2023-10-28.

Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, right after the Halloween full moon costume contest.

When: Gather 5:40 PM, launch 5:45 PM, moonrise 6:45 PM, sunset 6:48 PM, end 7:45 PM, Saturday, October 28, 2023

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Banners, Boating witch, Lights 2020-10-31]
Banners, Boating witch, Lights 2020-10-31

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Pictures: Hahira Honeybee Parade 2023-10-07

Thanks to Cindy Vedas for paddling the Eddyline Sandpiper raffle kayak in the Hahira Honeybee Festival parade.

Raffle tickets are $100, and the winner will be drawn when 30 are taken.

[Cindy Vedas in kayak, Paddling, Train depot, WWALS booth @ Hahira Honeybee parade 2023-10-07]
Cindy Vedas in kayak, Paddling, Train depot, WWALS booth @ Hahira Honeybee parade 2023-10-07

Thanks to WWALS booth volunteers Kimberly Tanner, Jo Ford, Rindy Kennedy, Jan Powell, Gee Edwards, Michael Bachrach, and anybody else I have neglected to name.

Thanks especially to WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman for organizing the WWALS booth.

There are more pictures below.

See also Kimberly Tanner’s facebook video of the WWALS parade float from the WWALS booth, and the Friday pictures.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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Clean Rivers, filthy Sugar Creek 2023-10-05

The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers all tested good for Thursday, October 5, 2023.

But Sugar Creek was way too high in E. coli. Is Valdosta still leaking sewage from that River Street spill?

Yet downstream at GA 133 the Withlacoochee River was good.

There has been no rain this week.

So happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

Except Langdale Park, which is still walk-in only.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-10-05]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-10-05

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

The most recent Valdosta results we have are for Monday upstream (good) and the Friday five weeks ago, September 1st, downstream (not bad).

Valdosta’s last week upstream results corroborated what WWALS saw after last week’s rain.

In the last week, no new sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

Thanks to Kimberly Tanner for testing the Alapaha River at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach: both showed very little E. coli.

Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman for testing State Line and Nankin Boat Ramps and Folsom Bridge Landing @ GA 122 on the Little River.

Thanks to Heather Brasell for testing upstream on the Alapaha River last Saturday. Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha River 2023-09-28

Update 2023-10-13: Filthy creeks and Withlacoochee River 2023-10-12.

Kim Tanner sampled for WWALS the last two weeks on the Alapaha River at Lakeland Boat Ramp at GA 122 (on the left) and at Naylor Park Beach at UA 84 (center). She got clean results both weeks.

[Two clean weeks on the Alapaha River]
Two clean weeks on the Alapaha River

For last Thursday she got zero E. coli at both locations: can’t get better than that. For this Thursday she got 230 cfu/100 mL at Lakeland and 33 at Naylor. 230 is above the 126 preferred monthly mean, but well below the 410 one-time sample limit.

She did note that there is still no trash can at Naylor Beach (see right picture). Presumably Hurricane Idalia did away with it.

As reported yesterday, there has been no rain since Tuesday, and no new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida in the last two weeks.

So happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend on the Alapaha River.

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

Thanks to Continue reading →

Mostly Clean Rivers 2023-09-28

Update 2023-09-30: Clean Alapaha River 2023-09-28.

The only place on the Withlacoochee River that tested bad for Thursday was the most stagnant location: Langdale Park Boat Ramp.

There was significant E. coli in the other locations, as well as in the Alapaha Little River at Troupville Boat Ramp, but none of the others were above the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test limit.

There was rain Tuesday, but effects of that seem to have been mostly gone by Thursday.

So I’d avoid Langdale Park, which you can’t drive into anyway.

Other than that, happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-09-28]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-09-28

If you want to get trained to be a WWALS water quality tester, please fill out the form:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

The most recent Valdosta results we have are for Monday upstream (good) and the Friday four weeks ago, September 1st, downstream (not bad).

No new sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida in the past two weeks.

Thanks to Kimberly Tanner for testing the Alapaha River last week at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach: both showed zero E. coli. Can’t get better than that. Continue reading →

Filthy upstream Withlacoochee, clean downstream and Little and Alapaha Rivers 2023-09-07

Update 2023-09-15: No water quality test results this week; Adel sewage spill two weeks ago 2023-09-14.

Update 2023-09-09: Upstream Alapaha River results.

In samples taken Thursday, WWALS testers found the Withlacoochee River filthy upstream of the Little River Confluence, at Franklinville, US 41, and GA 133.

FYI: Franklinville is upstream from Valdosta, so it’s not them this time.

So it’s a good thing we cancelled tomorrow’s Langdale Park to Sugar Creek Chainsaw Cleanup on the Withlacoochee River.

The Little River and the Alapaha River tested clean.

Update 2023-09-09: Except at the outflow creek from the Alapaha, GA, WWTP, where Heather Brasell got way-too-high 1,900 E. coli. However, she got zero for the Alapaha River just upstream from Sheboggy Boat Ramp at US 82; can’t get much better than that.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-09-07]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-09-07

On the Little River, the Withlacoochee River downstream of the Little River Confluence, and the Alapaha River, happy swimming, fishing, and boating, as long as you don’t mind the rivers being high and fast.

We are still short-handed for WWALS volunteer water quality testers. Maybe you’d like to become one. Sign up here:
https://wwals.net/?p=47084

Three new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia, all from Continue reading →