Tag Archives: Knights Ferry Boat Ramp

Pictures: Tire, rim, antique bottles, pull-top cans, traffic cone, RCA TV, and wasp nest from Withlacoochee River, KF to Nankin 2025-11-12

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Kyle Keller found a vintage Coca-Cola bottle made in Valdosta, Scotti Jay and Will Hart found antique pull-tab cans, and Will pulled up a tire rim with a bottle embedded. Melissa Stewart raised a traffic cone, a large piece of metal, a tire, an RCA TV, and a wasp nest.

In addition to these things we could find only at very low water, everybody found the usual more recent single-use throwaway plastic bottles, styrofoam cups, and cans.

[Traffic cone, big metal, tire, rim, antique bottles, pull-tab cans, RCA TV, wasp nest, WWALS Withlacoochee River cleanup, Part 2 of KF to Nankin 2025-11-22]
Traffic cone, big metal, tire, rim, antique bottles, pull-tab cans, RCA TV, wasp nest, WWALS Withlacoochee River cleanup, Part 2 of KF to Nankin 2025-11-22

Here’s a video:

https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/1267738521828643

https://youtu.be/W_VkwSm2e80?si=lMh1LKJdmqJoW3Cc Continue reading →

Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? 2205-11-22

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Update 2025-12-02: Pictures: Tire, rim, antique bottles, pull-top cans, traffic cone, RCA TV, and wasp nest from Withlacoochee River, KF to Nankin 2025-11-12.

It was running a steady stream even though the Withlacoochee River was very low, when we set out to paddle from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp on Saturday, November 22, 2025.

Scotti Jay first asked this question: What is the source of this creek’s water?

[Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? Is it from a spring?]
Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? Is it from a spring?

Here’s a video of this little creek running:

https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/2640393432991196

https://youtu.be/3Ws6mzlmWcs Continue reading →

Pictures: Knights Ferry to Nankin Clean Up, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-22

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Update 2025-12-02: Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? 2205-11-22.

At Knights Ferry Boat Ramp we collected some trash, including three mattresses. Our shuttle provider was Will Hart’s State Line River Outfitters.

We installed new versions of the signs for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT). Thanks to Micah Cofield for digging the posthole. The third try found a spot with no rocks. These signs were mostly paid for by a generous grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR).

I’ve lost count how many sets of signs we’ve installed at Knights Ferry. I think this was the fourth set. Y’all don’t shoot them up this time, eh?

[Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Mattresses, signs, and trash, Old Bridge pilings, Canoe on the bottom 2025-11-22]
Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Mattresses, signs, and trash, Old Bridge pilings, Canoe on the bottom 2025-11-22

Thanks to Maya Loizeaux for collecting trash. Micah and Maya did not paddle, but they helped.

Thanks to Pam Maxwell for coming down to join WWALS. She did not paddle.

This is part one of the WWALS cleanup from Knights Ferry to Nankin Boat Ramp, on November 22, 2025, led by Will Hart and Scotti Jay.

Our seven paddlers saw the pilings of Old Knights Ferry Bridge sticking out. Before that bridge was built, there was Knights Ferry. Now there is no bridge and no ferry, but you still get there on Knights Ferry Road.

Will Hart spotted a boat on the bottom. We did not raise it. We did raise a bunch of other things later.

We snaked through a couple of sets of rocks in the first quarter mile downstream.

Here’s a video:

https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/853304003762459

https://youtu.be/gwKm-c1ObpM Continue reading →

Knights Ferry to Nankin Clean Up, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-22

Update 2025-11-30: Pictures: Knights Ferry to Nankin Clean Up, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-22.

Join us to clean up this stretch of the beautiful black water Withlacoochee River.

The river is very low, so be sure to bring a rope for the front of your boat, for dragging through Clyattville-Nankin Shoal and possibly over other rocks along the way.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, November 22, 2025

Put In: Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, 6499 Knights Ferry Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.71205, -83.45554

[Knights Ferry to Nankin Clean Up, Withlacoochee River, Low Water; bring a rope, Saturday, November 22, 2025]
Knights Ferry to Nankin Clean Up, Withlacoochee River, Low Water; bring a rope, Saturday, November 22, 2025

Continue reading →

Okapilco Creek 2025-03-22

Downstream from Spook Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, Phil Hubbard and I took a side trip up Okapilco Creek.

[Okapilco Creek 2025-03-22, Withlacoochee River, Piscola Creek, Patrick Creek]
Okapilco Creek 2025-03-22, Withlacoochee River, Piscola Creek, Patrick Creek

We passed Piscola Creek and Patrick Creek.

We went up Okapilco Creek about a mile. Then we encountered a deadfall across the creek. We could have sawed it in a few minutes. But our main mission was checking passage on the Withlacoochee River, so we turned back.

There was very little trash in Okapilco Creek. We collected some of it.

Phil Royce had declined to follow us up the creek, so we caught up with him down near Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. Stay tuned for that.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for Continue reading →

Walkaround Quitman large sewage settling pond 2022-07-26

These pictures of Quitman’s large sewage settling pond appear to show evidence of recent sewage runoff from these ponds, as well as holes in the fence and a rather rotted pier. They were taken Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Water quality testing downstream the day before indicates something contaminated Okapilco Creek and the Withlacoochee River downstream after rains a day before that.

For months I have been asking for a tour of Quitman’s sewage facilities to see if conditions have improved.

[Quitman sewage settling ponds: Spills? 2025-07-26, None reported, WQ monitoring says maybe]
Quitman sewage settling ponds: Spills? 2025-07-26, None reported, WQ monitoring says maybe

On the preceding Sunday, July 24, 2022, there had been more than an inch of rain on Quitman. I find no Quitman reports for July 2022 in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

Yet Valdosta’s water quality monitoring for that Monday got 1,000 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Okapilco Creek at US 84 (US 221), which is downstream of those Quitman settling ponds and upstream of the nearest dairy. Valdosta got worse on the Withlacoochee River downstream of Okapilco Creek at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp: 2,700. Continue reading →

Quitman: Noncompliance, 9 effluent violations, 5 sewage spills, 11 monitoring violations, 1 reporting violation –GA-EPD Nov 2022 – Oct 2023

Update 2024-06-17: GA-EPD has said why they did not return followup water quality testing results.

Update 2024-06-11: Quitman, GA, utility maps 2022-01-03.

Update 2024-06-07: Filthy Franks Creek, clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, despite Ashburn spill 2024-06-05.

Back on December 27, 2023, I sent what I thought was a routine request to the city of Quitman, Georgia, for state-required followup testing after a major sewage spill.

After four requests to Quitman and two to GA-EPD, I finally got a response from GA-EPD this Wednesday, five months later.

This foot-dragging was quite surprising, since previously I had sent such requests to Quitman and they had their former sewer system contractor send the test results within the statutory three days of the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA).

[Quitman, GA, Noncompliant for Nov 2022 - Oct 2023 --GA-EPD, 9 effluent, 5 spills,, 11 monitoring, 1 reporting]
Quitman, GA, Noncompliant for Nov 2022 – Oct 2023 –GA-EPD, 9 effluent, 5 spills,, 11 monitoring, 1 reporting

The GA-EPD response still did not contain the followup test results, but it did show GA-EPD had already taken action for that an other Quitman sewage spills, effluent violations, monitoring violations, and a reporting violation.

Update 2024-06-17: GORArequest.Water@dnr.ga.gov answered on June 7, 2024 my followup questions of that same day:

John,

The LON was sent November 7, 2023. The spill report indicates 5,000 gallons spilled into a drainage ditch. The volume did not exceed 10,000 gallons, so stream monitoring would not be required. EPD’s database has been updated to revise the volume from 12,000 gallons to 5,000 gallons.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thanks

This is the subject sewage spill, according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD)’s Sewage Spills Report of July 21, 2023. Continue reading →

Pictures: Yes Another Knights Ferry to Nankin Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-05

Most of it was legacy trash from Valdosta, but there was less trash downstream on the Withlacoochee River than last time.

The trash jams we previously cleaned up had not accumulated as much, and we did not find as many new ones, from Knights Ferry to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramps.

Thanks to Russell Allen McBride for leading this cleanup, and to all the others who helped.

[Trash canoes, trash pickers, creek, etc. KF to Nankin Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-05]
Trash canoes, trash pickers, creek, etc. KF to Nankin Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-05

Here’s a WWALS video playlist of some high points:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-QyVkD0g7psED1GhTRUZ63no&si=OGTmLnmlNCgWw4yW Continue reading →

Knights Ferry to Nankin, Withlacoochee River, 2024-02-24

Update 2024-02-23: Outing CANCELLED due to high and cold water.

Paddle with us 6.58 miles downstream on dark water with one set of shoals. People have reported seeing blue woodpeckers in the area as well as kingfisher and several others.

When: Gather 9:30 AM, launch 10:30 AM, end 5 PM, Saturday, February 24, 2024

Put In: Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, 6499 Knights Ferry Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.71205, -83.45554

[Knights Ferry to Nankin, Withlacoochee River, 2022-12-17 and 2022-12-03]
Knights Ferry to Nankin, Withlacoochee River, 2022-12-17 and 2022-12-03

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 →