Tag Archives: Knights Ferry Boat Ramp

E. coli at Troupville, Little River Confluence, and Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2019-12-21

2019-12-25: Even filthier E. coli counts at Knights Ferry on Withlacoochee River 2019-12-24.

The Withlacoochee River is still filthy with Valdosta’s record-largest raw sewage spill. Please don’t even touch the river water from Sugar Creek in Valdosta all the way to the Florida state line and beyond into Hamilton and Madison Counties, Florida. If you have a well near the Withlacoochee River in that area, there is free well testing available from Lowndes County (and maybe Brooks County), Georgia, and Hamilton and Madison Counties, Florida.

[Green at the Confluence]
Photo: Scotti Jay, Green at the Confluence, with Sara Jay preparing to test, 2019-12-21.

Slightly upstream from the Little River Confluence, Sara Jay tested Saturday and got 533 cfu/100 ml E. coli. This is in between the numbers she got a bit upstream at the GA 133 Withlacoochee Bridge, 633 last Tuesday and 433 on Thursday.

[Sugar Creek via Ga 133 to US 84]
Sugar Creek via Ga 133 to US 84, Withlacoochee River with the GA 133 bridge highlighted,
on the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

As reported yesterday, Saturday Suzy Hall saw 4,966 cfu/100 ml at Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, which is up in the ranges of Continue reading →

E. coli at Little River Confluence, Spook Bridge, and Knights Ferry, Withlacoochee River 2019-12-21

2019-12-24: E. coli at Troupville, Little River Confluence, and Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2019-12-21.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hahira, GA, Monday, December 23, 2019 — At Knights Ferry Boat Ramp Saturday Suzy Hall tested 4,966.67 cfu/100 ml E. coli, far higher than anything previously recorded there, and almost five times the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream alert level. There were still no warning signs, not at Knights Ferry, and not at State Line Boat Ramp, where Suzy Hall got 100 cfu/100 ml, when all our previous readings were zero (0).

“It appears that Valdosta’s record-largest wastewater has caused a public health emergency in the Withlacoochee River and Valdosta is not even warning people about it at river access locations,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. “Florida is being proactive; what is Valdosta doing? How about Lowndes Health? Lowndes County (didn’t cause this problem, but needs to help deal with it). GA-EPD? EPA? Statehouse and Congressional delegations? This report will go to all of them today.”

[Knights Ferry & State Line Ramps]
Photo: Suzy Hall, of her Petrifilms of water samples taken from the Withlacoochee River at Knights Ferry & State Line Boat Ramps.
Method: count blue dots with bubbles (E. coli colonies) on each plate.
Add the counts, divide by three, and multiply by 100, to get colony forming units (cfu) per 100 mililiter of water.

The Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Bacterial Monitoring manual says: Continue reading →

Still dirty at GA 133 Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2019-12-19

Update 2019-12-22: Raining now, sending Valdosta sewage downstream; Florida warns; Valdosta does what? 2019-12-22.

As of Thursday, the Withlacoochee River was still dirty at GA 133 with E. coli, presumably from Valdosta’s record-largest sewage spill. Sara Jay’s reading went down from 633 to 433 cfu/100 ml, but that’s still way above baseline, which is below 100.

[Linegraph]
Linegraph in Georgia Adopt-A-Stream for Site: [S-6593] Withlacoochee River at GA 133 (from the bridge).

WWALS is testing there again, and downstream, at US 84, Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramp, to track the progress of this contamination, as it makes its way towards Florida. Continue reading →

WWALS water quality data, Withlacoochee River, after Valdosta record sewage 2019-12-12

Update 2019-12-17: City of Valdosta Water Quality Testing, Gornto Rd., US 84 2019-12-12.

Good news: WWALS data from the Withlacoochee River matches SRWMD data from the Suwannee River. Both showed clean of E. coli bacteria. This is mystifying: where is the sewage from Valdosta’s record largest sewage spill? So we’ve got WWALS data and SRWMD data posted. Valdosta, where is your data?

Results of WWALS testing Wednesday: zero (no) E. coli at State Line Boat Ramp, Nankin Boat Ramp, and Knights Ferry Boat Ramp showed zero (0) at all three locations.

You can donate to help pay for the Petrifilms and other equipment.

[Sean McCarthy, Scotti Jay, Sara Jay]
Sean McCarthy, Scotti Jay, Sara Jay at State Line Ramp.

This is not what we expected.

Our Petrifilm and incubator methods are not as precise as Florida’s fancy methods, as in we don’t usually detect levels as low as what Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) reported yesterday, so our zeroes are Continue reading →

Spooks of the Bridge, Water Trail Signs, and Porta-Potties: #PaddleGA2019 Day 2 2019-06-16

Spooks! Daredevil dry-land kayaker! Bridge climber! Gnarly jerky and the golf cart! Also the Withlacoochee River at Spook Bridge, Knight’s Ferry Boat Ramp, Nankin Boat Ramp, each with road and kiosk signs for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, plus briefly Port-A-Potties at all those places and halfway back up towards Troupville Boat Ramp, and a gopher tortoise, all during Day 2 of #PaddleGA2019.

[Joe Cook and Harold Harbert]
Joe Cook and Harold Harbert

There were boats. Continue reading →

Agatized Coral, Withlacoochee River 2019-06-15

Semi-precious gemstones in the Withlacoochee River bed, during Day 2 of #PaddleGA2019, above Knights Ferry Boat Ramp.

[Withlacoochee River, Lowndes County]
Withlacoochee River, Lowndes County

Continue reading →

Paddle Georgia on Scott James Radio 8AM 2019-06-14

All about Paddle Georgia #PaddleGA2019, PaddleGA2019 (back on the original route, starting at Troupville!) on the radio 8:00 AM tomorrow, Friday, June 14, 2019, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman with Scott James on his Talk 92.1 drive-time radio show, out of Valdosta, Georgia.

We’ll be working out the final details for Scott James broadcasting from the Suwannee Riverkeeper Aircraft Carrier Saturday morning, as Paddle Georgia’s 300 paddlers set out downstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, just west of Valdosta.

Also Saturday morning, 8AM to 10AM, Helen Tapp and WWALS will be set up at the Little River Confluence, with water trail and other information. That’s on land Helen and her cousins are trying to get funded to turn into a park.

Scott James Talk 92.1 drive-time radio show
Photo: John S. Quarterman, Scott James radio 2019-02-22.

Friday WWALS will be planting signs at Troupville Boat Ramp for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT), and at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line.

Tickets are still available for the Journey’s End Feast, Friday, June 21st, in Dowling Park, Florida, on the Suwannee River. That Feast is catered by WWALS by The Salty Snapper of Valdosta, Georgia.

The Salty Snapper will also be the venue for the Second Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Saturday August 24.

When: Approximately 8:00 AM, Friday, June 14, 2019

Where: You can listen on the air, or through the radio show’s own website, or through several online listening services.

Event: facebook.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!