This is part 2 of the Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup of Sunday, March 29, 2026.
Part 1 was downstream.
Here we go upstream, with Brianna Schawalder of Trails4Valdosta in her canoe, helping pull limbs aside and photographing, and Russell Hassenstab of Kona Ice paddling the Suwannee Riverkeeper Old Town Canoe, while Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman chainsaws.
Here are some video snippets.
Thanks to Continue reading
Update 2026-04-26: Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Upstream, Withlacoochee River 2026-03-29.
Brianna Schawalder of Trails4Valdosta and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman did some sawing from the Suwannee Riverkeeper Old Town Canoe, but most of the work downstream from Langdale Park Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River was done by Austin Roark and his equipment and crew from Roark’s Land Clearing and Restoration.
They removed the snaggly tree just downstream from the boat ramp that was making fishing and paddling difficult. And a tree a bit farther down that stuck so far across it was eroding the right bank.
Cindy Vedas come to staff a WWALS table at the boat ramp.
Phil Hubbard couldn’t come because he had the flu.
Here are a few video snippets:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/931293323150513/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXjp9PFCLct/
After we went upstream and back (stay tuned for that report), whole families were fishing where those trees had been.
So that looks like success.
Thanks to all, and to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for their cooperation.
Continue readingUpdate 2026-04-26: Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Upstream, Withlacoochee River 2026-03-29.
Update 2026-04-25: Pictures: Downstream chainsawing, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2026-03-29.
Update 2026-03-23: WWALS Chainsaw Cleanups clear passage, leaving habitat 2026-03-23.
With Brianna Schawalder of Trails4Valdosta, meet at Langdale Park Boat Ramp @ 9 AM. We will remove deadfalls and debris to permit passage as far upstream on the Withlacoochee River as we are able within an approximate 6 hour time frame. Volunteers do not have to use a chainsaw if not experienced. Help with debris and trash removal as well as photos and videos assistance are always welcome. Bring your kayak and join this adventure.
You do not have to boat. You can walk along the left (east) bank of the river in Langdale Park. As Brianna Schawalder says, let’s make 2026 the Year of Outdoor Recreation in Lowndes County.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 4 PM, Sunday, March 29, 2026
Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, on Hyta Mederer Drive.
GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395
![[Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, with Trails4Valdosta]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-29--langdale-park-chainsaw-cleanup-withlacoochee-river/fbmany.jpg)
Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, with Trails4Valdosta
Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for support for all this. Continue reading
Update 2026-03-20: OK Santa Fe and Alapaha Rivers, Questionable Withlacoochee River, Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Little River 2026-03-19.
For once every river WWALS tested came out clean, and Valdosta Utilities concurs.
And even Sugar Creek tested clean at the WaterGoat, just above the Withlacoochee River.
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 sunny warm weekend.
Come join us today, Saturday, for the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge 2026-03-07.
This image is an illustration. Scroll down for the details.
![[Clean Santa Fe, New, and Withlacoochee Rivers, and Sugar Creek, 2026-03-05]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-05--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Santa Fe, New, and Withlacoochee Rivers, and Sugar Creek, 2026-03-05
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
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-07--mayor-chairmans-paddle-troupville/fbmany.jpg)
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
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-07--mayor-chairmans-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
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
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.
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.
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
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-17--wq/many.jpg)
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
In an interview yesterday by WALB TV:
Meanwhile, WWALS Watershed Coalition Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said his own research raises concerns about what large-scale data centers could mean for local water resources and river health.
Quarterman said data centers typically require significant water for cooling and large amounts of electricity to operate, which he argues can indirectly affect water resources through increased demand on power generation. He said the Suwannee River Basin and surrounding aquifer systems are closely connected, meaning impacts to surface water can also affect drinking water supplies, agriculture and recreation.
Quarterman adds that water levels in some rivers and springs are already low during drought conditions, and he said he worries additional industrial demand could place further strain on natural resources.
See also the datacenter bills in Datacenter proposed, Irwinville, near Alapaha River 2026-02-26.
Taylor Lewis, WALB News 10, February 16, 2026, updated 6 PM, 2nd South Georgia county moves to dissolve industrial authority: What it could mean for future data center builds. Continue reading
Update 2026-02-23: Rescheduled due to low water, Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper 2026-04-18.
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.
The city and county will probably also post their own announcements.
When: Gather 8 AM, launch 9 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 7, 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.
Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, March 7, 2026
![[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Langdale Park BR, Towards US 41 Bridge, Sunday, March 29, 2026]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-29--langdale-park-chainsaw-pictures/many.jpg)
![[Pictures: Downstream chainsawing, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2026-03-29, Roark Land Clearing and Restoration, Trail4Valdosta, WWALS]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-29--langdale-park-chainsaw-pictures-downstream/many.jpg)
![[Clean Santa Fe, Alapaha Rivers; Cleaner Withlacoochee, New Rivers; Avoid Withlacoochee River below Sugar Creek 2026-02-19]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-19--wq/many.jpg)
![[Datacenter water use, Irwin County Planning Commission, and Industrial Authority @ WALB TV 2026-02-16]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-16--walb-datacenters/fbmany.jpg)
![[Whirlpak 2026-02-26 --WALB TV]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-16--walb-datacenters/2026-02-26--whirlpak.jpg)