Tag Archives: Little River

Tifton: Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council 2022-11-02

The Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council (SSRWPC) is gathering information on river conditions, such as water level too high or too low to paddle, and fish habitat information. So if you are an outfitter or other knowledgeable person, you may want to attend, in person or via telephone or teams. Dr. Wei Zeng has already done this for some other RWPCs, and now he is doing it for SSRWPC.

When: Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 9:45 A.M. to 2:30 P.M.

Where: Georgia Museum of Agriculture, Conference Room East, 1392 Whiddon Mill Road, Tifton, GA 31793

[Picture, Map, Public Notice]
Picture, Map, Public Notice

Georgia’s Regional Water Planning Councils They plan, projecting water use, water levels, groundwater, wastewater, population growth or decrease, etc. County Comprehensive Plans typically then include those plans by reference. Unlike Florida’s Water Management Districts, Georgia’s RWPCs have no staff, almost no funding, and no ability to tax nor issue permits. Continue reading →

Good water quality 2022-10-13

Update 2022-10-21: Clean water quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, Rivers 2022-10-20.

Update 2022-10-18: Forever chemicals contaminate Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida 2022-10-18.

Looks good for fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

WWALS downstream water quality results for Thursday on the Withlacoochee were good. WWALS upstream tests were OK. Monday Valdosta upstream results were OK. No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

Valdosta detected something for Wednesday and Friday last week at US 41 and GA 133, when there was no rain. That could have been more contamination coming from Cat Creek and Beatty Branch. Whatever the source, why with no rain?

If we get more rain, WWALS will test upstream and see what we can catch. Continue reading →

WWALS at Brooks County Skillet Fest, 2022-10-15

Update 2023-10-17: Pictures.

Food and fun in a park. Maybe you’d like to help at the WWALS booth.

[WWALS Booth, Skillet Fest]
WWALS Booth, Skillet Fest

When: 9 AM, Saturday, October 15, 2022

Put In: Brooks County Courthouse, 100 Screven Street, Quitman, Georgia 31643

GPS: 30.785667, -83.559660 Continue reading →

Clean rivers 2022-10-06

Update 2022-10-14: Good water quality 2022-10-13.

So far as we know, from WWALS test results for Thursday, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

No new sewer spills have been reported in Georgia or Florida in the Suwannee River Basin.

The most recent results we have from Valdosta are from Friday a week ago. And those illustrate a problem; see below.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

WWALS tester Elizabeth Brunner got good results at her usual GA 122 sites: Folsom Bridge on the Little River, Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, and Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.

The rivers are so low she got a picture of the pilings of Old Hagan Bridge. Continue reading →

Pictures: Hahira Honeybee Festival and Parade 2022-10-01

Thanks to the dozen WWALS volunteers who helped at the WWALS booth and in the parade at the Hahira Honeybee Festival, September 30 and October 1, 2022.

[Parade and Booth 2022-10-01]
Parade and Booth 2022-10-01

That’s Scotti Jay in the truck and Sara Jay on the raffle kayak in the parade. Continue reading →

Good Water Quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha Rivers 2022-09-29

Update 2022-10-08: Clean rivers 2022-10-06.

Withlacoochee, Little, and Alapaha Rivers declared safe from Hurricane Ian. Maybe as clean as we’ve ever seen!

Happy boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend! Join us tomorrow on the Alapaha River plus hike to the Dead River Sink.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

This is despite yet another small Valdosta sewage spill, this time last Friday on Lake Sheri, which drains into the Withlacoochee River just upstream from I-75.

Friday, September 23, 2022, was also the day WWALS tester Scotti Jay discovered a fish kill in One Mile Branch starting on the VSU campus.

Valdosta has not reported any test results for that day; I don’t know why. Valdosta results for Monday, September 26th are normal. Those are the most recent results Valdosta has published. Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee River water quality test results then One Mile Branch fish kill 2022-09-22

Update 2022-10-01: Good Water Quality, Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha Rivers 2022-09-29.

Update 2022-09-25: High E. coli near One Mile Branch fish kill, and maybe fuel spill 2022-09-23.

Thursday WWALS test results are very good. The most recent Valdosta test results from Valdosta are for Monday, and they are also good.

But Friday WWALS found a fish kill in One Mile Branch starting at Valdosta State University. That is upstream from Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River. Later today we should have some E. coli test results from One Mile Branch.

[Chart, River, Swim Guide]
Chart, River, Swim Guide

Ashburn had yet another sewage spill a week ago into Hat Creek upstream on the Alapaha River, and High Springs had a spill Thursday a week ago near the Santa Fe River. Both were so small they probably had no detectable effect on river water quality.

So I would swim, boat, and fish in the Withlacoochee River downstream from the Little River Confluence. But I would avoid the Withlacoochee River from there up to Sugar Creek. Continue reading →

Hahira Honeybee Festival Booth, 2022-09-30

Update 2022-10-03: Pictures: Hahira Honeybee Festival and Parade 2022-10-01

Arts, crafts, food. Often 25,000 people see the WWALS booth. You can help at the booth, or on Saturday you can join us in the parade at noon.

[Honeybee, Suwannee Riverkeeper in parade, WWALS booth]
Honeybee, Suwannee Riverkeeper in parade, WWALS booth

Continue reading →

Clean Rivers 2022-09-15

Update 2022-09-19: Ashburn sewage problem and Moultrie 2022-09-16.

Good news: all clean in all the WWALS water quality tests on the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers for Thursday. Happy fishing, swimming, and boating!

Maybe see you tomorrow morning on the Roline to Hunter Creek Suwannee River paddle. The Suwannee River is usually clean upstream anyway.

[Chart, Rivers, Map]
Chart, Rivers, Map

Thanks to WWALS tester Elizabeth Brunner for her usual three GA 122 sites, on the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers, all results good. Thanks to WWALS testers Michael and Jacob Bachrach for testing their usual three downstream Withlacoochee River sites at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps.

There’s no update from Valdosta after its dire Monday results for GA 133 and US 84. But first Continue reading →

Add Santa Fe River to Suwannee Riverkeeper territory 2019-07-17

Back in 2019, after one final calibration with Our Santa Fe River, WWALS asked WATERKEEPR® Alliance to add the Santa Fe River Basin to the territory of Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®. They approved that request on September 26, 2019. Since then, Suwannee Riverkeeper territory has included the entire Suwannee River Basin and Estuary.

[Request letter and expanded territory approved 2019-09-26]
Request letter and expanded territory approved 2019-09-26

Apparently we never published this addition, and lately we’ve needed to refer to it. So here is the request that WKA approved. Plus a current map of the entire Basin and Estuary. Continue reading →