Tag Archives: Little River

All Rivers Clean 2022-03-03

Update 2022-03-11: Bad Knights Ferry heading downstream 2022-03-10.

All WWALS water quality tests are good for Thursday, including zero E. coli at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps, on the Withlacoochee River thanks to Michael and Jacob Bachrach. Elizabeth Brunner for her three GA 122 sites got 133 cfu/100 mL at Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, still well within acceptable bounds, and zero at Folsom Bridge on the Little River and zero at Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.

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

Valdosta tests for Friday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at US 41, GA 133, and US 84 were also well within bounds; thanks to Scott Fowler for publishing those today.

So all the tests we have say all clear for boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend. With no rain, no E. coli to speak of has washed into the rivers. With no rain predicted for many days, nothing should. Continue reading →

Trash boom still working; need help from Zacadoo’s, Cook Out 2022-02-26

As WWALS volunteers keep up with it, cleaning out the WWALS Sugar Creek trash boom is like the top row: not bad. Of course, no rain for weeks helps: less washes down the creek.

It would be even less if fast food outlets upstream in Valdosta such as Cook Out and Zacadoo’s (pictured) would clean up their act. And if the owners of their parking lots would put in the trash cans required by Valdosta city ordinances. Sure, there will still be people tossing trash out of their cars, but most of this mess is coming from fast food outlet parking lots.

[Boom, Trash, Cleaned]
Boom, Trash, Cleaned

Before the boom, those trashjams in the bottom row got down Sugar Creek, and there is more on the Withlacoochee and Little Rivers. Such trash, also coming out of Threemile Branch, is not good for the planned Troupville River Camp and Nature Park, featured as their number one BIG thing by One Valdosta-Lowndes and a priority of the updated Parks and Rec. Master Plan. It’s also not good for the WWALS May 7th paddle from Langdale Park to Sugar Creek and Troupville Boat Ramp or even for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

And that turtle should not have to live with that trash.

For more background, see https://wwals.net/issues/trash/.

Before

Notice the pool noodles tied on top of the boom for extra flotation. Local ingenuity! Continue reading →

Trash and 12-foot alligator at Valdosta City Council 2022-02-24

Mayor Scott James Matheson said he and Council had been discussing solutions to the trash problem, before last Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting. Afterwards he came outside and discussed that a bit more. Stay tuned.

There’s also a new Neighborhood Development and Community Protections Manager, Anetra Riley. Community Protections Manager is what they call Code Enforcement, so that is relevant to the trash problem. Continue reading →

Clean Rivers Again 2022-02-24

Update 2022-03-04: All Rivers Clean 2022-03-03.

Another clean week on the Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers, according to the water quality test results we have from WWALS and Valdosta. No rain is predicted, and no sewage spills have been reported.

So happy boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend!

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

With no rain, no E. coli washes out of Okapilco Creek (or Sugar Creek) into the Withlacoochee River.

Thanks to WWALS tester Elizabeth Brunner for the results at the three GA 122 locations for Thursday. Continue reading →

Valdosta trash in creeks and rivers 2022-02-22

We even saw the Valdosta trash problem on the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle. One paddler fell in picking up trash, and two more collected a huge bag of trash in a canoe. I think those two live in a different county.

Maybe you’d like to come say a few words tonight to the Valdosta City Council. 5:30 PM, City Hall, 216 E. Central Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601.

The WWALS trash boom at Sugar Creek is showing some promise, but there need to be more of those and people dedicated to cleaning them out, plus something done about fast food parking lots upstream, including on Threemile Branch.

[Valdosta Trash on Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, Little River]
Valdosta Trash on Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, Little River

For all about the Valdosta trash situation, see: https://wwals.net/issues/trash/

SB

Remember the second boom we put across Sugar Creek? Here’s a report from the last day of January: Continue reading →

Federal water grants funneled through Georgia to Suwannee River Basin

The Georgia Governor’s office yesterday announced grants to many cities and counties for water projects. The funds come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

Of the eighteen awardees in the Suwannee River Basin, adding up to $57,285,314.00, no surprise, Valdosta got the most. No, it’s not to fix some more of those sewer and manhole problems. It’s to build a new drinking well system, “southwest of the City limits, west of I-75 on Highway 84 near exit 16…”

Hahira, with about 5% of Valdosta’s population, got the second most, to fix its wastewater treatment plant and some stormwater drainage. Maybe that will stop Hahira from leaking E. coli into Franks Creek and the Little River.

[Treatment Plant Flow Diagram]
Treatment Plant Flow Diagram

Ray City got a substantial amount to fix its aging wastewater treatment plant, which should be good for Cat Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Unfortunately missing is Quitman, which wanted $482,000 to top off local funds for fixing its lift stations. So no ARPA help to Quitman for stopping sewage spills into Okapilco Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Here are those awardees, most to least: Continue reading →

Rivers very clean 2022-02-17

Update 2022-02-25: Clean Rivers Again 2022-02-24.

More good news for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle tomorrow (Saturday) morning: about the cleanest water quality results we’ve seen.

There was some rain this morning, but probably not enough to wash much into the rivers. And no new sewage spills have been reported.

So happy boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend!

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-02-17]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-02-17

Thanks to WWALS testers

  • Elizabeth Brunner for testing at GA 122 at Folsom Bridge on the Little River, Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, and Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.
  • Michael and Jacob Bachrach for testing at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps on the Withlacoochee River.
  • Gus Cleary for testing at Cleary Bluff between Allen Ramp and the Suwannee River.

As you can see in the chart, Valdosta’s recent upstream data concurs. Continue reading →

Pictures: Troupville Boat Ramp to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2022-02-18

Plenty of water, and the water temperature is up to 58 degrees! The latest weather prediction is sunny with a high of 64 tomorrow.

Come on down tomorrow (Saturday) morning to Troupville Boat Ramp for the third annual Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle on the Withlacoochee River to Spook Bridge!

[Troupville Boat Ramp, lunch stop, US 84 rapids, Spook Bridge]
Troupville Boat Ramp, lunch stop, US 84 rapids, Spook Bridge

Take St. Augustine Road west past the Mall, cross I-75, and at the light for Val Tech Road turn left down to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Drop off your boat, sign in, and join the shuttle convoy to Spook Bridge.

The Hahira Gauge (Little River @ GA 122, Folsom Bridge) reads Continue reading →

Radio about Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Suwannee Riverkeeper 2022-02-18

Friday morning, February 18, 2022, at 8:00 AM, Suwannee Riverkeeper will be on Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio, about the annual 11-mile Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle, this Saturday, February 19th, on the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers.

[Many]
Radio, Paddle

We’ll also talk about how you can ask Georgia statehouse members to pass HB 1289 to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining, while you can ask the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to stop a strip mine far too near the Okefenokee Swamp, and ask GA-EPD to stop that second wood pellet plant in Adel while you’re at it.

We’ll mention the trash situation of Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

When: 8:00 AM, Friday, February 18, 2022

Where: Talk 92.1 FM radio, Scott James drivetime show
http://talk921.com/

Listen: Continue reading →

Clean Rivers 2022-02-10

Update 2022-02-18: Rivers very clean 2022-02-17.

Good news again: all recent tests on the Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers were clean. Happy boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend.

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

There was one sewage spill reported: 100,000 gallons on February 5 from Ashburn’s MLK Lift Station on Ashburn Branch, upstream from the Little River. Cause: Pipe failure. That’s better than “wet weather” for the other two Ashburn spills this year: those went into the Alapaha River Basin. As usual, no E. coli showed up downstream, presumably because Ashburn is so far upstream. Continue reading →