We all drink with straws from the groundwater here in the U.S. southeast coastal plain.
So surface water interchange with groundwater produces problems for city and county drinking water treatment, and for E. coli contamination of private water wells. Continue reading
Rescheduled again due to high water, this time to April 19, 2025.
Join us for a leisurely paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter on the Withlacoochee River. You can choose 3 miles or 11 miles.
Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.
Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for shuttle vans.
Thanks to Valdosta Boys & Girls Club for bringing youth and boats to paddle.
Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading this expedition and Phil Royce for being sweep.
When: Gather 8 AM, shuttle by 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, April 19, 2025
Put In:
Troupville Boat Ramp,
19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, 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, in Lowndes County.
By the boat ramp, see the WWALS water trail signs about the WWALS
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
Update 2025-03-19: Rescheduled: Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2025-04-19.
Rescheduled to March 22 due to high water.
Join us for a leisurely paddle on the Withlacoochee River: three miles to an early takeout, or another eight miles to Spook Bridge, with a mid-point lunch stop.
The first stretch is along the Little River frontage recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park. The right bank the whole way is Brooks County.
The second stretch goes by Valdosta’s cleaned up Outfall from its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) on the left bank in Lowndes County.
Paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter.
Shuttle vans provided by Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA).
Early takeout provided by Paul DeLoach.
Spook Bridge takeout and midpoint provided by The Langdale Company.
Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.
Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading this expedition and Phil Royce for being sweep.
When: Gather 8 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 22, 2025
Put In:
Troupville Boat Ramp,
19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, 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, in Lowndes County.
By the boat ramp, see the WWALS water trail signs about the WWALS
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
Update 2025-03-09: Pictures: Troupville Withlacoochee Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2025-03-08
TJ Johnson from Live Oak, FL, and I sawed a few deadfalls, and Tish Hall from Lake Park, GA, cleared brush and got some trash, on the Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River upstream from Troupville 2025-03-04.
![[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-04, upstream from Troupville, Got a few deadfalls]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-03-04--withlacoochee-upstream-troupville-chainsaw-cleanup-pictures/igmany.jpg)
Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-04, upstream from Troupville, Got a few deadfalls
We gnawed on the infamous CiHiG (Cut It Here, I Guess) Deadfall yet again.
A bit downstream from there we got through a deadfall that had been diverting boats sharp around a cypress with knees, where the WWALS jon boat more than once has canted 45 degrees.
The Valdosta Gauge read 120.27 at noon Tuesday.
Tish Hall gets the good sport award for helping tow the jon boat up the Little River when the 9.9 hp outboard would not start and the 86lb-thrust trolling motor wasn’t quite strong enough. Continue reading
City of Valdosta press release:
The City of Valdosta and Lowndes County are excited to announce the 6th Annual Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, a collaborative event promoting clean waterways and outdoor activity. This year’s paddle will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, beginning at Langdale Park Boat Ramp.
![[6th Annual Mayor Chairmans Paddle]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-01-28--vld-pr-mayor-chairmans-paddle/6th_annual_mayor_chairmans_paddle.jpg)
6th Annual Mayor Chairmans PaddleParticipants are encouraged to gather at the boat ramp at 8 a.m., with the paddle officially starting at 10 a.m. The event offers two options for paddlers: a two-hour trip to Berta’s Kitchen or Sugar Creek or a full four-hour journey ending at the Troupville Boat Ramp. Along the route, paddlers will travel under the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge, past the Wood Valley Subdivision, Sheri Run, and under the I-75 and GA 133 highway bridges.
This annual event highlights the community’s commitment to environmental stewardship and the importance of maintaining clean and healthy waterways.
Continue reading
Join us for a leisurely paddle on the Withlacoochee River: three miles to Sugar Creek with early takeout, and another four miles to Troupville Boat Ramp, around all the river frontage of the land recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park.
Paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter. Shuttle vans provided by Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA). Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.
Boats: Bring your own if you have it.
When: Gather 8 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 15, 2025
Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp,
3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602.
GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395
Safety: Be on time. If you miss the safety briefing, you cannot paddle with us.
VSU CORE Outdoors will bring some boats for free.
To reserve a boat, please use this eventbrite ticket:
https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=1272573675119
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD.
Continue reading
![[River water and groundwater interchange interacts with drinking water treatment in Georgia and Florida]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-03-26--groundwater-interchange/fbmany.jpg)
![[Chairman and Mayor's Paddle, Troupville to Spook Bridge, Little River, Withlacoochee River 2025-04-19]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-04-19--mayor-chairmans-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
![[Chairman and Mayor's Paddle, Troupville to Spook Bridge, Little River, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-22]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-03-22--mayor-chairmans-paddle/fbmany.jpg)
![[Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Langdale Park to Troupville 2025-03-15, Early Takeout Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Little Rivers]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-03-15--mayor-chairmans-paddle/fbmany.jpg)