You can help elect people who will support clean water.
![[Today is Election Day, 7 AM to 7 PM, 2024-10-07. In Florida and Georgia, Vote for clean water.]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-07--vote/many.jpg)
Today is Election Day, 7 AM to 7 PM, 2024-10-07. In Florida and Georgia, Vote for clean water.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/
WWALS testers Kimberly Godden Tanner and Cindy Vedas got very low E. coli for the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers Thursday. For the Withlacoochee River Wednesday, WWALS tester Russ Tatum got very low results, and Valdosta Utilities got low results.
The weather prediction is still sunny.
The water levels are back down to normal or low everywhere in the Suwannee River Basin. Some rivers, such as the Withlacoochee near Valdosta, are too low for much paddling or motoring.
However, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene, including Langdale Park and Ichetucknee Springs North.
So if you can find an accessible stretch, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.
![[Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-31 No sewage spills and no rain: happy paddling!]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-31--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-31 No sewage spills and no rain: happy paddling!
Kimberley Godden Tanner noted for Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River Thursday, Continue reading
There was better communication than last time, but of course that was a low bar.
You can follow up after that meeting, and the next ones:
here are some ideas.
https://wwals.net/?p=66108
The other two BMAP meetings are today (see below).
![[Santa Fe River BMAP Meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28 Better communication than last time]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-28--santa-fe-bmap-meeting/many.jpg)
Santa Fe River BMAP Meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28 Better communication than last time
At the Santa Fe BMAP meeting in Lake Butler, none of the people from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) volunteered an answer to the most basic question: how has the situation improved since the BMAPs started?
Thanks to the graph Ryan Smart of the Florida Springs Council (FSC) brought, showing “Changes in pounds of nitrogen at spring vent”, several of them did agree that in fact the situation has gotten worse. Continue reading
The water level was not too low on the Little River, but it was too low on the Withlacoochee River for the WWALS jon boat with outboard. So, there was no chainsawing.
We’ve been waiting for the Withlacoochee River to get down to a level where we can do a walking chainsaw cleanup. With no rain in sight, it will be plenty low next Saturday, so that will be the time.
![[Water too low for jon boat outboard, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-26--upstream-withlacoochee-troupville-chainsaw-cleanup-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Water too low for jon boat outboard, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26
Thanks to TJ Johnson for driving an hour from Live Oak to get there with chainsaws to lead this expedition, and for helping haul the jon boat back upstream on muscle and trolling motor batteries after the outboard did not restart after Trashy Shoals. Continue reading
Update 2024-11-02: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-10-31.
WWALS testers Cindy Vedas and Kimberly Godden Tanner got zero (0) E. coli for the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers Thursday. That matches the very low results from Valdosta Utilities for the Withlacoochee River Wednesday.
The weather prediction is still sunny and cool.
The water levels are back down to normal, except for the Santa Fe River at Three Rivers Estates, which is still in Action Stage and predicted to stay there for a while. Some rivers, such as the Withlacoochee near Valdosta, are almost too low.
However, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene, including Ichetucknee Springs North.
So if you can find an accessible stretch, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.
Cindy Vedas noted for Franklinville Thursday, “Several trees down. River looks clean. And it is.”
For Staten Road Thursday, also on the Withlacoochee River, she wrote, “ Got lots of chainsaw work to do. River level looks good for fishing. And clean!”
Kimberley Tanner noted for Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River Thursday, “Both locations looked great and the samples were clean. No issues with the control this time using the microwave method. Hard to believe what a difference a couple weeks makes.” Continue reading
Update 2024-11-13: Pictures: Public Meeting about Okefenokee NWR expansion 2024-11-12.
The Public Meeting for the proposed expansion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has been changed to Tuesday, November 12, 2024, still from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Charlton County Annex Auditorium, 68 Kingsland Drive, Folkston, Georgia, according to https://www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee
Here’s a facebook event to remind you:
https://www.facebook.com/events/556272616789217/
This part is unchanged: “The public has until November 18, 2024 to submit input via email to Okefenokee@fws.gov”
![[Okefenokee NWR Expansion Public Meeting 2024-11-12, Maybe including proposed TiO2 mine site]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-24--okefenokee-nwr-expansion-changes/fbmany.jpg)
Okefenokee NWR Expansion Public Meeting 2024-11-12, Maybe including proposed TiO2 mine site
Also, the same day the proposed expansion was announced, the miners said they had not been contacted.
Russ Bynum, AP, October 18, 2024, Proposed Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge expansion could lead to buyout of mining project, Continue reading
Update 2024-11-05: Pictures: Suwannee River Basin BMAP meeting in Live Oak 2024-10-30.
Update 2024-10-30: Pictures: Santa Fe River BMAP meeting, Lake Butler, FL 2024-10-28.
FDEP has announced rescheduled dates for some BMAP meetings after the hurricanes.
https://floridadep.gov/dear/water-quality-restoration/content/bmap-public-meetings
Please go and say why you think the Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) are broken. But don’t stop there, or they will just mark down x number of people came, so public outreach was successful.
Here are more things you can do at the meeting and afterwards.
Wear blue, so we can all be seen together, as recommended by Sarah Younger of the Suwannee-St. Johns Group of Sierra Club Florida.
Ask for metrics for improvement since the BMAPs started, such as how much less nitrate leaching from irrigated fertilizer into springs and rivers.
Turn their poster session format into a grassroots town hall. Video your question and their answer. Post your video on social media with a hashtag: #BMAPSantaFe, #BMAPSuwannee, or #BMAPSilverRainbow (see below).
If they say go look at some obscure website, ask them to tell you the metrics now.
If the FDEP person refuses to answer, video that, and post it.
For the Suwannee BMAP, ask them why SRWMD did not mention the Manatee Springs BMAP when it issued an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) for a road inside the 2,109-acre rezoning area for a development in floodplain.
For the Rainbow BMAP, ask them why SWFWMD did not mention the Rainbow Springs Springshed when it issued an ERP for the sand mine.
Ask them what the BMAPs are doing to get farmers to convert from Monsanto-seed Glysophate-spraying over-fertilized water-sucking over-irrigated agriculture to methods more friendly to Florida’s waters.
Be polite. The specific FDEP employees there are probably just trying to do their job. The problem comes from higher up. See below for what to do about that after the meeting.
![[Help fix Florida BMAPs to fix Florida polluted waters 2024-10-28-30]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-30--suwannee-bmap/fbmany.jpg)
Help fix Florida BMAPs to fix Florida polluted waters 2024-10-28-30
Three meetings are of particular interest. Continue reading
Update 2024-10-26: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-10-24.
WWALS testers Cindy Vedas and Gretchen Quarterman also got clean results at three more Withlacoochee River sites, in Georgia and Florida.
That matches the other results for last week, for the Withlacoochee, Little, and Alapaha Rivers (with Franks Creek as the outlier).
The weather prediction is still sunny and cool.
The water levels are back down to normal, except for the upper and lower Santa Fe River, and the lower Suwannee River.
However, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene.
So if you can find an accessible stretch, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.
![[Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-10-17, 2024-10-16 Also Little and Alapaha Rivers]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-18--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-10-17, 2024-10-16 Also Little and Alapaha Rivers
WWALS President Sara Squires Jones will preside over the WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting. The public is invited to this regular busineass meeting.
That’s for the entire 10,000 square mile Suwannee River Basin, in Georgia and Florida, including the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Alapahoochee, Little Alapaha, Little times two, New times two, Black, Dead, Sampson, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers, and all their creeks, springs, sinks, ponds, and swamps, such as Grand Bay, Banks Lake and the Okefenokee Swamp.
When: 6 PM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
Where: Online via zoom. Registration required:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAodOivrzMiGNA0VWk3aN246nOzZTliXbwc
![[Agenda: WWALS Board Meeting, 6-8 PM, Sunday, October 20, 2024]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-20--wwals-board/fbmany.jpg)
Agenda: WWALS Board Meeting, 6-8 PM, Sunday, October 20, 2024
Update 2024-10-20: Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-10-18.
The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers tested clean for E. coli.
The weather report is sunny and cool for the next week, although you never know what might blow in off the Gulf or the Atlantic.
Many national, state, and local parks are still closed, especially on rivers. We did not hold the Banks Lake Full Hunters Moon paddle Thursday, because Banks Lake is closed indefinitely due to unstable trees.
The Santa Fe River is in Action Stage upstream and in flood at TREPO, and the Lower Suwannee River is in Action Stage from Rock Bluff to Manatee Springs.
The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are all back to paddleable levels.
Happy paddling, motoring, fishing, or swimming this weekend, if you can find a place to put in and take out, and be careful.
Afterwards, there will be plenty of more opportunities for pleasant paddles and chainsaw cleanups.
![[Clean Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-17 Dirty Franks Creek 2024-10-16]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-17--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-17 Dirty Franks Creek 2024-10-16
No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida. by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), or in Georgia by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD).
John S. Quarterman tested three rivers on GA 122. Continue reading
![[Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha River 2024-10-24 Sunny and No Rain. Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-24--wq/many.jpg)