Update 2024-03-09: Clean rivers and creek 2024-03-06.
I got there just after the speeches, and before the ribbon cutting. During the lab tour and after, Malia Thomas interviewed me for WTXL TV, and of course Jason Barnes, Valdosta Acting Utilities Director.
![[Ribbon cutting, Valdosta water quality lab tour, WTXL reporting 2024-03-05]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-03-05--wwtp-wq-lab-ribbon-cutting-pictures/igmany.jpg)
Ribbon cutting, Valdosta water quality lab tour, WTXL reporting 2024-03-05
Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson said he mentioned me favorably during his speech. Continue reading
Come help WWALS celebrate spring with 30,000 of our south Georgia and north Florida friends, at the WWALS booth at the Azalea Festival in Valdosta, Georgia, all day this Saturday and Sunday in Drexel Park.
Come talk to us about our outings and advocacy (yes, including Valdosta trash and sewage), our Water Trails, the pictures for sale Gretchen took of our rivers, notecards, stickers, hats, t-shirts, plus a kayak raffle. Continue reading
Update 2024-03-09: Clean rivers and creek 2024-03-06.
Update 2024-03-03: Now with Alapaha River at Lakeland and Naylor and Santa Fe River at U.S. 27, all also clean.
We got good results for Wednesday for the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers and Franks Creek.
Valdosta’s recent upstream Withlacoochee River results through Monday are good.
There has been very little rain for a week. Rain is predicted for today, Saturday, and Sunday, but probably not very much.
The rivers are down to good paddling levels, and it’s not cold. So bring rain gear, and happy paddling, fishing, and maybe swimming this weekend.
Join us tomorrow, Saturday morning, at Langdale Park Boat Ramp for the Fifth Annual Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Withlacoochee River.
![[Chart, Clean Rivers and Franks Creek, Map 2024-02-28]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-28--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Clean Rivers and Franks Creek, Map 2024-02-28
No sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida in the past week.
But four were reported in Georgia.
Remember Valdosta’s two small 100-gallon sewage spills on February 20, at Three Mile Branch from Knob Hill Road, and into One Mile Branch from Boone Drive @ Baytree Road, which drains into Sugar Creek, then to the Withlacoochee River?
Well, Valdosta had another spill at 215 Knob Hill Road, 1,500 gallons each from there and from two overflow sites nearby. Yes, that drains into Three Mile Branch which goes into the Withlacoochee River along the route of the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle. But 4,500 gallons should be small enough to be diluted and washed away by now.
Ashburn last Wednesday had yet another spill, 1,500 gallons from its MLK Lift Station into Ashburn Branch, which runs into the Little River. Continue reading
Update 2024-04-07: Added names of County Commissioners in the form as passed.
Update 2024-03-16: Atkinson County, GA, resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp against the strip mine 2024-03-14.
County opposition to the proposed strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp has crossed the GA-FL line.
The Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County, Florida, on February 20, 2024, passed this resolution. A signed copy is forthcoming.
![[Hamilton County, Florida, resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp, against the strip mine 2024-02-20]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-20--hamco-okefenokee/many.jpg)
Hamilton County, Florida, resolution for the Okefenokee Swamp, against the strip mine 2024-02-20
That makes four counties on the Suwannee River downstream of the Okefenokee Swamp: Ware, Clinch, Echols, and Hamilton.
Plus many other counties and cities.
https://wwals.net/2021/12/10/resolutions-for-okefenokee-swamp-against-strip-mine-suwannee-riverkeeper-sgrc-2021-12-09/
Resolution 2024-
A RESOLUTION FOR THE OKEFENOKEE SWAMP AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDA
WHEREAS, Hamilton County takes pride in its rivers, including the Suwannee River to the east and south;
WHEREAS, the citizens of Hamilton County value the natural resources and outdoor recreation opportunities afforded by the Okefenokee Swamp and the Suwannee River and their watersheds;
WHEREAS, the Okefenokee Swamp is a unique natural, cultural, and economic treasure known worldwide, identified as an Aquatic Resource of National Importance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a National Natural Landmark, a National Wilderness Area, and a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention;
WHEREAS, the Okefenokee Swamp is the headwaters of the St Marys River and of the Suwannee River, famous worldwide;
WHEREAS, the Suwannee River forms the eastern and southern boundaries of Hamilton County for more than eighty miles;
WHEREAS, Hamilton County hosts several Suwannee River access points, demonstrating commitment to recreation on the Suwannee River through various initiatives;
WHEREAS, the Hamilton County Commission has shown commitment to water quality and waterway recreation through the approval of the Comprehensive Plan, providing protections for the Suwannee River and its watersheds;
WHEREAS, the citizens value the Okefenokee Swamp and the Suwannee River for water quality and habitat protection;
WHEREAS, the environmental impact of strip mining in proximity to the Okefenokee Swamp raises significant concerns for the watershed;
WHEREAS, thorough and unbiased review processes are crucial in assessing the potential environmental consequences of mining activities;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners:
- Support the preservation and protection of the Okefenokee Swamp and its surrounding watersheds.
- Advocate for a comprehensive, transparent, and impartial review of any proposed mining activities near the Okefenokee Swamp, including public hearings, public comments, and independent third-party review.
- Encourage the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to thoroughly review and assess all mining permit applications to the same degree as a thorough U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area-Wide Environmental Impact Statement, with public hearings, public comments, and independent third-party review.
- Advocate for legislative measures in Georgia to prevent future strip mines near environmentally sensitive areas, including the Okefenokee Swamp and the blackwater rivers in the Suwannee River Basin.
- Request the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to engage with the permitting process of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to ensure thorough consideration of environmental impacts.
PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, Hamilton County, Florida, this day of 2024.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDAAttest:
Greg Godwin
Ex-officio ClerkBy
Chairman, Robert E. Brown
District 3Member, Jimmy Murphy
District 1Member, Robby Roberson
District 2Member, Travis Erixton
District 4Member, Richie McCoy
District 5Approved as to Form By:
Andrew J. Decker, III
Hamilton County Attorney
-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/
Who is doing this mysterious digging, and why?
Maybe to plant a fence?
That would be a good thing, to keep trash out of Hightower Creek, which flows into Sugar Creek, past the WaterGoat, into the Withlacoochee River, at the early takeout for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle.
![[Digging in the Stafford parking lot, St. Augustine Road at Hightower Creek 2024-02-27]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-27--st-augustine-road-parking-lot-hightower-creek/igmany.jpg)
Digging in the Stafford parking lot, St. Augustine Road at Hightower Creek 2024-02-27
It’s about time something happened there, where I videoed Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson in December 2022 saying something needed to be done. According to Valdosta City ordinances, it is the parking lot owner’s responsiblity to keep trash from escaping the property, no matter where it came from.
Thanks to Russell Allen McBride for spotting this digging.
Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman for photographing. She noted, “Enterprise guy was on parking lot. He knew nothing about it.”
It seems unlikely to be the City of Valdosta, considering how reluctant they are to do anything on private property.
Maybe it’s the parking lot manager, Stafford Development Company. Continue reading
Update 2024-03-01: Clean rivers and creek 2024-02-28.
Update 2024-02-28: Three small Valdosta spills into Three Mile Branch, Withlacoochee River 2024-02-27.
We got good results for Wednesday for the Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, and Suwannee Rivers, and Franks Creek.
Valdosta’s recent upstream Withlacoochee River results through Monday are good. Although I recently remarked that Valdosta was better lately about posting its results in a timely manner, Valdosta’s Wednesday results are still not posted.
The rain predicted for yesterday turned out to be a drizzle. No more rain is predicted for a week.
So if you like high, fast, and cold water, this weekend is good for paddling. Maybe fishing. Swimming with a wetsuit.
However, the Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are up from previous upstream rains. The Santa Fe River is coming back down. The Suwannee was never especially high. I’d recommend the Ichetucknee, Suwannee, or Santa Fe Rivers for this weekend, or Banks Lake this evening. Continue reading
As crossover day approaches in the Georgia legislature, events are moving faster about the proposed strip mine too near the Okefenokee Swamp.
In addition to a mining prohibition bill that has been in the legislature since last year, now there is a fine, draft permits, and two new bills, for increased criminal penalties, and for a mining moratorium (with a big catch).
None of these are likely to stop this specific “demonstration” mine, but some of them could prevent any further such mines.
Crossover day is the day by which a bill has to have been passed by one house to get into the other house. It’s February 29 this year, Thursday of next week.
![[Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge: 15 miles]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-21--okefenokee-bills/igmany.jpg)
Okefenokee NationaGl Wildlife Refuge: 15 miles
Map courtesy Prof. Can Denizman and students, Valdosta State University.
As previously mentioned, On February 9, 2024, GA-EPD published draft permits (surface mining, water withdrawal, and air quality). for the applications by Twin Pines Minerals, LLC (TPM) to strip mine for titanium dioxide (TiO2) within three miles of the Okefenokee Swamp, between Moniac and St. George, Georgia. You have until April 9 to comment, and there is a public online meeting on March 5.
Details here:
https://wwals.net/?p=64142
Back in January, I was told by a former state legislator that these miners be very careful to avoid infractions, because they had a lot of money riding on their venture. A week later, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) issued a Consent Order on TPM, saying back in 2018 the miners had drilled soil samples without a professional geologist or engineer supervising, as required by state law, and they also failed to provide a letter of credit or a performance bond. TPM “voluntarily” agreed to pay a tiny fine of $20,000. For more details, see Russ Bynum, AP, 24 January 2024, Company seeking to mine near Okefenokee will pay $20,000 to settle environmental violation claims.
This is not the first time TPM has been under a Consent Order. Continue reading
Update 2024-03-19: Okefenokee webinar, resolutions, bills, Suwannee River paddle 2024-03-19.
Emily Floore, St. Marys Riverkeeper, will give the third WWALS Webinar, about the Okefenokee Swamp, which is the headwaters of the St. Marys and Suwannee Rivers: why we protect it and the proposed strip mine that threatens it, as well as a recent Conservation Fund study.
This webinar will be by zoom, noon-1 PM, Thursday, March 21, 2024.
![[Okefenokee Swamp over proposed strip mine --Emily Floore, WWALS Webinar]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-03-21--wwals-webinar-st-marys-riverkeeper-okefenokee-swamp/igmany.jpg)
Okefenokee Swamp over proposed strip mine –Emily Floore, WWALS Webinar
“WWALS and Suwannee Riverkeeper continue our work to protect the Okefenokee Swamp, 85% of which is in the Suwannee River Basin. We conduct outings for direct exposure, we have gotten city council and county commission resolutions passed, and we talk to Georgia state legislators, while expanding the issue into Florida. But the mine site is in the St. Marys River watershed. So I am very pleased that, since she’s been St. Marys Riverkeeper, Emily Floore has taken a strong position and action to support the Swamp and to oppose the mine,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.
Register in advance with zoom for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrdOmtqzkpGt3UGEP7SDw6JJaAVAPt9d30 Continue reading
We saw many springs, divers, entrances to two big sinkholes (Little and Big Awesome Sucks), many turtles, some alligators, a wood stork, a cattle egret, a hawk, a great blue heron, and some buzzards, as well as many gar and other fish, more cypress knees than you can count, and one very old cypress tree, just below some less than scary shoals.
Perhaps most importantly, nobody was in a hurry to get anywhere. Everybody paddled leisurely, took in the sights, and socialized.
At one of our Friday morning Waterkeepers Florida (WKFL) zoom calls, Jen Lomberk, the WKFL chair, asked Suwannee Riverkeeper to organize an outing while we would all be in Gainesville for an annual conference. The nearest Suwannee River Basin River is the Santa Fe, so I called on Doug Jipson of outfitter Rum 138 to shuttle us, and Merillee Malwitz-Jipson of Our Santa Fe River (OSFR) to guide us. See also the pictures Merrillee sent.
![[Waterkeepers Florida, Santa Fe River, Rum Island to FL 47 2024-02-08]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-08--wkfl-santa-fe-river/igmany.jpg)
Waterkeepers Florida, Santa Fe River, Rum Island to FL 47 2024-02-08
Waterkeepers Florida consists of all 15 Waterkeepers of Florida,
https://www.waterkeepersflorida.org
Waterkeeper is the generic name that includes Riverkeepers, all licensed by Waterkeeper Alliance. Suwannee Riverkeeper and St. Marys Riverkeeper are Waterkeepers of both Florida and Georgia.
Eleven WKFL members showed up (some with more than one representative), which is about the usual percentage for the annual gathering. Some of them had never seen a blue spring before. We went to Gilchrist Blue Spring, Devil’s Eye Spring, Ginnie Spring, and numerous more, between Rum Island and FL 47 Ramp in Gilchrist County Santa Fe River Park.
Actually, we were going to put in at Rum Island County Park, but it was mysteriously closed that morning. So we put in at Merrilee’s private river access.
When we got to Rum Island, the work at the park was obvious: the incredibly ostentatious orange barrier at the swimming area.
Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/8lzYtVt60ZU?si=Z6Ec8LaVkmM7XmlG Continue reading
Update 2024-02-24: Clean Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers and Franks Creek 2024-02-21.
Update 2024-02-22: Valdosta Boone Drive and Knob Hill small sewage spills 2024-02-20.
We got good results for Wednesday for the Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers, and Franks Creek.
Valdosta’s recent upstream Withlacoochee River results through Wednesday are good.
Rain is predicted for this weekend, through Saturday. But if there is not much rain, paddling Sunday should be OK. If you like high water, since the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers are up from previous upstream rains. The Santa Fe River is coming back down. The Suwannee was never especially high.
WWALS has two outings coming up on Saturday, February 24, 2024: the morning paddle from Knights Ferry to Nankin on the Withlacoochee River, and the evening Full Snow Moon paddle on Banks Lake.
And of course don’t forget that Saturday, March 2, is the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle from Langdale Park to Troupville on the Withlacoochee River. That one is free, thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power.
![[Chart, Clean Franks Creek and Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers 2024-02-14, Map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-14--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Clean Franks Creek and Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers 2024-02-14, Map
No sewage spills were reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida in the past week.
But one was reported in Georgia. Ashburn had a spill of 3,000 gallons of raw sewage into Ashburn Branch, which flows into the Little River. Continue reading
![[WWALS Booth at Azalea Festival 2024-03-09-10, One Mile Branch, Drexel Park, Valdosta, Georgia. Photos: John S. Quarterman 2024-03-11]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-03-09--azalea-festival/fbmany.jpg)