Tag Archives: north Florida

Wildflowers of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, a WWALS Webinar by Emily Bell 2025-06-26

We’ll hear all about wildflower species in north Florida, and maybe even how to prepare habitat for them, from the Communications Coordinator of the Florida Wildflower Foundation, Emily Bell.

When: noon-1 PM, Thursday, June 26, 2025

Where: Register here to attend online by zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/DRwhEcDjQWqK4Qr9Srnegg
WWALS Board Member Janet Martin will give a brief introduction.
Questions and answers will be at the end.

[Wildflowers of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida 2025-06-26, a WWALS Webinar, by Emily Bell]
Wildflowers of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida 2025-06-26, a WWALS Webinar, by Emily Bell

Emily was born and raised in the wilds of Florida. From spring hopping on the Suwannee River to chasing swells up and down the East Coast, her formative years were spent outside in play, exploration and reflection, instilling in her a deep passion for the environment and a sense of responsibility to safeguard it for future generations. She joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation in 2022 as its communications coordinator. Prior to that, she spent four years coordinating invasive species programs within UF IFAS Extension and for the Florida Invasive Species Partnership. Emily has over a decade of experience with environmental outreach, planning and network building.

Continue reading

Borrow pits proposed within 5 miles of Suncoast Parkway Extension, upstream from Crystal River @ Citrus County Commission 2025-05-27

We’ve helped stop the Suncoast Parkway from expanding north across the Suwannee River, all the way to Georgia. But if this Phase 3A Extension happens in Citrus County, northwards becomes likely again. So even if you don’t live there, you may want to help oppose FDEP’s request for the county to allow borrow pits within 5 miles of the parkway path for the duration of the project.

If you do live in Citrus County, such mining could affect your water or air quality, plus noise, traffic, and more development.

[Borrow pits proposed within 5 miles of Suncoast PKWY Ext., upstream from Crystal River @ Citrus BOCC 2025-05-27]
Borrow pits proposed within 5 miles of Suncoast PKWY Ext., upstream from Crystal River @ Citrus BOCC 2025-05-27

Most everything you need is here:
https://stopthesandminecc.wixsite.com/stopthesandmine

That site has email addresses for the County Commissioners and the Land Development Office, ideas on what to write, and how to get more involved.

See also the Stop the Sand Mine change.org petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-sand-mine

Developers talk to your elected officials all the time. If you want something else, you need to talk to them, too.

Tomorrow at 1:20 PM, the Citrus County Commissioners will consider tossing out their land development code within 5 miles of the Suncoast Parkway Extension for the duration of its construction.

If the Commissioners seriously entertain abdicating their local zoning power because the state of Florida asked them to, presumably they will have to schedule a vote at some later meeting.

Depending on how that goes, there may be a Special Master Hearing on Friday, June 27, 2025 about a Southworth Mine.

If you don’t want disturbance of water flow to Crystal River, noise, dust, unknown particulates, and rampant development, you may want to show up tomorrow, or write or call your County Commissioner, or help organize the opposition.

Citrus BOCC Agenda

Continue reading

Filthy Langdale Park Withlacoochee River 2025-05-22

Update 2025-05-30: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-29.

The Withlacoochee River tested too high for E. coli for Thursday at Langdale Park, but clean upstream and OK downstream.

Whatever is amiss at Langdale Park, it’s not Sugar Creek, which is downstream. It could be Cherry Creek or Stillhouse Branch coming out of the Country Club. Or it could be coming from septic tanks west of Valdosta and the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County. Or something else that washed in with the spotty rains Wednesday.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is predicted until Monday.

So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Filthy Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-02-22, Clean upstream and downstream]
Filthy Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-02-22, Clean upstream and downstream

Or join us this weekend at Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida, on the banks of the Suwannee River.
https://wwals.net/?p=67238 Continue reading

Rachel Grubb Headlines Suwannee Riverkeeper Contest 2025

Hahira, Georgia May 22, 2025 — Rachel Grubb of Lake City, Florida, will sing her haunting encore from last year, as well as the song she won with, as Headliner for the 2025 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

[Rachel Grubb Headlines Suwannee Riverkeeper Contest 2025, Ghost of the Suwannee, Encore by 2024 First Prize winner Rachel Grubb]

Come hear the finalists this year, Saturday, September 6, 2025, at the Turner Center for the Arts, in Valdosta, Georgia. “Musicians, send in your own song!” said Gala Committee Chair and WWALS Board President Sara Squires Jones.
https://forms.gle/LfXFBVESipd231Dr7

The Contest is part of WWALS River Revue, which features food, drink, a silent auction, and speakers from Georgia and Florida. Rachel Grubb’s encore, “Ghost of the Suwannee,” will call you home.
https://youtu.be/IVKrUqiwXBk?si=EtZ3K8SsqbOyrhHP Continue reading

Calloway Boat Ramp, Gilchrist County, FL, Suwannee River 2025-05-10

Ken Sulak points out a public boat ramp that was not on the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT): Calloway Boat Ramp, a sand-covered concrete ramp owned by Gilchrist County, Florida. Plus a ferry and a cemetery.

Calloway Boat Ramp is downstream from Branford and 2.87 river miles from Sims Landing Ramp. It’s 0.73 miles upstream from Hurst Landing Ramp.

[Map: Calloway Boat Ramp]
Map: Calloway Boat Ramp in the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT).

It’s at the west end of NW 57th Court, Bell, FL 32619. From Branford, go west on US 27, cross the Suwannee River, turn left on CR 349, left on CR 340, cross the Suwannee River again, left on NW 55th Ave., left on NW 55th St., right on NW 57th Ct., left to stay on NW 57th Ct. to the ramp. Gilchrist County.

Ken, who is an avid historian of bridges and ferries, says Continue reading

Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15

Update 2025-05-23: Filthy Langdale Park Withlacoochee River 2025-05-22.

Sugar Creek was too high at Baytree Road and at the WaterGoat in WWALS E. coli tests. However, Valdosta Utilities and WWALS got clean results for the Withlacoochee River downstream. And WWALS got excellent results for the Alapaha River.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

No rain is predicted until Wednesday.

So avoid Sugar Creek, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15, Happy Paddling this weekend]
Dirty Sugar Creek, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-14, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-15, Happy Paddling this weekend

Sugar Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman sampled four Sugar Creek location Wednesday and got 900 at Baytree Road, 200 at the railroad, 233 at Gornto Road, and 500 at the WaterGoat. Those first and last results are above the 410 cfu/100 mL one-time test limit for E. coli.

Something is still not right in Sugar Creek.

See also Continue reading

More about Spill from Chemours Trail Ridge South TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL 2024-01-31

The map in this Chemours followup report about its January 31, 2024, 194,195-gallon wastewater spill seems to indicate the water went south into Double Run Creek, which goes to the Santa Fe River.

[More about Spill 2024-01-31, Chemours Trail Ridge South, TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL, Santa Fe River Basin]
More about Spill 2024-01-31, Chemours Trail Ridge South, TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL, Santa Fe River Basin

The latlong in the map legend, 29.8901015, -82.0506411, is on one branch of Double Run Creek. Continue reading

Chemours wants Army Corps permit to mine TiO2 on SRWMD land, Bradford County, FL, Santa Fe River Basin 2025-05-13

Update 2025-05-28: Additional Project Drawings for Chemours application to mine on SRWMD land –USACE 2025-01-02.

Update 2025-05-16: More about Spill from Chemours Trail Ridge South TiO2 mine SE of Starke, FL 2024-01-31.

Chemours wants to mine on SRWMD land in Bradford County, FL, upstream from the Santa Fe River, on Double Run Creek which already had a tailings wastewater spill last fall.

You’ve got 30 days to comment:

The Jacksonville District will receive written comments on the proposed work, as outlined above, until June 12, 2025. Comments should be submitted electronically via the Regulatory Request System (RRS) at https://rrs.usace.army.mil/rrs or to John Fellows at john.p.fellows@usace.army.mil. Alternatively, you may submit comments in writing to the Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, Attention: John Fellows, 10117 Princess Palm Avenue, Suite 120, Tampa, FL 33610. Please refer to the permit application number in your comments.

That’s permit application number SAJ-2019-00480 (JPF).

[Chemours Army Corps application to mine TiO2 on SRWMD land, Bradford County, FL, Santa Fe River Basin 2025-05-13]
Chemours Army Corps application to mine TiO2 on SRWMD land, Bradford County, FL, Santa Fe River Basin 2025-05-13

Many of us complained back in 2019 about SRWMD allowing Chemours access through SRWMD property, but in 2021 SRWMD claimed it had no choice.

[SRWMD parcels, Bradford County Property Appraiser 2019-10-17]
SRWMD parcels, Bradford County Property Appraiser 2019-10-17

Now it’s not just access, it’s actual mining. So what does conservation mean to the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD)? Or to its parent the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)?

Here’s the problem: Continue reading

Agenda: WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting 2025-05-18

WWALS Board Member Gee Edwards will preside over this rescheduled WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting. The public is invited to this regular business 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.

[WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting, Agenda, 2025-05-18]
WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting, Agenda, 2025-05-18

When: 6 PM, Sunday, May 18, 2025

Where: Online via zoom, registration required:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/y9PpPZZ4SD6Bt2xJhkH3LA

Continue reading

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-08

Update 2025-05-14: Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass, Valdosta Utilities 2025-05-14.

We don’t know how clean Sugar Creek is this week, because Valdosta Utilities is now beyond the four weeks GA-EPD requires followup testing after a major spill.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

The chance of rain predicted rises as the weekend goes on.

Until it rains, the rivers are all pretty low.

So go early before the rains, go downstream where there’s water, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!

[Clean Withlacoochee River, No sewage spills, Maybe rain soon 2025-05-08, Paddle early this weekend]
Clean Withlacoochee River, No sewage spills, Maybe rain soon 2025-05-08, Paddle early this weekend

Or join us Monday evening for Full Flower Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-05-12.
https://wwals.net/?p=67005

For more WWALS outings and events, see: https://wwals.net/outings/

Withlacoochee River

Continue reading