Tag Archives: Piscola Creek

Pictures: Withlacoochee River and Okapilco Creek jon boat outing 2024-07-27

We cut a deadfall in the Withlacoochee River just below Wetherington Branch, below Valdosta’s treated outfall from its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant. We found Okapilco Creek, cut a few deadfalls in there, and collected some trash on the creek and from the river. Including two blue barrels labeled Black Tea Extract that apparently had been used to support somebody’s dock.

We don’t see how Okapilco Creek is currently navigable up to US 84, according to GA HB 1397, a bill that did not pass the Georgia legislature this year. We had to cut some deadfalls even to get up to the mouth of Piscola Creek. Later we will motor up from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp to clear more deadfalls and trash from Okapilco Creek, and soon it will be navigable.

Both of those creeks drain Quitman, and Okapilco Creek comes down from Moultrie and above.

[Black tea blue drums, Okapilco Creek trashjam, deadfalls, rapids, two jon boats 2024-07-27]
Black tea blue drums, Okapilco Creek trashjam, deadfalls, rapids, two jon boats 2024-07-27

We went 19.5 river miles from Troupville Boat Ramp to Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. We decided due to the time spent on Okapilco Creek not to continue to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp.

The US 84 (Quitman) Gauge read 10.15 feet (93.65 feet NAVD88) at 10 AM, and rose another quarter foot while we were on the water. That’s near the WWALS recommended too-high water level, but it was fine with these boats and motors.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/_o7FqYMMg6E Continue reading →

Jon boat outing, Troupville to Nankin, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27

We will take two jon boats with outboards and chainsaws to find and remove any deadfalls, collect trash, and find the mouth of Okapilco Creek.

There is a seat or two available in the jon boats. Feel free to come along with a kayak or canoe. We can tow on a rope. Or join in with your boat and motor.

We will go 26 river miles from Troupville Boat Ramp to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp. We could also let you know when we’re approaching Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, so you could join us when we get there.

Supposedly Okapilco Creek is navigable up to US 84, according to GA HB 1397, a bill that did not pass the Georgia legislature this year. If we find Okapilco Creek, we will look up it for the mouth of Piscola Creek. Both of those drain Quitman, and Okapilco Creek comes down from Moultrie and above.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, July 27, 2024

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, Georgia.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Jon boat outing, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27, Troupville to Nankin, Cleanup with chainsaws]
Jon boat outing, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27, Troupville to Nankin, Cleanup with chainsaws

Continue reading →

Brooks County Industrial Park Maps 2009-03-03

These 120 sheets of detailed 2009 Construction Plans for the Brooks County Industrial Park contain a clue to how the sewer system there is connected to Quitman.

[Construction Plans, Brooks County Industrial Park 2009-03-03, DeVane PlanEng, Brooks County Industrial Authority]
Construction Plans, Brooks County Industrial Park 2009-03-03, DeVane PlanEng, Brooks County Industrial Authority

It turns out the clue is on the 2006 maps, too, but less obvious.

Stay tuned for that connection.

To interpret these sheets, it is useful to know that Prospect Drive is what appears on googlemaps as Fritzke Drive. Aviagen’s chicken incubation plant is south of Prospect Drive, east of GA 333. Continue reading →

Brooks County Industrial Park: Site Plan, Grading, Drainage, Water, Sewer

Update 2024-07-04: Brooks County Industrial Park Maps 2009-03-03.

Update 2024-06-21: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe Rivers, problem on One Mile Branch 2024-06-19.

Here’s a map of the sewer system in the Brooks County Industrial Park, plus maps of the water and road systems. These maps were sent by the Brooks County Industrial Authority a couple of years ago in response to a WWALS open records request.

[Brooks County Industrial Park, Sewer System 2006-05-09, Site Plan, Grading, Drainage, Water]
Brooks County Industrial Park, Sewer System 2006-05-09, Site Plan, Grading, Drainage, Water

What this industrial park sewer system map does not show is: how does it connect to the rest of Quitman’s sewer system?

How Quitman’s sewer system works and where it is important, because Quitman has had quite a few reported sewage spills; see Quitman: Noncompliance, 9 effluent violations, 5 sewage spills, 11 monitoring violations, 1 reporting violation –GA-EPD Nov 2022 – Oct 2023. Quitman is upstream of the Withlacoochee River, and some of its former spills have quite likely travelled all the way down the Suwannee River to the Gulf of Mexico. Continue reading →

Videos: Outings, cleanups, advocacy, join WWALS, Wes James, WAAC 92.9 FM 2021-04-20

How can you participate with Suwannee Riverkeeper in what WWALS does, and how can you become a member, asked Wes James on the radio last night. So I talked about cleanups, trash traps, the real trash problem, and how you can paddle on the multiple WWALS monthly outings and cleanups, as well as how to become a WWALS member. There’s more below on WWALS outings and advocacy, and how you can help.

Here’s a WWALS video playlist:


Videos: Outings, cleanups, advocacy, join WWALS, Wes James, WAAC 92.9 FM 2021-04-20
Videos by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS).

We do outings every month, usually more than one, including a full moon paddle at Banks Lake just west of Lakeland, Georgia, to watch the sun set and the moon rise, often with bats. That’s a good introductory paddle on a flat lake with free boat rental. Next one is 7:15 PM, Monday, April 26, 2021

Upcoming outings are listed online: Continue reading →

Valdosta meeting, Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council 2021-04-15

Meeting in the most populous city in its region, on tax day 2021, the Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council. Worth attending. 9:45 AM, Thursday, April 15, 2021, Valdosta City Hall Annex, Suite # 206, 300 N Lee St. Valdosta, GA 31601.

[Notice, Region and Assessment]
Notice, Region and Assessment

Georgia’s water councils are nothing like Florida’s Water Management Districts. The Georgia councils have no ability to tax or fine, and no staff. Their appointed and unpaid members just plan, with assistance from GA-EPD staff and some consultants. Continue reading →

Sewage Spills: Quitman, Valdosta, Tifton 2021-01-03

Update 2021-01-06: Bad up and down: Withlacoochee River 2021-01-05.

Tifton spilled raw sewage three times over the weekend, all into the New River, upstream of the Withlacoochee River. As already reported, Valdosta spilled into Knights Creek, which goes into Mud Swamp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, and the Alapaha River just above Sasser Landing. We have no water quality data downstream of any of those spills.

Plus Quitman finally reported a spill from more than a week ago, but downstream water quality on the Withlacoochee River the next day was actually better than the day before.

However, the big rains in between drove plenty of contamination, probably mostly cow, pig, and horse manure, into the Withlacoochee, with even Madison Health showing too-high E. coli at State Line for December 29, 2020.

The even bigger rains this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday probably have done the same.

So I’d recommend avoiding not just the Withlacoochee River, but also the Alapaha River for a few days, until better test results come in.

[Spills and little data]
Spills and little data

The one recent datapoint we have is WWALS tester Tasha Ekman LaFace’s record-high for that location 1,333 cfu/100 mL E. coli at Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River, just upstream from US 84. But that can’t be from the Valdosta sewage spill, since Naylor Beach is way upstream of the Alapahoochee River Confluence with the Alapaha River. However, Naylor Beach is not a long way downstream from Lakeland, so it will be interesting if we hear about any spills from there. Continue reading →

Florida lifts Withlacoochee River advisory; more rain could mean more contamination 2020-06-11

Update 2020-06-16: All eight Withlacoochee River landings green 2020-06-14

Valdosta’s Wednesday Knights Ferry result is not pretty: 2,300 cfu/100 mL E. coli, far over the 1,000 alert limit. Previously, I said we wouldn’t turn Swim Guide green until we saw that result. Plus, much more rain fell Friday on Lowndes and Brooks Counties, Georgia. Also, Valdosta got 1,500 on Okapilco Creek at US 84, even worse than the 833 I got there that same Wednesday (see yellow highlighted area).

So, Swim Guide stays red for the Withlacoochee River in Georgia. But Swim Guide goes green for Florida; see below. See also below for the Little and Alapaha Rivers.

WWALS will test tomorrow. You can help.

[More rain means...?]
More rain means…?
For context and links to the WWALS composite spreadsheet and all its sources, see https://wwals.net/issues/testing/.

After two consecutive days of good results from the state line downstream (see green highlighted area), the Florida Department of Health lifted yesterday, June 12, 2020, the Advisory they issued June 9, 2020. Continue reading →

Florida, and Upstream water quality tests for Lowndes and Brooks Counties, GA 2020-06-10

Update 2020-06-13: Florida lifts Withlacoochee River advisory; more rain could mean more contamination 2020-06-11.

The Withlacoochee River from the state line to the Suwannee River looked much better Wednesday, according to FDEP results.

Upstream on the Withlacoochee and Little Rivers and two out of three creeks in Brooks County, not so good, according to samples I took Wednesday.

Valdosta’s Wednesday results fill in US 41 (North Valdosta Road), GA 133, and US 84 on the Withlacoochee River. We await Valdosta’s Knights Ferry and Nankin Boat Ramp results.

Meanwhile, you can help.

[Withlacoochee R. @ GA 122 to Suwannee R. @ US 90]
Withlacoochee R. @ GA 122 to Suwannee R. @ US 90
For context and links to the WWALS composite spreadsheet and all its sources, see https://wwals.net/issues/testing/.

Thanks to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for testing from GA 31 as far downstream as US 90.

[Horn Bridge, GA 31, Withlacoochee River]
Horn Bridge, GA 31, Withlacoochee River

But where did the contamination go? Did it get diluted? Or did it just wash farther downstream? Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River good despite dirty creek 2020-05-01

Update 2020-05-04: Clean Withlacoochee River, less bad Crooked Creek 2020-05-02.

Update 2020-05-03: WWALS tester Suzy Hall says she got zero (no) E. coli at the GA 31 bridge (State Line Boat Ramp) for yesterday, Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Good news, boaters, fishers, swimmers: apparently the Withlacoochee River is clean this weekend. This is because of much river and Okapilco Creek water coming downstream; flow matters.

WWALS continues sampling, and you can help us afford testing supplies.

[WWALS Water Trail signs]
Photo: John S. Quarterman, WWALS Water Trail signs at Nankin Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2020-05-01

You may have some difficulty getting a boat into the water, but if you do, it appears that the small rain in Brooks County, Georgia, Thursday, April 30, was not big enough Continue reading →