Tag Archives: Pride Branch

Apparently no effect of dirty milk water spill downstream to Pride Branch 2026-09-25

Update 2026-10-03: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers before rains 2026-10-02.

Update 2026-09-27: Why spoiled milk into Lakeland oxidation pond? 2026-06-12.

Two days after the dirty milk water spill on US 84 into the Bowen Mill Pond branch of Pride Branch, the downstream landowner wrote on September 25, 2026:

I have kept a close eye on this branch, the deep Purdue Sinks, pond at River of Hope all fed from Pride branch and so far I’ve not noticed any physical impact on these waters from the dirty milk spill.

Apparently no effect 2026-09-25, of dirty milk water spill 2026-09-23, downstream to Pride Branch, upstream of Piscola and Okapilco Creeks

Of course there could be effects that are not visible. Milk could change the dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water, but apparently it did not do that enough to cause a fish kill, which would be noticeable.

Bob Gufford owns the property outlined in yellow in the map above from the Brooks County Tax Assessors.

The spill was on US 84 at Refuge of Hope, seen in the left of the map, into the pond Bob mentions, then through the branch that runs along his south property line, into Pride Branch proper, which is on the right of the map.

I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing the Purdue Sinks are the depressions south of the triangle property, even more visible in this Google Earth Pro map from March 11, 2026, when water levels were even lower than now.

Notice what appears to be another sinkhole in the field north of US 84, on the left of the map. Continue reading →

Clean Santa Fe River and Withlacoochee 2026-09-24 except downstream from Sugar Creek 2026-09-22

2 Replies

Update 2026-10-03: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers before rains 2026-10-02.

Update 2026-09-26: Apparently no effect of dirty milk water spill downstream to Pride Branch 2026-09-25.

The Santa Fe and Withlacoochee Rivers tested clean this week.

Except the Withlacoochee was filthy Tuesday at GA 133, downstream from Sugar Creek, after rains Monday and Tuesday.

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

There was the Wednesday dirty milk water spill on US 84 west of Quitman in Brooks County, into Pride Branch, Piscola Creek, Okapilco Creek, and the Withlacoochee River upstream from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. But the downstream landowner says there has been no fish kill nor any other obvious ill effects on the creek or Purdue Sinks. More on that in another post.

So according to the results we have, happy paddling, swimming, boating, and fishing, but avoid the Withlacoochee River between Sugar Creek and the Little River Confluence.

This image is an illustration. Scroll down for details.

Clean Santa Fe River, and Withlacoochee 2026-09-24, except downstream from, Sugar Creek 2026-09-22

The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Dirty milk water spilled on US 84 by Bowen Mill Pond branch of Pride Creek, Quitman, GA 2026-09-23

3 Replies

Update 2026-09-26: Apparently no effect of dirty milk water spill downstream to Pride Branch 2026-09-25.

Update 2026-09-26: Clean Santa Fe River and Withlacoochee except downstream from Sugar Creek 2026-09-24.

Yesterday a truck spilled “dirty milk water” on US 84 in Brooks County, west of Quitman, into the Bowen Mill Pond branch of Pride Branch, which runs into Piscola Creek, into Okapilco Creek, into the Withlacoochee River upstream from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp.

Dirty milk water spilled on US 84, 2026-09-23, Bowen Mill Pond branch, Pride Creek, Quitman, GA

Fox 49 Staff, fox49.tv, September 23, 2026, Traffic alert: One lane of Georgia 84 closed in Brooks County after tanker crash

BROOKS COUNTY, Ga. — Drivers were being urged to avoid part of Georgia 84 in Brooks County Wednesday morning after a tanker hauling dirty milk water crashed near Refuge of Hope.

The Brooks County Sheriff’s Office said the tanker went off the road, struck a guardrail and is pouring its contents into a nearby creek.

At least one eastbound lane is closed. The Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia State Patrol, Brooks County Fire Department and Emergency Management Agency were on scene.

Refuge of Hope is presumably Azalea City Prison Ministry and The Refuge Of Hope, 7566 US-84, Quitman, GA 31643. Continue reading →

Solar in Brooks County Town Hall 2024-09-12

Tomorrow (Thursday) at 6 PM at the Brooks County Courthouse is a Town Hall for the county to hear from citizens about solar power.

According to a Brooks County Attorney, “At this time there are no active applications for solar in Brooks County. There is a moratorium on solar applications until February of 2025 (unless extended).”

Which of course does not mean there are no applications ready to go in February 2025.

Solar in Brooks County, Town Hall 6 PM 2024-09-12, Brooks County Courthouse, 100 E. Screven St., Quitman, GA

Jason Kemp sent two responses yesterday to our open records request for presentation materials for the town hall and any board packet materials for preceding solar proposals in Brooks County. 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

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 →

Brooks County Comprehensive Plan Workshop

Workshop, Greater Brooks 2030 Comprehensive Plan, 2017-02-07

First on the list of Areas Requiring Special Attention in Brooks County, Georgia:

Areas of significant natural or cultural resources, particularly where they are likely to be intruded upon or otherwise impacted by development; such as wetlands, groundwater recharge areas and river corridors.

Map D-4 Water Resource Protection Districts

According to Ariel Godwin of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission,

The next workshop for the Brooks County Comprehensive Plan will be:
Thursday, February 7^th, 2017
9:30 a.m
Brooks County Commission Offices
610 South Highland Street, Quitman
In this workshop we will work on the Land Use Maps and Character Areas.
We are inviting you to participate to ensure Continue reading →

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