Back again after several years, Rachel Grubb came from Lake City, Florida, with her song, Cruising Down the Suwannee, and won not only Best Americana Indie-Folk Song, but also First Prize, in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2024.
She got plaques for both, and a $300 check for First Prize.
Here are videos of her song and her awards:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-QwHgcxLdwOzUQNJDAj4zEi3&si=S6_kNrttvtPm5nd3 Continue reading
Update 2024-10-12: Apparently clean Withlacoochee River 2024-10-10.
WWALS tester Russ Tatum got very good water quality for Friday at Holly Point, on the Withlacoochee River downstream of Allen Ramp, near the Suwannee River.
That matches what Valdosta got for Wednesday at GA 133 and US 84.
https://wwals.net/?p=65999
Even though rainwater from Hurricane Helene has apparently diluted or washed downstream any contamination that washed in, this is not a good weekend or week for boating.
Flooding is still rising downstream on the Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers; see below.
The weather report has changed. Upstream, it’s spotty rain today (Sunday) and Wednesday. Downstream, it’s rain all week, due to incoming Hurricane Milton, expected to make landfall near Tampa Wednesday or Thursday.
Many national, state, and local parks are
still closed after Hurricane Helene, especially on rivers.
https://wwals.net/?p=65987
Afterward the new Hurricane Milton, there will be plenty of more opportunities for pleasant paddles and chainsaw cleanups.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) updates its Sewage Spills Report on weekdays, and the same for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)’s Public Notice of Pollution (PNP), so if there have been any new sewage spills since Friday, we don’t know about them. Continue reading
Many national, state, and local parks and related facilities are closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene. Some were already closed due to Hurricane Debby.
Assume it’s closed unless you have other information.
![[What parks are closed after Hurricane Helene? Many of them. 2024-10-03 Assume closed unless other information.]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-03--parks-closed/many.jpg)
What parks are closed after Hurricane Helene? Many of them. 2024-10-03 Assume closed unless other information.
Pictured: damage at Stephen Foster Culture Center State Park in White Springs, Florida. Photo: SFCSSP
Many parks are closed all over Georgia. Here we list only the ones in or near the Suwannee River Basin.
Somebody asked: has the Suwannee River crested after Hurricane Helene? Yes, upstream from the Alapaha River (Nobles Ferry Gauge) and downstream from the Santa Fe River (Rock Bluff Gauge). In between (Nobles Ferry to Branford Gauge) it’s still rising, although nowhere near Action Stage.
The Santa Fe and New Rivers were mostly unaffected by the storm.
The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are or were all in flood upstream, rapidly heading downstream.
So if you must go boating, the Santa Fe River or the Middle Suwannee River are your best bets. But if you can, stay off the roads and let emergency vehicles, road crews, and utilities work.
Details below, taken from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. NOAA is the first option in River water levels in the Suwannee River Basin 2024-08-07. Continue reading
Update 2025-02-23: Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine Process Water Spill 2025-02-16.
Chemours had another spill into the Santa Fe River Basin from its Trail Ridge South titanium dioxide (TiO2) Mine. They say this one was very small.
It took a different path than the one on January 30, 2024, but it also eventually drains into the Santa Fe River.
This spill was north of Camp Road, west of Treat Road, actually in Clay County, on land owned by the State of Florida, draining into Bradford County.
The spill was reported at coordinates 29.89094873, -82.04341783, puts it at the top of Double Run Branch 03110206003356, on land in Clay County owned by Armory Board State of Florida.
That drains west into Bradford County, through land owned by SRWMD and Rayonier Forest Resources, LP, into Double Run Creek, which goes through land owned by Schoeffel Enterprises LLC and Harry W. and Mary Ann Kyle, before it drains through more Rayonier and SRWMD land into the Santa Fe Swamp Conservation Area into the Santa Fe River.
Here is the report we received from FDEP at 5:11 PM, Monday, September 14, 2024. Continue reading
Update 2024-08-16: Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-08-14.
The Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean. Evidently any contamination Hurricane Debby washed in has been diluted by the massive amount of water.
One new sewage spill was reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, inland in High Springs; see below.
In Georgia, the four Valdosta Monday spills showed up in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report yesterday; see below.
There is still no update on the two Monday Quitman spills: where were they, and how much?
See separate post.
https://wwals.net/?p=65559
The weather prediction for the next ten days is chance of storms, but most likely in the afternoon.
Most of the rivers are still in flood or Action Stage, but a few are back down, such as the Little River from Hahira (GA 122) upstream and the ALapaha River at Sheboggy (US 82).
If you can find a river stretch that is low enough, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
![[Clean Rivers: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe 2024-08-08]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-08--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Rivers: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe 2024-08-08
If you want to see water levels throughout the Suwannee River Basin, for example after a hurricane, there are at least three ways:
They all get their data from the USGS gauges.
What’s your favorite way? One of these, or something else?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides this color-coded map: Continue reading
Update 2024-07-28: No spills yet from rain on Valdosta 2024-07-28.
Three rivers tested clean this week: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Santa Fe.
There has been rain, scattered, but heavy in spots.
No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in Suwannee River Basin in Florida, or Georgia.
The weather prediction all weekend is likely rain, but most likely in the afternoon.
So pick a river at a level you like, and happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Or join us Saturday morning for the Jon boat outing, Troupville to Nankin, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27.
![[Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers, No sewage spills, But rain 2024-07-25]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-25--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers, No sewage spills, But rain 2024-07-25
Kimberly Godden Tanner tested her usual two sites on the Alapaha River for Thursday, July 25, 2024, noting, “Great results at both locations.” Continue reading
Update 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.
Update 2024-07-26: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers 2024-07-25.
Thanks to the reporter for doing this story, especially for including the material about the stigma of sewage spills, which affects even Suwannee Basin rivers that are not even downstream from Valdosta, and about the economic damage of such stigma.
Please note that while Valdosta is the biggest sewage spill problem, because it is the most populous city in the Suwannee River Basin, it is far from the only city that spills sewage, and not all E. coli contamination comes from sewage; see other sources.
As noted in the story, Valdosta is spending millions of dollars to fix its sewage problems. Nobody will be happier when there are no more sewage spills than Valdosta staff and elected officials, many of whom are new since most of the notorious sewage spills happened. But that day is still some time in the future.
I’ve noted a few errata below, plus I’ve added some links and some more images.
Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, WUFT, July 23, 2024, North Central Florida river task force reactivated following raw sewage spills across Georgia state lines, Continue reading
Update 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.
Update 2024-07-24: Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line –WUFT 2024-07-23.
The Santa Fe River tested clean at the spot it didn’t last week, Wanamake (Butler) Ramp, a tenth of a mile up from the Suwannee River. Sugar Creek tested clean last Saturday.
We don’t have any more test results this week. However, since there has been little rain, chances are that nothing much washed into the rivers.
In the Suwannee River Basin Florida, High Springs reported a small inland sewage spill.
In Georgia, Ashburn yet again reported a major spill a week late, into Hat Creek into the Alapaha River.
The weather prediction all weekend is likely rain, but most likely in the afternoon.
So pick a river at a level you like, and happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Or join us Sunday morning for Alapahoochee River Cleanup, 2024-07-21.
Or, weather permitting, Sunday evening for Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21.
Continue reading![[Rachel Grubb, Lake City, FL, 2024-09-07, Best Americana Indie-Folk Song, First Prize: Cruising Down the Suwannee, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-07--grubb-first-prize/fbmany.jpg)
![[Clean Withlacoochee River, but downstream Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers rivers flooding from Hurricane Helene, and more rains coming from Hurricane Milton.]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-04--wq/many.jpg)
![[Flooding: Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-01 Not flooding: Suwannee, Ichetucknee, New, Santa Fe Rivers]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-01--noaa-river-gauges/many.jpg)
![[Tailings Spills from Chemours Trail Ridge South Mine in Clay County into Bradford County, Santa Fe River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-14--spill-trailridge-mine-chemours/fbmany.jpg)
![[River Water Levels, Suwannee River Basin, NOAA, USGS, SRWMD, WWALS, Action Stage, Flood, Georgia, Florida]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-07--noaa-gauges/many.jpg)
![[Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line --WUFT 2024-07-23]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-23--wuft-pbs-task-force/many.jpg)
![[Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17, Sugar Creek 2024-07-13, Old Ashburn, High Springs, sewage spills, Rain predicted]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-17--wq/many.jpg)