We all drink with straws from the groundwater here in the U.S. southeast coastal plain.
So surface water interchange with groundwater produces problems for city and county drinking water treatment, and for E. coli contamination of private water wells. Continue reading
After we asked several weeks for input on water trail signs and rack cards, the WWALS Outings Committee provided many opinions.
Here are the images that went to press Monday, September 30, 2024. That’s 10,000 copies each for the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT) and the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
They’re the same size as the WWALS z-fold brochures for the same water trails. But rack cards are a single sheet, front and back. They are much less expensive to print, so more appropriate for Interstate highway welcome centers and such.
They each have a QR code and a URL for finding more information.
I especially like the ARWT front. Continue reading
Some of the WWALS water trail signs have been stolen, others shot up, and some places and rivers we never placed any.
Due to generous grants from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) and the Hamilton County, Florida, Tourist Development Council (TDC), we are working up new signs.
After spending many months rationalizing river miles and icons, we solicit your input as we start designing the new signs.
What landmarks or interesting sites do you think should be mentioned on the signs?
Please enter your suggestions here:
https://forms.gle/LTryv7yqdHFd54rq8
The GA-DNR grant funds road signs, which are in a fixed format, at-water signs, which will have details upstream and downstream. They are for:
Follow the links for what we have so far for each of these water trails.
https://wwals.net/water-trails/
The GA-DNR grant also funds rack cards. Continue reading
Update 2024-05-08: Sullivan Launch to Madison Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2024-06-08.
Usually, Withlacoochee River water flows into this distributary into a sinkhole. But last Tuesday water was coming out into the river from the Chitty Bend East Distributary. So this swallet changed from a sink to a spring, and the creek changed from a distributary to a tributary.
![[Chitty Bend East Distributary, Withlacoochee River 2024-04-30, Pumping out a stream --Amanda Davis]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-04-30--withlacoochee-swallet/fbmany.jpg)
Chitty Bend East Distributary, Withlacoochee River 2024-04-30, Pumping out a stream –Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis sent these videos that she took on Tuesday, April 30, 2024,
when the
Pinetta gauge was about 55.8 NAVD88.
https://youtube.com/shorts/UCE7siKv_ME
This is in Hamilton County, Florida, upstream from Florida Campsites Ramp and Madison Blue Spring.
WWALS last paddled in there Continue reading
Update 2024-05-05: Chitty Bend East Distributary, Withlacoochee River –Amanda Davis 2024-04-30.
Here is a video and some pictures of Chitty Bend East Distributary, on the Withlacoochee River, where some of the river runs into the woods into some swallets.
That’s between Sullivan Launch and Florida Campsites Ramp, in Twin Rivers State Forest, in Hamilton County, Florida.
Here is the video:
https://youtu.be/kGumuF2thp0?si=EIUB_0w2bAaOUNA1
Or on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/979960170155353
Or on instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6j67u3IkE4/
We were on a WWALS outing led by Gee Edwards. The water level was about 54.10 NAVD88 on the Pinetta Gauge.
Some pictures are below. 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 2024-05-04: Videos: Chitty Bend East Distributary, Withlacoochee River, 2023-07-15
Seven shoals, one with a boat, Coffee Spring, second magnitude Hardee Spring, and several islands, and Chitty Bend East Distributary, where some of the Withlacoochee River runs into the woods into some swallets: we saw all of those on our Withlacoochee River paddle from Sullivan Launch to Florida Campsites on a fine July day.
The entire paddle was in north Florida, between Madison County on the right (east) bank and Hamilton County on the left (west) bank, starting in Madison County, ending in Hamilton County.
![[Rapids, Spring, Distributary, Withlacoochee River 2023-07-15]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-07-15--withlacoochee-springs-slough-pictures/many.jpg)
Rapids, Spring, Distributary, Withlacoochee River 2023-07-15
Thanks to Gee Edwards for leading this paddle.
Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman, Karen Lehnart, and Shirley Kokidko for additional pictures.
Pictures are below. Click on any small picture for a bigger one. Latlong links go to the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
The pictures are also on facebook.
See also the facebook video, Seven shoals on the WWALS WIthlacoochee River paddle from Sullivan Shoals to Florida Campsites Ramp, 2023-07-15.
For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading
Down at the designation of the new Jennings Bluff State Geological Site with Dead River Sink 2023-03-17 the Florida Geological Survey (FGS) was giving out links to a report on the Alapaha Swallets Dye Trace Project.
That’s where FGS, FDEP, and SRWMD put fluorescent green dye in the Dead River Sink, back on June 22, 2016, and watched for it to come back up.
As you can see by the graph, the dye came back up four days later in the ALapaha River Rise, and eight days later in Holton Creek Rise.
The report is available Continue reading
Update 2023-08-27: Pictures: Sullivan Launch to Florida Campsites, Withlacoochee River 2023-07-15.
Join us for a leisurely paddle by second magnitude Hardee Spring and other springs, as well as Fennels Funnel, a sinkhole leading to the extensive M2 Blue cave system, and Chitty Bend East Distributary, where some of the Withlacoochee River runs into the woods into some swallets.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2:30 PM, Saturday, July 15, 2023
Put In: Sullivan Launch, The first public access point in Florida to the blackwater Withlacoochee River, Sullivan launch is a narrow concrete launch with free parking and a picnic area, but no picnic tables. It is in the Sullivan Tract of Twin Rivers State Park. From Pinetta, Madison County, FL, travel east on CR 150; turn right at the bridge and follow road to the launch south of the river bridge. Downstream it’s 8.8 miles or about 4.4 miles to paddle to Florida Campsites Ramp. First thing you’ll see is the twisted remains of the old Bellville Bridge, and on the right bank the Pinetta gauge.
GPS: 30.595667, -83.26
![[Hardee Spring, 2015-10-24]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-07-15--withlacoochee-springs-slough/KIMG2746.jpg)
Hardee Spring, 2015-10-24 on the WWALS
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)
Update 2023-04-17: No phosphate mine waste into recreational lakes, and more transparency –WWALS to Hamilton County BOCC 2023-04-17.
See also, from five years ago: Pictures: PCS Phosphate mine permit Public Hearings, Jasper, FL 2018-01-23.
Here are 78 more documents related to the Public Hearing at 6 PM this Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Hamilton County Commission in Jasper, Florida, about Nutrien’s phosphate mining permit renewal.
![[Mining location, reclamation, flow, and areas]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-03-28--hamco-planning-more/many.jpg)
Mining location, reclamation, flow, and areas
These documents, from a USB stick I picked up from Hamilton County today, are in addition to the documents I posted yesterday.
Ordinarily I would read everything first and post some analysis, but in the interests of time, here are the documents. Continue reading
![[River water and groundwater interchange interacts with drinking water treatment in Georgia and Florida]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-03-26--groundwater-interchange/fbmany.jpg)
![[Rack Cards for the Alapaha River Water Trail and the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail 2024-09-30]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-30--rack-cards/many.jpg)
![[Input Solicited for Water Trail Signs on the Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, Alapaha, and Suwannee Rivers in Georgia and Florida]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-05--water-trail-signs/fbmany.jpg)
![[Before and After]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2016-10-01--alapaha-swallets-dye-trace-project/many.jpg)