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
Rescheduled again to April 5, 2025, because of river closure: they were still cleaning Hurricane Helene debris out of the river through the previous date.
We apologize for the inconvenience. We are also disappointed. But neither we nor the park control hurricanes, and the park does not control the schedule of Tallahassee or the contractors for removing hurricane debris.
Join us on a leisurely paddle on the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers, starting at Ichetucknee Springs State Park North Entrance, past many springs, taking out at the US 129 Boat Ramp.
When: Gather 8:30 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, April 5, 2024
Put In: Ichetucknee Springs S.P. North Entrance, 8294 SW Elim Church Rd, Fort White, FL 32038.
![[Ichetucknee River to Santa Fe River 2025-04-05, Ichetucknee Springs S.P. North to US 129 Boat Ramp]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-04-05--ichetucknee-santa-fe/fbmany.jpg)
Ichetucknee River to Santa Fe River 2025-04-05, Ichetucknee Springs S.P. North to US 129 Boat Ramp
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.
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
I don’t see anything in the agenda about the Middle and Lower Suwannee River and Withlacoochee River Task Force that the NCFRPC reactivated in May after Valdosta’s April sewage spills. Maybe they are meeting separately and have nothing to report yet.
Also, in the statewide metrics of https://thefloridascorecard.org/ I don’t see anything about water: not drinking water, river water, springs, levels, flows, E. coli, nitrates, cyanobacteria, nothing.
But on the agenda are several county Comprehensive Plan updates, so those could be interesting.
![[North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2024-07-25, Metrics, Jobs, and Comprehensive Plans]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-25--ncfrpc/fbmany.jpg)
North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2024-07-25, Metrics, Jobs, and Comprehensive Plans
Received this morning:
Council Members, Interested Persons, and News Media,
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING STARTS AT 7:00 P.M.
Please be advised that there will be a Hybrid Meeting in-Person at Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, Suwannee Room, 213 Southwest Commerce Boulevard, Lake City, Florida, and via Communications Media Technology for the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council on Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Continue reading
FDEP has invited all Waterkeepers of Florida to this workshop.
You can attend, too.
![[Potable Reuse Workshop 2024-07-15, Florida DEP, Tallahassee and Online, 10 AM EDT]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-07-15--fdep-potable/fbmany.jpg)
Potable Reuse Workshop 2024-07-15, Florida DEP, Tallahassee and Online, 10 AM EDT
Workshop Agenda
Monday, July 15, 2024, 10:00 am EDT
Potable ReuseThis is a rule development workshop to discuss and receive public input on the development of proposed amendments to portions of Chapters 62-550, 62-555, and 62-610, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), and create a new Chapter 62-565, F.A.C. These amendments and new chapter will create a new set of rules for potable reuse. These changes will simplify and clarify existing rule language and establish requirements for potable reuse. Notices of Rule Development were published in 2023 and 2024. Links to those publications can be found on the Water Resource Management rule development information website.
This meeting is open to the public. DEP is hosting this public workshop in person at Bob Martinez Center, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Room 609, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, as well as virtually via GoToWebinar. To register for the meeting virtually, please visit the following link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3655798535631207254. Continue reading
Update 2024-05-24: What progress has been made towards springs nitrogen loading reduction by the Suwannee River BMAP? 2024-05-24.
SRWMD is holding two meetings about springs protection on Friday, May 24, 2024, at 10AM for the Suwannee River Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP), and at 1:30 PM for its Santa Fe River BMAP.
![[SRWMD BMAP meetings, Online May 24, 2024, Suwannee River Basin 10 AM, Santa Fe River Basin 1:30 PM]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-05-24--srwmd-bmap/fbmany.jpg)
SRWMD BMAP meetings, Online May 24, 2024, Suwannee River Basin 10 AM, Santa Fe River Basin 1:30 PM
Everybody knows the main problem and the cause: nitrates from fertilizer leaching through the soil and causing algae blooms in springs such as Madison Blue Spring and Gilchrist Blue Spring, because of too much fertilizer and irrigation using Floridan Aquifer withdrawals.
Nothing much has changed since this article was published in 2018: State geologist Greenhalgh says BMPs don’t work to solve BMAPs. The BMAPs use the same Best Management Practices (BMPs) that were already in use for the previous decades, during which the problem got worse. There is little reason to believe those BMPs alone will improve the situation.
To affect these BMAPs, it’s going to take more than just people showing up or even experts providing opinions. Grasstops are needed: people who can influence the decision makers, both inside SRWMD and FDEP, and elected statewide officials.
But a good first step is for people to show up or send letters of comment. 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
![[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)