Update 2023-04-05: Maps: Valdosta Stormwater Pond Facility Clusters 2023-03-01.
The most interesting parts of the response to the open records request I sent to Valdosta about spraying are the summary by Stormwater Manager Angela Bray, and the Stormwater Pond Facility Clusters.
I agree with her first two points, but am confused by her other two.
![[ORR Response and Stormwater Pond Facility Clusters]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-19--vld-orr-spraying/many.jpg)
ORR Response and Stormwater Pond Facility Clusters
This is the main part of the Stormwater Manager’s summary: Continue reading
Update 2023-02-22: Valdosta will maintain Berkley Drive trash trap 2023-02-22.
Valdosta City Engineer Benjamin O’Dowd says Valdosta has purchased an upgraded Watergoat trash trap, to be installed in approximately March.
It will go in Sugar Creek, he says, and the old one will go into Two Mile Branch below Berkley Drive.
![[Valdosta promises new Watergoat, Two Mile Branch trash report, Old Watergoat, Two Mile Branch trash]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-17--valdosta-watergoat-upgrade/many.jpg)
Valdosta promises new Watergoat, Two Mile Branch trash report, Old Watergoat, Two Mile Branch trash
That’s all good. Thanks for doing that, Engineer O’Dowd, and City of Valdosta.
But he did not mention any plan for cleaning out that new trash trap location on Two Mile Branch. Remember, Continue reading
We got 577 pounds of trash and a bunch of tires out of Sugar Creek, as part of the River and Creek Cleanup, Lowndes County, Valdosta, and WWALS 2020-10-10. Probably more than that; that number is from one record sheet.
![[Tire boat, trash ashore and recorded]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2020-10-10--cleanup-pictures/many.jpg)
Tire boat, trash ashore and recorded
WLRWT, Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, Withlacoochee River, Special thanks to Bobby McKenzie, Scotti Jay, Tom Potter, Sara Jay, Elizabeth Brunner, and Joe Johnson, among WWALS regulars, plus at least seventeen more volunteers. And thanks to Current Problems for coming up from Gainesville, Florida, to help.
This was a very productive cleanup, getting some trash out of Sugar Creek before it got to the Withlacoochee River. It makes Continue reading
Update 2023-02-24: Another Valdosta E. Park Ave. sewage spill, 171,750 gallons 2023-02-20
Update 2023-02-18: Clean rivers 2023-02-16.
This one showed up Tuesday, February 14th in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report, reporting a Valdosta spill of the previous Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
The reason given was “Pipe failure”.
The good part is that with only 1,170 gallons spilled, there was probably little effect on Sugar Creek and none to worry about on the Withlacoochee River. Nothing unusual showed up in water quality testing by Valdosta or WWALS for that day or the next two.
Below is a map of the area, and a Google streetview of my best guess of where it was, going by Valdosta’s sloppy week-late report of “1700 block of River St”. Continue reading
Update 2023-02-18: Clean rivers 2023-02-16.
Update 2023-02-13: Cherry Creek water quality sampling after Valdosta sewage spill 2023-02-12.
Thanks to new WWALS tester Cindy Vegas for four more Withlacoochee River site results for Thursday, all clean.
But it rained hard yesterday and continues today, so contamination has probably washed into the rivers: all of the Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee. Maybe not the Santa Fe, but we’ll see.
I wouldn’t swim, fish, or boat in these rivers this weekend.
![[Chart with Rain, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide Map 2023-02-09]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-09--more-wq/many.jpg)
Chart with Rain, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide Map 2023-02-09
Look at the rain for yesterday, Friday: 1.67 inches at the Skipper Bridge Gauge, in the same stretch of river she sampled Thursday. Cat Creek comes in between Franklinville and Skipper Bridge, so it is very likely that contamination washed into the river yesterday. Continue reading
Update 2023-02-11: Clean Thursday from Franklinville to US 41: Withlacoochee River, but raining now 2023-02-09.
Good news: all WWALS tests pretty clean for yesterday’s samples, on the Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers.
Warning: It’s raining, and will more tomorrow, so contamination may wash into the rivers from creeks such as Okapilco, Sugar, and Cat Creek.
No new sewer spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida, not since the two Rochelle, GA, spills of January 30th that we discussed in the previous post.
Thanks to Continue reading
Bobby McKenzie reports, “So the trash trap at Lee Street pond is getting an upgrade…”
No doubt everyone agrees with Bobby when he says, “Hope it works!”
![[Looking upstream, Lee St. trash trap construction, --Bobby McKenzie 2023-01-09]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-09--valdosta-lee-street-trash-trap/image_67233281.jpg)
Looking upstream, Lee St. trash trap construction, –Bobby McKenzie 2023-01-09
He elaborates: Continue reading
Update 2023-02-09: New week river water quality update 2023-02-06.
Happy paddling, fishing, and swimming (if you like cold) this weekend!
Yes, we are paddling tomorrow (Saturday) on the Withlacoochee River from Allen Ramp to Suwannee River State Park. If you like high water including a quarter mile paddle upstream, join us!
All the WWALS water quality tests were well within the one-time test limit.
The rains promised for yesterday mostly did not happen, so most likely not much contamination washed into the rivers.
The only sewage spill was small and at the top of the Alapaha River watersheds, and it did not appear to affect downstream water quality.
The city of Rochelle, Georgia, at least took less than a week to report its sewage spill. Continue reading
Just to see if Russell Allen McBride had changed his mind since December, I asked him again as he waded in to clean out the Sugar Creek WaterGoat: if Valdosta finally buys more trash traps like they’ve been promising for many months, will he clean them out?
Answer: not unless the city makes that his full time job.
![[Russell waist-deep in the trash]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-01-26--water-goat-sugar-creek/20230126_160545.jpg)
Russell waist-deep in the trash
He also mentioned that the recent big rain washed some trash over the current WaterGoat, so Valdosta needs a better model for this location, which is on Sugar Creek just upstream from the Withlacoochee River.
See the video
on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/941601463886544
Or on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/y5Zi8es3nLI
Video by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc., 2023-01-26
For much more about the trash situation, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/trash Continue reading
Update 2023-01-20: Mostly Clean Rivers 2023-01-19.
All three rivers tested clean in WWALS results for Thursday. And no new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.
However, it also rained later Thursday, more than half an inch at almost every gauge we follow.
So, by the test results, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend. If you like cold.
But remember that rain of more than half an inch often washes contamination into the rivers, such as happened from Beatty Branch, Cat Creek, and Sugar Creek last Friday.
Personally, I’d pick the Alapaha or the Suwannee River for this weekend. Although with the predicted freeze, I’m not paddling this weekend.
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2023-01-12]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-01-12--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2023-01-12
The most recent results we have from Valdosta are from Friday a week ago. Continue reading
![[Spill report, manhole, map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-08--valdosta-river-st-spill/many.jpg)
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-09--wq/many.jpg)
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-02--wq/many.jpg)