Tag Archives: Tyler Bridge

Clean Alapaha River, OK Withlacoochee River, Filthy Sugar Creek 2024-12-19

Update 2024-12-27: Sugar Creek still filthy, Alapaha River OK 2024-12-26.

With no rain since last week, Sugar Creek is better, but still has too much E. coli at the WaterGoat near the Withlacoochee River. River water dilutes it below there, and upstream also the Withlacoochee River is clean. The Little and Alapaha Rivers tested clean.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, but in Georgia, Ashburn had yet another small spill.

No flooding is shown on any river gauge in the Suwannee River Basin. The Santa Fe River at Fort White is actually too low to paddle.

So if you like cold, this weekend seems good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, as long as you avoid the vicinity of Sugar Creek.

Clean Alapaha, Little Rivers, OK Withlacoochee River 2024-12-19 Avoid Filthy Sugar Creek; Good paddling this weekend

Alapaha River

Ashburn reported quickly for once that it had a 2,000-gallon sewage spill into Hat Creek from the usual location of Rockhouse Road and Sylvia Drive. This time the cause was “Equipment failure.” Get a grip, Ashburn! Continue reading →

Cleaner Withlacoochee River 2024-11-21

Update 2024-11-30: Bad Sugar Creek, clean Withlacoochee River 2024-11-26.

Madison Health on Wednesday lifted its health advisory about the Withlacoochee River, after they got two successive good water quality results, for Friday and Monday, at CR 145, aka Mozell Spells, State Line Boat Ramp, on GA 31, Madison Highway.

Valdosta’s Tuesday results at US 84 agree, but Valdosta’s GA 133 results were too high, and Valdosta’s Hightower and Sugar Creek results were way too high.

WWALS upstream testing Thursday was good.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

The Withlacoochee River is well below Action stage. So happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating.

Remember, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene. So check before you go.

Or join us tomorrow for the Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-11-23.

Cleaner Withlacoochee River 2024-11-21 Questionable Hightower and Sugar Creeks

WWALS tester Cindy Vedas got Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers 2024-06-27

Update 2024-07-05: Bad Franks Creek, unknown rivers, after much rain 2024-07-03.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean for Wednesday and Thursday, and the Santa Fe River for Monday.

Retesting upstream and downstream from the previous One Mile Branch Valdosta Williams Street anomolous results found little to no E. coli.

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

The rivers are almost all down to good boating and fishing levels; maybe too low in some areas.

There was rain on the Withlacoochee River in several places over several days, so some contamination may have washed in.

Other than that, happy boating, swimming, and fishing this weekend!

Clean Withlacoochee and Santa Fe Rivers, but rain 2024-06-27

Cindy Vedas tested three upstream Withlacoochee sites Thursday.

For Franklinville Road at Tyler Bridge, she got Continue reading →

Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-26: Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek OK Sunday 2023-06-25.

Here are two WWALS water quality testers at one of their usual spots, sampling on an unusual day.

Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Cindy and David Vedas could not sample most of their locations on the usual day of Thursday. So they followed up today (Sunday). Their results will be available tomorrow.

Here’s a WWALS YoutTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qx0_SfMo0jAGttJXZnjLqSm

For much more about the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/ Continue reading →

Water trail sign fixing, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-25: Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25.

Somebody stole one of the water trail signs, and pushed the signpost off from vertical. So we fixed it.

Before, fixing, after: WLRWT signs, Franklinville Landing, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

This is at Franklinville Landing, on the Withlacoochee River at Franklinville Road, near the location of the old Lowndes County seat of Franklinville. It looked like somebody backed into the signpost, after somebody stole the bottom sign. That’s the one about this location, Franklinville Landing: what you can see upstream and downstream, how far, etc.

Back in 2019, when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) provided WWALS a generous educational grant through the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), we ordered duplicates of some signs. Franklinville happened to be one of them, so the duplicate now replaces the stolen sign. Continue reading →

Which Withlacoochee River bridge is highest? 2022-11-03

Hint: the answer is not Tyler Bridge on Franklinville Road.

Which of the other three Withlacoochee River Bridges is highest? GA 133? US 41 (North Valdosta Road)? Or Skipper Bridge?

Four Withlacoochee River bridges

How do I know? I threw a bucket off each bridge, and dragged it back up twice with water in it. Continue reading →

Franklinville, Skipper Bridge, Langdale Park, GA 133, Withlacoochee River WQ 2022-10-27

Yesterday I went to five water quality testing sites and sampled four of them. Results tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Brunner sampled nine sites on Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek. If nothing else we should have a good baseline to use in deciphering what is causing the E. coli and Fecal coliform that keeps showing up at US 41 and GA 133.

And inquiring minds want to know: what happened to all the trees at the entrance to Langdale Park?

4.5 sites, Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-27

Toms Branch

No water in Toms Branch, so no sample. Continue reading →

Franklinville Monument, Landing, Road, Tyler Bridge, Withlacoochee River, Toms Branch 2021-02-06

WWALS President Tom H. Johnson Jr. wanted to see the world-famous Franklinville Monument. Well, famous to those who know Franklinville was the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, before Troupville, before Valdosta.

We proceeded east on Franklinville Road to Tyler Bridge over the Withlacoochee River, looked from there at Franklinville Landing on the right (west) bank, and also looked at where Tom’s Branch crosses the road and enters the river.

Franklinville Monument, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Landing, Toms Branch

But first, Franklinville Monument. Continue reading →

Franklinville Landing Clean Up, Withlacoochee River, 2019-08-03

Update 2019-07-24: Free to everyone!

Come help WWALS clean up at Franklinville Landing at Tyler Bridge on Franklinville Road on the Withlacoochee River, and on adjoining private land, courtesy of the landowner. Per our usual arrangement, Lowndes County Public Works will come get the trash after we bag it and set it on the public road right of way. We will also visit the nearby monument to Franklinville, which was the county seat of Lowndes County before Valdosta and before Troupville.

When: 9 AM, Saturday, August 3, 2019

Gather at: Franklinville Landing, 6560 Franklinville Road, Hahira, GA 31632. in Lowndes County.
Be sure to get to Franklinville Road from the west, from Skipper Bridge Road; you can’t get to the clean up site from Cat Creek Road.

From Valdosta, go north on N. Oak Street Extension, which becomes Cherry Creek Road and then Staten Road. After you cross the Withlacoochee River on Staten Road, turn right on the next paved road, which is McMillan Road. Turn left onto Skipper Bridge Road. After 2.4 miles, turn right onto Franklinville Road, which is a dirt road. Continue to Tyler Bridge, which is closed, so you can’t miss it because you can’t go any further.

From Hahira, go east on GA 122, after 4.2 miles turn right onto Skipper Bridge Road, and after 0.9 miles turn left onto dirt Franklinville Road.

GPS: 30.981249, -83.268027

Take Out: Same.

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along. No boat required, although you can bring one to paddle up and down if you want to.

Free: This outing is free to ~~WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members~~ everyone! We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

For those interested, afterwards go to Langdale Park Boat Ramp for an additional cleanup. That is downstream on the Withlacoochee River, also on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Event: facebook, meetup

Downstream from bridge, 13:38:58,, 2018-02-11 30.9813860, -83.2676550,