Tag Archives: US 82

Ashburn Spill 2025-02-14, Chemours Mine Spill 2025-02-16, Bad Little River 2025-02-17, Bad Withlacoochee River 2025-02-19

Update 2025-02-28: Clean Franks Creek 2025-02-26 and Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-02-27.

We do not have any updates on Sugar Creek, but the recent rains probably washed more contamination into it.

Valdosta Utilities got too high E. coli downstream on the Withlacoochee River at GA 133 for Wednesday. But OK results farther down at US 84.

Upstream on the Little River at US 82 west of Tifton, WWALS got too high for Monday.

Ashburn had yet another small sewage spill Friday a week ago, at the usual location of Rockhouse Road and Sylvia Drive, into Hat Creek, which goes to the Alapaha River.

“On Sunday, February 16, 2025 at approximately 6 PM,” Chemours spilled approximately 230,000 gallons of process water from its Trail Ridge South Mine east of Starke, Florida, upstream of the Santa Fe River. Stay tuned for a separate report.

The Withlacoochee River is in Action Stage at and above Valdosta and at Pinetta.

If you’ve got a power boat and stay below the Little River Confluence, the volume of rainwater probably makes the Withlacoochee River relatively clean. I wouldn’t recommend kayaks or canoes unless there’s more than one of you and you really know what you’re doing.

Paddling or fishing or swimming (if you like cold) would be better on other rivers this weekend. At least the weather prediction is sunny and warmer than it has been recently.

Bad Little River 2025-02-17, Bad Withlacoochee River 2025-02-19, Ashburn Spill 2025-02-14, Chemours Mine Spill 2025-02-16

Little River

WWALS Internet and Tester Samantha Carr sampled the Little River at US 82 west of Tifton on Monday. We’re going with Suzy Hall’s interpretation of Samantha’s slides: 8+7+13 * 100 / 3 = 933 cfu/100 mL. That’s higher than the 410 one-time test limit. Continue reading →

Bad Alapaha WTP Outflow 2024-08-30

Update 2024-09-06: Clean Withlacoochee River, Dirty Franks Creek 2024-09-04.

Not so good below the Town of Alapaha, Georgia, wastewater settling ponds Friday.

Bad Alapaha WPCP Outflow, Alapaha River 2024-08-30 Yet clean downstream above US 82 & Sheboggy Boat Ramp

Heather Brasell tested on what’s in the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT) map as Alapaha Elementary School Stream and got 667 CFU/100 mL of E. coli, which is above the 410 one-time test limit. She tested on the power line right of way you can see just downstream (northeast) of the Alapaha WPCP Outfall. Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapaha Station Celebration 2019-11-09

2019 was the last year the Alapaha Station Celebration was held, and WWALS was there for the sixth year running.

WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman, Berrien County photographer Wenda Gaile Bailey, WWALS booth

Yes, it’s back this year, at the historic railroad station in Alapaha, Georgia, near Sheboggy Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River, the most upstream public landing on the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail. We will be back there. Stay tuned. WWALS at Alapaha Station Celebration 2022-11-12. Continue reading →

Alapaha Station Celebration 2019-11-09

Update 2022-10-19: Pictures: Alapaha Station Celebration 2019-11-09.

Join us for fun, food, and a parade at the Alapaha Station Celebration, and at the WWALS booth Enviroscape, maps, pictures, and all about outings and advocacy, Saturday, November 9, 2019, we’ll be there the sixth year running.

When: 9AM – 5PM, Saturday, November 9, 2019

Where: Alapaha Station, 245 NE Railroad St, Alapaha, Georgia

Event: facebook

All those pictures were taken in our watersheds. Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS at Alapaha Station Celebration 2018

The station is only a few miles from Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapaha Station Celebration 2018-11-10

Lots of people studied the Suwannee Basin map to see where everything is, last year at the 2018 Alapaha Station Celebration. We’ll be back in a few weeks, at the first local festival WWALS attended.

with Gretchen

The Enviroscape (in front of Gretchen) was popular. Continue reading →

Pictures: Hike to the Dead River Sink 2018-01-27

It was a nice day for a Hike to the Dead River Sink in the Alapaha Quest on the Alapaha River Water Trail, with Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. Here are some pictures and a Google map from Saturday, January 27, 2018.

Almost there, 13:16:34, 30.5837666, -83.0535975

You can come along when we do it again in January 2019. Continue reading →

Alapaha Station Celebration 2018-11-10

Update 2019-10-24: pictures.

Join us at the WWALS booth for fun, food, and a parade at the Alapaha Station Celebration, this Saturday, November 10, 2018, for the firth year running.

When: 9AM – 5PM, Saturday, November 10, 2017

Where: Alapaha Station, 245 NE Railroad St, Alapaha, Georgia

Event: facebook

Dave Hetzel and people; pictures by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS at Alapaha Station Celebration 2017-11-11.

The station is only a few miles from Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapaha Station Celebration 2017-11-11

Fun last year at the Alapaha Station Celebration, coming up again tomorrow.

Shirley Kokidko; pictures by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS.

There are many more pictures on the WWALS website.

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading →

Sheboggy to Rowetown Church Cemetery, Alapaha Quest 2018-03-04

An expert paddle to start the Alapaha Quest, down the wild and exotic Alapaha River in the balmy south Georgia winter. This trip is not recommended for beginners

When: 9:30 AM Sunday, March 4, 2018

Put In: Sheboggy Landing at US 82, 11004 US Highway 82, Alapaha, GA 31622, east of the town of Alapaha in Berrien County.

GPS: 31.386278, -83.191611

Take Out: Rowetown Church Cemetery, 1291 Rowetown Church Road, Alapaha, GA 31622, in Berrien County. Yes, we called ahead and got permission.

Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup. It will still be hunting season, so also wear hunting orange if you’ve got it.

Price: This outing is free to WWALS members. It costs $10.00 to nonmembers. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook meetup

Continue reading →

Hike to Dead River Sink, Alapaha Quest 2017-01-27 2018-01-27

Update 2018-11-21: Pictures.

Rescheduled due to low water, this time moved and mutated into a hike to the Dead River Sink, starting in the middle of the Alapaha Quest.

Practicing Geologist and WWALS member Dennis James Price will once again lead us through this impressive geological phenomenon. It is an eye opener that will perfectly illustrate the karst topography that is typical for quite a bit of the area where many of our rivers flow. When you see the exposed limestone along the river banks you see the porous rock. However when you see a hole that is capable of swallowing the entire Alapaha for most of the year…. it’s impressive.

When: High noon, Saturday, January 27, 2018

Put In: Meet at Jennings Bluff Launch. From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel south on US 41 to NW 25 Lane; turn left; travel east to NW 82 Court and the entrance into the Suwannee River Water Management District’s Jennings Bluff tract; turn left and follow road to canoe launch.

GPS: 30.567172, -83.039189 (for the entrance to Jennings Bluff Tract)

Take Out: Same.

Bring: Cold weather gear, hiking shoes, and clothes resistant to thorny bushes. No boat needed. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.

Join: This outing is Free to WWALS members. Non-members: $10/person. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!