Tag Archives: Valdosta GA

Social, bonfire at Janet’s, 2025-12-12

Join us for a cozy Meet & Greet Bonfire with the WWALS Watershed Coalition! This relaxed evening is a chance to connect with fellow members, meet new faces, and warm up around the fire. We’ll chat about upcoming outings, share updates on our advocacy work, and enjoy good food and great company.

When: 6 PM, Friday, December 12, 2025

Put In: Janet Martin, 3892 Hickory Grove Rd N, Valdosta, GA 31606

[WWALS Social, bonfire at Janet's, near Mud Swamp Creek, above Alapahoochee River]
WWALS Social, bonfire at Janet’s, near Mud Swamp Creek, above Alapahoochee River

Continue reading

PSA: Send your song by Wednesday for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025-08-04

Update 2025-08-07: Last call: Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for songs for the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025-08-07.

Like Billy says, send your song by this Wednesday, August 6, 2025, for the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. Here is the Entry Form:
https://forms.gle/LfXFBVESipd231Dr7

[PSA: Send your song by Wednesday, August 6, 2025, for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]
PSA: Send your song by Wednesday, August 6, 2025, for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

The organizing committee will decide on Finalists within a week after all the songs are in.

The Finals will be Saturday, September 6, 2025, at WWALS River Revue, Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia.
https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2025/

Here’s Billy’s PSA:
https://youtu.be/q6iViaKOYNk Continue reading

Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22

Update 2025-07-28: More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31.

Started in 100F heat index, finished in a rainstorm, but Phil Hubbard and I got passage cleared through three big deadfalls and a little one, and started on another.

More of these chainsaw cleanups. Join us next time!

[Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22, 100F heat index, thunderstorm, Still got several deadfalls]
Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22, 100F heat index, thunderstorm, Still got several deadfalls

The Withlacoochee River was too low to even get the WWALS jon boat in the water at Langdale Park Boat Ramp, where we rerouted to be upstream of the continued high E. coli in Sugar Creek.

Either outboard would have been of little use, anyway.

So we used one of the Suwannee Riverkeeper fleet of canoes. Thanks to Bob and Sue Raffaele, who donated the Old Town Camper canoe to WWALS 2021-05-29. And thanks to Dr. Dennis Marks for linking us up.

As the rain started to fall, Phil asked, how many miles did we get? Well, about a third of a mile. But we got more deadfalls cleared in that stretch than anybody else did.

While I was the one taking videos and Phil did indeed to most of the chainsaw work, I also chainsawed with two different saws.

Don’t worry: we left plenty of deadfalls for habitat. We cut passage, not everything out of the river.

We collected a bit of trash. Anybody who wants to collect more in this stretch can now get through to do so. And they can come along next chainsaw cleanup and pick up trash then.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the grant that paid not only for the two outboard motors that we did not use this time, but also for the 86lb-thrust trolling motor and the LiFePO4 batteries that we did use to get back up the river quickly in the thunder and lightning. No pictures of that; we were busy trying to get to port. Continue reading

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-07-09

Update 2025-07-13: New sewage spill in Sugar Creek 2025-07-12.

We have good E. coli results on the Withlacoochee River for this week.

[Clean Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-09, Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing]
Clean Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-09, Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week. Strange as it seems, chances are that creek is also clean.

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

Rain or thunderstorms are likely for the next ten days.

As near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

Maybe join WWALS today for Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-12.
https://wwals.net/?p=67870

Withlacoochee River

Continue reading

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-07-02

We have good E. coli results on the Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers and Franks Creek for this week.

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week.

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

Rain or thunderstorms are likely for the next ten days.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Alapaha River 2025-06-29, Withlacoochee River and Franks Creek 2025-07-02]
Clean Alapaha River 2025-06-29, Withlacoochee River and Franks Creek 2025-07-02

Maybe join WWALS tomorrow for Turner Bridge to Cone Bridge Paddle, Suwannee River 2025-07-05.
https://wwals.net/?p=67557

Alapaha River

Continue reading

Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-06-26

Update 2025-07-04: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2025-07-02.

WWALS and Valdosta Utilities got good E. coli results on the Withlacoochee River.

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida. There was one tiny spill near Adel, Georgia, reported to be completely contained.

Rain or thunderstorms are likely for the next ten days.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida, 2025-06-26; Small spill near Adel, GA, 2025-06-20, Morrison Creek, Little River]
Clean Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida, 2025-06-26; Small spill near Adel, GA, 2025-06-20, Morrison Creek, Little River

Maybe by a week from Saturday there will be no rain for Turner Bridge to Cone Bridge Paddle, Suwannee River, 2025-07-05.
https://wwals.net/?p=67557

Withlacoochee River

Continue reading

Meet and greet at Georgia Beer Company, 2025-10-19

Join WWALS for a relaxed social outing where members, friends, and newcomers can get to know each other, share ideas, and learn more about our upcoming outings, clean water advocacy efforts, and volunteer opportunities.

*Georgia Beer Company will still be open as usual; we have NOT reserved the entire facility for this event.

*This event it open to members and non-members.

When: 2-4 PM, Sunday, October 19, 2025

Location: Georgia Beer Company, 109 S Briggs St, Valdosta, GA

[Meet and greet at Georgia Beer Company, 109 S Briggs St, Valdosta GA, Sunday, October 19, 2025]
Meet and greet at Georgia Beer Company, 109 S Briggs St, Valdosta GA, Sunday, October 19, 2025

This is a dutch treat event. Feel free to grab a bite to eat or sample some local craft beer while you mingle. Whether you’re a long-time paddler, new to watershed protection, or just curious about what we do, this is a great chance to connect.

Let’s raise a glass to clean water and strong community—we hope to see you there!

Continue reading

Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-19

Update 2025-06-27: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-06-26.

WWALS and Valdosta Utilities got good E. coli results on the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers.

We don’t know about Sugar Creek; nobody tested that this week.

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

There’s some chance of rain for the next four days.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-19, Happy swimming, paddling, boating, and fishing]
Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-19, Happy swimming, paddling, boating, and fishing

Maybe join us tomorrow for spring hopping, Florida Campsites to Allen Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2025-06-21.
https://wwals.net/?p=67572 Continue reading

River paddling, Withlacoochee River and wells, speakers at WWALS River Revue 2025

Hahira, Georgia, June 19, 2025 — Speakers from Georgia and Florida will talk about where to paddle Georgia rivers and legal issues with that, as well as contamination in the Withlacoochee River in north Florida, much of it coming from Georgia, at the WWALS River Revue, September 6, 2025.

[Georgia river paddling, Florida Withlacoochee River and wells, Suzanne Welander & Rick Davis, WWALS River Revue 2025]

Suzanne Welander wrote the book on Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia. She will speak about that and her work to get the Georgia legislature to fix its antique 1863 navigability law. According to that law, river passage depends on navigability, and streams in Georgia are only navigable if they can, all or part of a year, be used to transport goods to market. Nobody ships bales of cotton down our rivers, and for most of them nobody ever did. What people use our rivers for these days is fishing, paddling, motoring, and swimming. The law needs to be updated from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman wrote about her book, “It is even more thorough than previous editions, with some new put-ins added (even Banks Lake!), and others no longer accessible deleted. Working with Suzanne on the WWALS rivers was a pleasure, and the WWALS water trail maps and other materials also improved because of it, adding some new-to-us landings and improving descriptions. The book contains pithy yet informative narrative and very usable summary maps, plus admirable recommendations of each river.”

Rick Davis, Madison County Commissioner District 5, will speak about fecal contamination in the Withlacoochee River and nearby wells, and the task force he chairs of the dozen downstream Florida counties. Back in 2020, after Valdosta’s huge sewage spills, he chaired that task force, which was instrumental in getting a Consent Order on Valdosta from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Although Valdosta has made great strides towards fixing its antiquated sewage infrastructure, and has floated $67 million in municipal bonds for further water and sewer projects, it still has spills, and the dozen downstream Florida counties are once again watching.

WWALS Board Member Scotti Jay said, “We like to paddle the rivers, and nobody wants to drink, paddle in, or eat fish out of contaminated water.”

WWALS River Revue is Continue reading

Clean Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2025-06-12

Update 2025-06-20: Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-06-19.

WWALS got some OK E. coli results on Sugar Creek this week.

And Valdosta Utilities got clean results for the Withlacoochee River.

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

Rain is predicted this weekend and every day this coming week.

Since these recent tests were after previous rains, apparently we’re past first flush. That means whatever was in the woods has washed out now, so more rain may not cause much contamination.

So as near as we can tell, happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend, if you can beat the rain!

[Clean Withlacoochee River, and Sugar Creek, More Rain coming, 2025-06-12]
Clean Withlacoochee River, and Sugar Creek, More Rain coming, 2025-06-12

Maybe join us Thursday evening by zoom for How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar, by Dennis J. Price, P.G., 2025-06-19
https://wwals.net/?p=67740 Continue reading