Tag Archives: Valdosta GA

Foraged Wreath Make and Take 2025-12-13

Join floral artist Amanda Hall-Phillips for a hands-on wreath-making workshop using natural, foraged greenery—think cedar, pine, eucalyptus, seed pods, cones, vines, and other beautiful finds from our own woods and waterways. You’ll learn how to identify local plants, build a lush, oversized wreath, and style it for the season.

It’s fun and educational. For example, the venue is in the watershed of Sugar Creek, which has had many sewage spills on the way to the Withlacoochee River.

And you’re helping all that WWALS does, including water quality testing!

When: Gather 10 AM, launch NA, end 12 PM, Saturday, December 13, 2025

Put In: Wood Valley Community Center Pavilion, 1907 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA 31602.

GPS: 30.849573, -83.323239

Foraged Wreath Make and Take, Fundraiser 2025-12-13, Amanda Hall-Phillips, Wood Valley Community Center

Continue reading →

Former Artesian Spring, Saunders Park, Valdosta, GA 2017-09-16

Excerpted from another post eight years ago. This barely trickling spring is on Sugar Creek, which flows to the Withlacoochee River. It is a cautionary tale for overpumping groundwater.

Former Artesian Spring, Saunders Park, Valdosta, GA 2017-09-16, On Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River

My father told me there used to be a bath house on River Street west of downtown Valdosta, fed by an artesian well. I remember decades ago there being tumble-down buildings. In recent years I never could locate them.

Turns out that’s because it became John W. Saunders Park, 1151 River Street, Valdosta, Georgia. Continue reading →

Radio: WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Scott James Radio 2025-09-04

In which Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson revealed that the City of Valdosta plans to double the size of the catch basin at its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Also this morning on talk921.com, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman complimented the city on finally fixing one of the chronically-sewage-spewing manholes at Wainwright Drive on One Mile Branch.

Come on down this Saturday evening, 5-9 PM, for WWALS River Revue and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest at the Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia.

That’s $65 per person. There are also a few complimentary Educator tickets and $25 Musician tickets available if you contact us quickly.

WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Scott James Radio, talk921.com 2025-09-04

Here are WWALS videos of the main discussions on the radio this morning, followed by a WWALS video playlist. I’ve added some links to writeups on the topics discussed. And the playlist starts slightly out of order with the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. Continue reading →

Stopped: Overflow from Valdosta Withlacoochee Wastewater Treament Plant 2025-08-27

Update 2025-08-27: Filthy Sugar Creek, OK One Mile Branch, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-08-26.

We received this update from Valdosta this morning at 11:19 AM:

Withlacoochee WPCP Overflow Stopped as of August 27
Update as of August 27, 2025, 9:30 a.m. The overflow at the Withlacoochee WPCP has stopped. It is estimated that approximately 1,500,000 gallons of stormwater diluted wastewater to the wetland adjacent to the plant. All required agencies have been notified.

Stopped: Overflow from Valdosta Withlacoochee Wastewater Treament Plant, Monday, August 27, 2025

That’s optimistic saying that a 1.5 million gallon spill is contained in the adjacent wetlands.

I don’t see any water quality test results posted on Valdosta’s website yet, even though after each of the two weekend major spills Valdosta is required by their wastewater permit to test daily upstream and down each day for a week, then weekly for four weeks.

Maybe we’ll see some results soon from Madison Health downstream in Florida.

Meanwhile, neither of these Valdosta major spills have yet appeared in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.
https://wwals.net/issues/vww/ga-spills/

Update 2025-08-27: Well, they were in there Monday, but still without total gallons. See: Filthy Sugar Creek, OK One Mile Branch, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-08-26.

The rest of today’s Valdosta PR text Continue reading →

Overflowing Catch Basin at Valdosta Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant 2025-08-24

Update 2025-08-27: Stopped: Overflow from Valdosta Withlacoochee Wastewater Treament Plant 2025-08-27.

Valdosta’s Withlacoochee WWTP catch basin is overflowing again, into Spring Branch to the Withlacoochee River.

Seems like the catch basin is not big enough.

Overflowing Catch Basin, at Valdosta Withlacoochee, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sunday, August 25, 2025

Received 9:30 PM, Sunday, August 24, 2025, and currently on Valdosta’s website. We also got the same release at 9:10 PM, Sunday, August 24, 2025.

Sanitary Sewer overflow at the Withlacoochee WWTP
On Sunday, August 24, 2025, the City of Valdosta Utilities Department and City Management were notified that the secondary Equalization (EQ) Basin at the Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) had begun to overflow.

The Utilities Department immediately mobilized the appropriate divisions to assess and respond. The overflow was determined to be the result of excessive Infiltration and Inflow (I&I), which caused a hydraulic overload of the sanitary sewer collection system. This condition followed a significant weather event in which the City of Valdosta received more than eight inches of rainfall within a 48-hour period.

WPCP operators have worked tirelessly Continue reading →

Seven Songs from Florida and Georgia 2025-08-22

Hahira, GA, August 22, 2025 — You’ll hear seven songs written by eleven songwriters from Florida and Georgia, at WWALS River Revue, Saturday, September 6, 2025, Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia.

Flyer: WWALS River Revue 2025

Genres include Americana, blues, two folk songs, two bluegrass, and an American Folk Revival song. Topics range from Florida history to good times on the rivers to defending the Okefenokee Swamp.

Plus a sit-down catered meal, drinks, and a silent auction. With two speakers, from Florida and Georgia, and a headliner.

Follow this link for tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more:
https://app.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2025

“Your ticket or sponsorship helps support everything WWALS does, from water quality tests to paddle outings and chainsaw cleanups, and beyond to advocacy to stop trash at its sources, strip mines, and pipelines. We work for water trails, solar power, and the Right to Clean Water, with growing engagement for youth and marginalized communities,” said organizing committee chair Sara Squires Jones. “Thanks to our sponsors so far (see the flyer). You, too, can be a sponsor! Or just join us for WWALS River Revue 2025.”

Rachel Grubb will headline, with her winning song from last year and her haunting encore.

These are the ten songwriter finalists, in alphabetical order, with a bit they wrote about themselves: Continue reading →

Seven years of sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia 2025-08-14

Update 2025-08-15: Dirty Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee River @ US 84, 2025-08-13, Clean Alapaha River & Withlacoochee River, Upstream & Downstream 2025-08-13.

Who is the Georgia sewage spill winner?

Hint, it’s the most populous city in the Suwannee River Basin in either Georgia or Florida: Valdosta.

Details are below, in which you can see that the number of spills and the amount spilled have decreased, but Valdosta has a long way to go yet. As do less populous places, especially Ashburn, as well as Tifton, Quitman, and Rochelle.

Seven years of sewage spills, Suwannee River Basin, GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report, by WWALS 2025-08-14

I hope we will all hear what Valdosta is doing this evening, when the Florida Rivers Task Force meets with Valdosta at 6 PM, at Valdosta City Hall Annex, 300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, GA 31601. https://wwals.net/?p=68173 Continue reading →

WCTV: Florida river task force to meet with Valdosta City Council about sewage spill concerns 2025-08-13

Update 2025-08-18: Videos: Florida River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop 2025-08-14.

Michael Clark from WCTV interviewed me by zoom yesterday, and here’s the story. What he quoted that I said:

“This also matters upstream in Georgia, because, for example, Lowndes County, Georgia, is always trying to attract clean industry with the sorts of people who like to oh let me think, paddle, motor, swim, fish. And the Withlacoochee River goes right by Valdosta, so it’s not good for attracting the kinds of businesses and employees they want if there’s a problem with that river,” Quarterman said.

The meeting is 6 PM today at Valdosta City Hall Annex, 300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, GA 31601.

It’s not a WWALS meeting, but WWALS invites the public to come.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2285600495227880/

WCTV story

WCTV Staff, WCTV, Aug. 13, 2025 at 10:40 PM EDT|Updated around midnight, Florida river task force to meet with Valdosta City Council about sewage spill concerns: Continue reading →

PSA: Send your song by Wednesday –Rachel Grubb, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025-08-10

Rachel Grubb will headline this year’s WWALS River Revue with the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

She asks musicians to send in their song by the extended deadline, this Wednesday, August 13, 2025.

Here is the Entry Form:
https://forms.gle/LfXFBVESipd231Dr7

Rachel Grubb PSA: Send your song by Wednesday August 13, for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Here is her Public Service Announcement (PSA):

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 Rachel’s winning song from last year: Continue reading →

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