Tag Archives: Valdosta Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority

What parks are closed? 2024-10-03

Many national, state, and local parks and related facilities are closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene. Some were already closed due to Hurricane Debby.

Assume it’s closed unless you have other information.

[What parks are closed after Hurricane Helene? Many of them. 2024-10-03 Assume closed unless other information.]
What parks are closed after Hurricane Helene? Many of them. 2024-10-03 Assume closed unless other information.
Pictured: damage at Stephen Foster Culture Center State Park in White Springs, Florida. Photo: SFCSSP

Georgia

Many parks are closed all over Georgia. Here we list only the ones in or near the Suwannee River Basin.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

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More about the Valdosta Knob Hill or Williamsburg Drive sewage spill 2024-01-10

Update 2024-03-06: WTXL TV report and Pictures: Valdosta WWTP water quality lab ribbon cutting 2024-03-05.

Update 2024-01-26: Five clean rivers and a clean creek 2024-01-25.

I discovered a can of worms when I took a few pictures to illustrate the 100,000-gallon Knob Hill Road or Williamsburg Drive, Valdosta sewage spill of 10-12 January 2024.

The actual location is not quite where I was told by Valdosta Utilities. But I cut them a lot of slack for that, because they were working on getting it stopped, not precisely determining ownership of the affected properties.

[Spill site behind 215 Knob Hill Road, VALORGIS, VLPRA, Lowndes County Tax Assessors, Pebblewood Drive detention pond, Three Mile Branch]
Spill site behind 215 Knob Hill Road, VALORGIS, VLPRA, Lowndes County Tax Assessors, Pebblewood Drive detention pond, Three Mile Branch

More importantly, according to Valdosta Utilities Acting Director Jason Barnes, the cause was not as first thought a collapsed sewer main. When Utilities examined the pipes, they found rocks and some sort of lid in them.

And according to Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson yesterday, they also found other materials that never should have been in a sewer pipe. I will leave it to the City of Valdosta to reveal in their own time exactly what they found.

From the descriptions I heard, those things could not have gotten in there accidentally, and they could not have been washed into the sewer main by stormwater.

The basic point seems clear: this ten-times-major spill was not caused by failing old sewer infrastructure. It was caused by somebody putting things into the sewer pipes that never should have been there. Vandalism is one of the more polite words for that.

Plus the Mayor is making the City of Valdosta an offer of a location for a WaterGoat trash trap.

So I went Continue reading →

Pictures: Langdale Park Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-10-20

WWALS cleaned up near Langdale Park Boat Ramp during the United Way Day of Caring. We ended up with trash bagged, plus 4 shower doors, a big screen tv, a kids toy float tug boat and lots of plastic and styrofoam, glass and aluminum.

Outings leader Russell Allen McBride previously scouted the Withlacoochee River upstream and down from Langdale Park Boat Ramp, and found too many deadfalls for boating, so we cleaned up on land. Thanks to Bobby McKenzie, Suzy Hall, and Gretchen Quarterman for cleaning up.

[Trash, t-shirts, slough, and signs at Langdale Park Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-10-20]
Trash, t-shirts, slough, and signs at Langdale Park Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-10-20

Thanks to Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson for cleaning up with us, and for bringing still more donuts. Also the United Way t-shirts, to add to our Rivers Alive t-shirts.

There are more pictures below.

See also the facebook photosets by:

Continue reading →

Mostly on land: Langdale Park Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-10-20

Update 2023-10-26: Pictures: Langdale Park Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-10-20.

Join us for a WWALS river cleanup during Valdosta United Way Day of Caring.

No boat required, since we will mostly be on land.

Outings leader Russell Allen McBride scouted the Withlacoochee River upstream and down from Langdale Park Boat Ramp, and found too many deadfalls for a river cleanup.

[Deadfalls, bridge, and trash, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park]
Deadfalls, bridge, and trash, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park

Russell wrote, “I went down to Langdale Park yesterday. There are 3 deadfalls downstream before 3 mile branch and one deadfall upstream before the N Valdosta Bridge. I found a good size pocket of trash in a slough that is dried up downstream a short walk from boat ramp. Not much trash in river upstream. A small amount of trash in the deadfalls downstream but until they are cut out it would be hard to get. I suggest we pick up what I found on land.”

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 1 PM, Friday, October 20, 2023

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395, -83.32395 Continue reading →

Langdale Park Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-10-20

Update 2023-10-26: Pictures: Langdale Park Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-10-20.

Update 2023-10-19: Mostly on land: Langdale Park Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-10-20.

Join us for a WWALS paddle cleanup during United Way Day of Caring.

Outings leader Russell Allen McBride will scout the Withlacoochee River upstream and down from Langdale Park Boat Ramp, and will let us know the exact route at the outing.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 1 PM, Friday, October 20, 2023

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395, -83.32395

[Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2022-11-03, Withlacoochee River upstream and down 2022-11-13, and Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail sign]
Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2022-11-03, Withlacoochee River upstream and down 2022-11-13, and Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail sign

Continue reading →

OVL ED around Troupville River Park 2023-05-31

Mary Beth Brownlee, new Executive Director of One Valdosta-Lowndes (OVL), got to see the site of the future Troupville River Camp and Nature Park.

[Around Troupville River Camp and Nature Park --jsq]
Around Troupville River Camp and Nature Park –jsq

She and Georgia Power Southwest Regional Director Joe Brownlee and their daughter Elizabeth are only about the third party who have followed me around the entire river circumference of the site, down the Little River to its Confluence, and then up the Withlacoochee River back to GA 133.

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman took many of these pictures. WWALS provided the visitors information about Troupville Nature Park and Troupville River Camp including letters of support from Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber, Madison and Hamilton Counties, Florida, the Suwannee River Water Management District, and others.

Troupville River Camp is top of the project list for OVL, which is an economic development and well being organization. Continue reading →

Correction: Pickleball courts to be on other side of Two Mile Branch from 2007-proposed detention pond 2023-03-07

Update 2023-03-29: Trash still dribbling from 2695 N Ashley St into Two Mile Branch 2023-02-24.

At the cleanup Saturday of Two Mile Branch at Berkeley Drive, Valdosta City Engineer Benjamin O’Dowd poinged out a mistake in the post on Trash in Valdosta Two Mile Branch Watershed Management Plan, November 2007.

The pickleball courts will not actually be at the same location as the detention pond between Roosevelt Drive and Two Mile Branch at Oak Street. Instead, they will be on the other side of Two Mile Branch, next to the tennis courts.

[Pickleball Courts Location, Groundbreaking, 2007 Detention Pond]
Pickleball Courts Location, Groundbreaking, 2007 Detention Pond

My mistake. I should not have gone by hearsay, even though two people independently told me the location they thought the pickleball courts would be. Thanks to the City Engineer for pointing out my mistake.

Which doesn’t change the main point of the previous post: sixteen years later, none of the four detention ponds on Two Mile Branch in the 2007 implementation schedule have been built, nor have any other trash detention facilities been put on Two Mile Branch at Berkley Drive or Oak Street.

I thank Ben O’Dowd for promising to put trash traps at those locations.

But why were those people who told me that confused?

There’s nothing ambiguous about where the 2007 plan put the Oak Street detention pond: between Two Mile Branch and Roosevelt Drive east of Oak Street. Continue reading →

Troupville Landing: Little River GA 133 Boat Ramp 2017-09-01

Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for fixing up the access to what it calls Little River Boat Ramp, on GA 133 west of Valdosta off I-75 Exit 18. WWALS calls it Troupville Landing, after Troupville, the Lowndes County seat before Valdosta, just downstream at the confluence with the Withlacoochee River. It’s the most downstream access to the Little River on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Ramp exceeds 8% slope, 2017:09:01 14:07:11,, Ramp and river

It’s also called the prison boat ramp, after the state prison across the road. Here’s looking upstream to the bridge. Continue reading →

George Page of VL Parks and Rec speaks to WWALS Board 2013-06-12

Draft Agenda

WWALS Watershed Coalition
Regular Meeting
Board of Directors
Wednesday 7:30 PM 12 June 2013
IHOP, Adel, GA
  1. Call to Order, Welcome and Introductions
  2. Special Speaker – George Page
    Valdosta Lowndes Parks and Recreation Executive Director since 2011.
    Mr. Page will update us on current park efforts and river access
    perhaps plus some VLPRA ideas on river trails. Continue reading →