Tag Archives: Weather

Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31

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We went back to where we stopped the previous trip, and got the deadfalls about a 1/3 of a mile down the Withlacoochee River from Langdale Park Boat Ramp. Yes, we’re still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

[Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2025-07-31, Withlacoochee River, Very hot that day]
Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2025-07-31, Withlacoochee River, Very hot that day

We used the Old Town Camper canoe donated to WWALS by Bob and Sue Raffaele.

This may be the fewest pictures I’ve ever posted from an outing, because it’s hard to photograph while paddling or chainsawing.

We went back again that Sunday, August 3; stay tuned for a report. Continue reading →

OK Withlacoochee River, Cleaner Sugar Creek, Dirty Beatty Branch, 2025-07-30

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Update 2025-08-04: Yet another Wainwright Drive sewage spill 2025-08-04.

WWALS got pretty clean water quality results for the Withlacoochee River upstream and down for Wednesday, and even Sugar Creek seems cleaner.

This is surprising after Valdosta’s much worse results for Monday.

Also surprising is the dirty winner of Wednesday: Beatty Branch, which runs into Cat Creek before that gets to the Withlacoochee River.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia since the report of the Valdosta Sugar Creek spill for July 13.

If you can avoid the thunderstorms predicted this weekend, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing. At least the temperature is predicted to be somewhat lower.

[OK Withlacoochee River, Cleaner Sugar Creek, Dirty Beatty Branch, 2025-07-30]
OK Withlacoochee River, Cleaner Sugar Creek, Dirty Beatty Branch, 2025-07-30

Maybe join us tomorrow for Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-03.

Cat Creek

WWALS tester John S. Quarterman (jsq) got 300 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Cat Creek at Cat Creek Road. That’s well below the 410 one-time test limit. He did hear from a neighbor that there aren’t nearly as many fish in Cat Creek as there used to be.

WWALS is working on a grant strategy to do systematic testing of Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek to get at the bottom of that. It will be expensive, because it will require DNA testing in addition to many frequent E. coli tests. Continue reading →

More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-31

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Update 2025-08-04: Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31.

Update 2025-07-29: If you can’t come Thursday afternoon, join us Sunday morning, Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-03.

Join us to float down about a 1/3 of a mile to a cluster of 4 trees where we stopped last trip, still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

The Withlacoochee River is very low, so we will be taking a canoe, and you can too, or a kayak.

Nobody has to saw. You can come pick up trash, photograph, or just float along.

This will be a very brief paddle. We’ll be back Saturday for more. You can join us then, too.

When: Gather 4:30 PM, launch 5 PM, end 7 PM, Thursday, July 31, 2025

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, downstream from the North Valdosta Road (US 41) Bridge, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31, Canoes or kayaks, Saw, photograph, or pick up trash]
More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31, Canoes or kayaks, Saw, photograph, or pick up trash

Continue reading →

Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River after rain 2025-07-23

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Update 2025-08-01: Rescheduled: Florida River Task Force and City of Valdosta City Council Joint Workshop 2025-08-14.

It’s not a good week for Sugar Creek or the Withlacoochee River.

Not all of the river contamination can be coming from Sugar Creek, since E. coli readings are also sky-high at North Valdosta Road, which is upstream of Sugar Creek.

Most likely some of it is coming down Cat Creek, as we discovered in previous exploratory testing. WWALS is working on a grant strategy to do systematic testing of Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek to get at the bottom of that. It will be expensive, because it will require DNA testing in addition to many frequent E. coli tests.

[Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River, after big rain, 2025-07-23]
Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River, after big rain, 2025-07-23

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia since the report of the Valdosta Sugar Creek spill for July 13.

No rain is predicted for this weekend, but avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River. Remember rain could be washing other contamination into other rivers. But other than that, happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing. Continue reading →

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

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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 →

Filthy Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream but clean downstream, clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17

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Update 2025-07-25: Filthy Sugar Creek and Withlacoochee River after rain 2025-07-23.

Best to stay away from Sugar Creek, and the Withlacoochee River near it, although downstream near the Suwannee River the Withlacoochee tested clean.

The Alapaha River tested clean.

As noted yesterday, the Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill finally showed up yesterday in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. That was the only sewage spill reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia, and no new sewage spills were reported in the past week in Florida.

No rain is predicted for this weekend, so avoid Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River upstream, and happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.

[Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream, but clean downstream]
Filthy Sugar Creek, Clean Alapaha River 2025-07-17, Withlacoochee River dirty upstream, but clean downstream

Depending on water levels and river contamination, join us Tuesday for Chainsaw again upstream from Troupville towards Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22.
https://wwals.net/?p=67969

Those interested in Sugar Creek or sewage spills, come to Florida River Task Force meeting with Valdosta City Council 2025-07-30.
https://wwals.net/?p=67990

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner tested her usual two Alapaha River sites at Lakeland Boat Ramp on GA 122 and Naylor Park Beach at US 84, and got zero (0) E. coli for both.

“Both sites looked great,” she said.

Sugar Creek

Continue reading →

Video: Full Buck Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-07-10

Well, after watching lightning strike straight down onto Banks Lake, expedition leader Turtleman Chris Adams called it off, the Full Buck Moon Paddle, 2025-07-10. Nobody paddled onto our watery living room near Lakeland, Georgia.

[Full Buck Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2025-07-10, Called off because of lightning]
Full Buck Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR 2025-07-10, Called off because of lightning

So many people had requested boats that I had brought one of the WWALS canoes and an extra kayak. As you can see, few people showed up, because of the weather.

Here is a video WWALS Outings Committee Co-Chair Kimberly Godden Tanner took of us with banners. You can see lightning flashes and hear thunder.
https://youtu.be/TB-PWP_Zauo?si=fKcaYfYaQgGs1tRx Continue reading →

Reroute: Chainsaw again upstream from Troupville towards Sugar Creek from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22

Update 2025-07-23: Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22.

Update 2025-07-22: Due to very low water levels we will be using kayaks or canoes. Due to very high E. coli in Sugar Creek, we are rerouting to start upstream on the Withlacoochee River at Langdale Park.

Join us as we try again to get the deadfalls revealed by lower water levels.

You do not have to saw. You can pick up trash, take pictures, or just paddle.

You can also walk along the right (west) bank of the Withlacoochee River much of the way.

If the water level is too low for boating, we will all be walking.

If it’s high enough, we’ll be using the 25 hp Yamaha outboard bought with a generous grant from Wild Green Future.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 3:30 PM, Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp Langdale Park Boat Ramp,

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Chainsaw again from Langdale Park 2025-07-22, downstream, Withlacoochee River]
Chainsaw again from Langdale Park 2025-07-22, downstream, Withlacoochee River

Continue reading →

Pictures: Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-12

Well, we sawed a path through the first deadfall, a tenth of a mile up the Withlacoochee River.

[Chainsaw upstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, July 12, 2025]
Chainsaw upstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, July 12, 2025

Then the 9.9 hp Mercury outboard, which we thought was fixed, was back to its old tricks: stops while idling, won’t keep going in gear, if you do cajole it to run fast, as soon as it idles, it stops again.

We used both the trolling motors with the LiFePO4 batteries to get back up the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp.

After further tinkering with the 9.9 hp outboard, we resolved to put the 25 hp Mercury outboard on the WWALS jon boat. We did that, and we put a prop guard on it. No pictures of all that; sorry.

The 9.9 hp outboard is at Winsel’s Boats to see if he can fix it.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that bought both outboard motors, the 86lb-thrust trolling motor, and the two batteries, as well as the Husqvarna Rancher 460 24-inch chainsaw, as well as some other equipment.

Part of the deal was we would put a sticker on the boat: Four Good Caws. It’s a pun. Continue reading →

Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill 2025-07-14

Update 2025-07-17: Update: Valdosta Sugar Creek Sewage Spill Testing 2025-07-17

Here is the location of the Valdosta Sugar Creek sewage spill 2025-07-12 and what Valdosta has to say about it, including the city’s press release of this morning. Plus a few suggestions from WWALS.

Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes requests that next time anybody smells or sees something, please go ahead and call Valdosta Utilities so Utilities can go look right then.

  • For Valdosta water or sewer problems,
    • please call Valdosta Utilities at 229-259-3592
    • or for after hours emergencies at 229-434-4132.

Please also report it to WWALS so we can follow up, as well.
https://wwals.net/report/

Utilties Director Barnes also told me that they had already started the required daily sampling after a major spill. Even though the city is reporting this as less than 10,000 gallons, nonetheless it affected a waterway (Sugar Creek), so he’s calling it major.

This spill has not yet shown up on the daily GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

[Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill, West of RR trestle, by Sherwood Drive, North of bypass pump 2025-07-14]
Location of Sugar Creek Major Spill, West of RR trestle, by Sherwood Drive, North of bypass pump 2025-07-14

This is what failed: the bypass pump, due to overheating.

It’s very easy to tell when it is running, because it makes a loud noise. Evidently, nobody regularly checks on it.

I have suggested a remote sensor to at least show when the pump is running. Perhaps a remote thermometer, as well. Jason Barnes said he was already looking into remote sensors. Continue reading →