Yesterday Russell scouted the route from Langdale Park Boat Ramp down the Withlacoochee River past Sugar Creek, and up the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp.
He reported:
“Put in at Langdale Park at about 3:30. Water was over the boat ramp. The road coming in was fine though. I parked shy of the ramp and put in. Most trash is to one side or the other kind of out of the current. From Langdale down to Berta’s it was not super bad. Behind Wood Valley probably was the worse spots. Then the usual spots near Troupeville River camp area. I never had to get out of my kayak the whole way….
“On a positive note. There are more trash cans down at Langdale park and looks like they are chained.”
We got bad results for Thursday for the Alapaha River.
We have few other results, but we know there was much rain Wednesday and Thursday, and that usually washes contamination into the rivers.
If I were you, I would pick something else to do this weekend instead of
boating, swimming, or fishing.
Also, Ashburn had yet another spill,
although that was probably too far upstream to have much effect.
It sure looks like there was some sort of overflow from the city of Alapaha wastewater treatment plant,
even though none has yet shown up in the reports.
Valdosta’s most recent upstream Withlacoochee River results are for Wednesday a week ago.
Apparently they did not post their Wednesday results for this week
because today is a holiday.
Similarly, most of the usual WWALS testers are off because of the holiday weekend.
There are no Valdosta Monday results, because, as we learned last week from Acting Utilities Director Jason Barnes, “we are collecting once a week.”
As
previously noted, Valdosta’s last downstream tests were September 1, 2023.
Since for two weeks now Valdosta has reported “No Sample” for North Valdosta Road,
we guess they’re not collecting there any more, either.
Perhaps it is not coincidental that it is now three years (minus one month) since the March, 2020, GA-EPD Consent Order on Valdosta that required downstream testing as a way to reduce the amount of the fine.
It rained today, and more is predicted for tomorrow.
That may wash some contamination into the rivers.
I’d recommend the Suwannee, Alapaha, or Santa Fe Rivers for this weekend.
The rivers are at pretty good paddling levels, and it’s not cold.
So watch the weather, bring rain gear, and happy paddling, fishing, and maybe swimming this weekend. Continue reading →
Remember Valdosta’s
two small 100-gallon sewage spills on February 20,
at Three Mile Branch from Knob Hill Road,
and into One Mile Branch from Boone Drive @ Baytree Road,
which drains into Sugar Creek, then to the Withlacoochee River?
Well, Valdosta had another spill at 215 Knob Hill Road,
1,500 gallons each from there and from two overflow sites nearby.
Yes, that drains into Three Mile Branch which goes into the Withlacoochee River
along the route of the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle.
But 4,500 gallons should be small enough to be diluted and washed away by now.
Successful boat trials at Action Stage on the Little River!
Videos by John S. Quarterman and Russell Allen McBride for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS).
Thanks to Laura D’Alisera for transfering the new WWALS 9.9hp Mercury fourstroke 20-inch shaft electric start outboard motor ten miles from West Marine in Jacksonville Beach to a shipping location, where Phil Hubbard received it Saturday.
Thanks to Wild Green Future (WGF) for the generous grant that bought it.
Sunday evening, Russell Allen McBride, Shawn O’Connor, Bobby McKenzie, and I
unboxed it, connected it to its fuel supply, and tried it out.
Thanks to Flint Riverkeeper for the jon boat.
With that outboard, the jon boat will indeed go upriver easily under these conditions.
It took only ten minutes to haul Russell in his kayak up the third of a mile from the Little River Confluence to Troupville Boat Ramp.
Also due to WGF, we received an 85lb-thrust Goplus 8 Speed, 36 inch shaft, trolling motor, two
Power Queen LiFePO4 12.8V 100Ah, lithium-iron-phosphate batteries,
and a Power Queen 14.6V 10A LiFePO4 Battery Charger.
Those we put on the WWALS bass fisher chainsawing boat,
plus the old WWALS 40lb-thrust mounted on the front.
Shawn and I demonstrated that the new motor alone will push that boat upstream
in these conditions, and both motors will troll it upstream at a walking pace.
Which is all we need to get back to the ramp from the Confluence during chainsaw cleanups.
We are awaiting a couple more items via the WGF grant. Stay tuned.
This is more preparation for the
Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Saturday, March 2, 2024,
starting at Langdale Park.
One hopes that the water level will be well below Sunday’s 148′ NAVD 1988 level, or we may have to reschedule for later.
And also preparation for more chainsaw cleanups on other stretches of this and other rivers.
Next: 9AM Sunday, February 25, 2024, we will take the jon boat from Troupville Boat Ramp
down around the Confluence and up the Withlacoochee River to Langdale Park,
chainsawing any remaining paddle obstacles along the way.
That one will be a bit hard to participate in by paddling.
Phil Royce drove an hour from Live Oak, Florida,
and Gary Koch drove two hours from Ocala, Florida,
saying it was better to stop trash upstream.
In addition to regulars Russell Allen McBride and Bobby McKenzie,
Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson came to see us off; he’s second from left in the banner picture.
More on that in a later post.
These pictures are by Phil Royce.
Phil had to leave early, so his portage pictures are before we came along and sawed a river passage.
Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading and doing the most sawing,
to Shawn O’Connor for sawing,
to Russell Allen McBride for collecting trash,
and I also sawed, although I did not video myself doing it.
Join us tomorrow, February 3, to get more.
The water level is down to 118.4, so it should be about a foot lower tomorrow
than last Saturday, which should make our job easier.
These chainsaw cleanups are in preparation for the
Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, March 2, 2024,
which will run from Langdale Park three miles to the early takeout at Sugar Creek,
then another four miles to Troupville Boat Ramp.
The most recent City of Valdosta Withlacoochee River results we have are for Monday,
and they are all too high after last Saturday’s rain.
There was more rain Tuesday, and a bit more yesterday (Friday).
If I were you, I would avoid the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers this weekend.
Maybe even the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers.
WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner tested the Alapaha River at Lakeland Boat Ramp @ GA 122 and at Naylor Park Beach @ US 84.
She wrote, “Both locations were clean [of trash]. The only additional item of note was a couple a dead fish on the ground at the boat ramp in Lakeland. I am not a fisher, so I am unaware of why this might be.” Continue reading →
![[Cancelled due to high water, Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville 2024-04-13]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-04-13--withlacoochee-river-earth-day-cleanup-cancelled/fbmany.jpg)
![[Rain and river contamination 2024-03-28]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-03-28--wq/many.jpg)
![[Chart, Clean Rivers, Map 2024-03-20]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-03-20--wq/many.jpg)
![[Why Quality Assurance is Important]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-01-06--wwals-water-quality-assurance/2023-01-06--WWALS-Water-Quality-Testing-Assurance-0001.jpg)
![[Chart, Clean Rivers and Franks Creek, Map 2024-02-28]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-28--wq/many.jpg)
![[9.9hp outboard and 86lb thrust trolling motor (thanks, Wild Green Future) and jon boat (thanks, Flint Riverkeeper) and Bass Fisher (WWALS)]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-18--boat-motor-tryouts/igmany.jpg)
![[Banners, bass fisher, chain saws, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek 2024-02-03]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-03--langdale-park-sugar-creek-chainsaw-cleanup-royce-pictures/igmany.jpg)
![[Got some deadfalls, more to do, Langdale Park to Sugar Creek, 2024-01-27]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-01-27--langdale-park-sugar-creek-chainsaw-cleanup-pictures/igmany.jpg)
![[We got some easy and hard deadfalls last time; finish this time. Photo: John S. Quarterman 2024-01-27]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-02-03--langdale-park-sugar-creek-chainsaw-cleanup/igmany.jpg)
![[Chart, Rivers, Map 2024-01-11]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-01-11--wq/many.jpg)