Hike to the Drew Mansion Site, the Historic Hillman Bridge across the Suwannee River, Suwannacoochee Spring, and maybe up the Withlacoochee River a bit just to take a look.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 1 PM, Saturday, February 7, 2026
Put In: Town of Ellaville site, 596 NE Drew Way, Lee, FL 32059
Continue readingValdosta has been talking about building a second drinking water plant for a long time, and this week they broke ground for it, just south of Valdosta Airport.
That’s a good thing, since it helps direct development close in to Valdosta, instead of sprawling into agricultural and forestry land.
Everyone please note: drinking water plant. Not wastewater plant.
Here’s hoping Valdosta’s contractors tested sufficiently to be sure the new wells will not draw in river water, like what happened at the old drinking water plant on Guest Road, where they had to sink the wells twice as deep.
Also, we shall see what effect withdrawing 2.5 million gallons a day of groundwater will have. This plant appears to be under the same permit number, GA1850002, as the old one.
Valdosta posted a YouTube video, with voiceover by Mayor Scott James Matheson:
https://youtu.be/8x-mtomtSX8?si=uGSwUsWMCJCj_Q5G
The Mayor said the plant may help direct growth to the south side of Valdosta. That is something that has been lacking for a long time.
The Mayor posted some pictures on facebook, including this one. Continue reading
Here’s Part 3, in which Melissa Stewart retrieves a yellow toy ramp, jsq chainsaws, there was a drizzle, we went through the rapids to get to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp, and Darrell Stewart planted water trail signs.
The whole thing took about nine hours, with the paddle taking about 6.5 hours.
The 200-or-so pounds of trash collected included Melissa’s RCA TV from the river and another TV found at Nankin Boat Ramp.
Thanks to Will Hart and Scotti Jay for leading this paddle, and to all for participating.
![[Part 3, Knights Ferry to Clyattville-Nankin, Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-12]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-12--kf-nankin-chainsaw-cleanup/fbmany.jpg)
Part 3, Knights Ferry to Clyattville-Nankin, Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-12
Here are some video clips:
Update 2025-12-13: Clean Rivers and Creeks, except Hightower Creek 2025-12-11.
The Withlacoochee River tested pretty clean this week, as did the Alapaha and Santa Fe Rivers.
But One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek tested dirty, and Hightower Creek tested filthy.
It appears there is still some other source of sewage upstream of St. Augustine Road into Hightower Creek.
No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week for the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia.
The weather prediction for Saturday and Sunday is rain.
So if you can find a river with enough water, and you don’t mind cold and rain, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.
This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.
We’re only seeing these creek results from Valdosta Utilities because they’re in the fourth week of the month 12 required testing after their November 2024 sewage spills. There won’t be any more tests in that series after this week.
Maybe it’s time for Valdosta to take up a more regular schedule for testing its creeks, as well as the Withlacoochee River both upstream and down. This would be to the advantage of the City of Valdosta, because such results help find sewage spills, and they also demonstrate when the creeks and rivers are clean, and when there are problems that are not Valdosta’s fault.
WWALS tester Suzy Hall got 566 cfu/100 mL E. coli at the WaterGoat on Sugar Creek, down near the Withlacoochee River. Which matches the 600 Valdosta Utilities got a bit upstream at Gornto Road. Both results are above the one-time 410 test limit.
Farther upstream, Continue reading
Update 2025-12-11: Videos: Part 3, Knights Ferry to Nankin Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-11-12.
Kyle Keller found a vintage Coca-Cola bottle made in Valdosta, Scotti Jay and Will Hart found antique pull-tab cans, and Will pulled up a tire rim with a bottle embedded. Melissa Stewart raised a traffic cone, a large piece of metal, a tire, an RCA TV, and a wasp nest.
In addition to these things we could find only at very low water, everybody found the usual more recent single-use throwaway plastic bottles, styrofoam cups, and cans.
Here’s a video:
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/1267738521828643
https://youtu.be/W_VkwSm2e80?si=lMh1LKJdmqJoW3Cc Continue reading
Update 2025-12-02: Pictures: Tire, rim, antique bottles, pull-top cans, traffic cone, RCA TV, and wasp nest from Withlacoochee River, KF to Nankin 2025-11-12.
It was running a steady stream even though the Withlacoochee River was very low, when we set out to paddle from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp on Saturday, November 22, 2025.
Scotti Jay first asked this question: What is the source of this creek’s water?
![[Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? Is it from a spring?]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2205-11-22--spring-run-kf/fbmany.jpg)
Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? Is it from a spring?
Here’s a video of this little creek running:
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/2640393432991196
Update 2025-12-02: Where does this little creek by Knights Ferry Boat Ramp come from? 2205-11-22.
At Knights Ferry Boat Ramp we collected some trash, including three mattresses. Our shuttle provider was Will Hart’s State Line River Outfitters.
We installed new versions of the signs for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT). Thanks to Micah Cofield for digging the posthole. The third try found a spot with no rocks. These signs were mostly paid for by a generous grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR).
I’ve lost count how many sets of signs we’ve installed at Knights Ferry. I think this was the fourth set. Y’all don’t shoot them up this time, eh?
Thanks to Maya Loizeaux for collecting trash. Micah and Maya did not paddle, but they helped.
Thanks to Pam Maxwell for coming down to join WWALS. She did not paddle.
This is part one of the WWALS cleanup from Knights Ferry to Nankin Boat Ramp, on November 22, 2025, led by Will Hart and Scotti Jay.
Our seven paddlers saw the pilings of Old Knights Ferry Bridge sticking out. Before that bridge was built, there was Knights Ferry. Now there is no bridge and no ferry, but you still get there on Knights Ferry Road.
Will Hart spotted a boat on the bottom. We did not raise it. We did raise a bunch of other things later.
We snaked through a couple of sets of rocks in the first quarter mile downstream.
Here’s a video:
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/853304003762459
Update 2025-12-05: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers; dirty Sugar Creek and One Mile Branch 2025-12-04.
Update 2025-12-05: Clearing logjams from Sugar Creek –Juston Stone 2025-12-02.
Even upstream, the Withlacoochee River tested pretty clean this week.
And Sugar Creek and its feeder creeks tested pretty clean, except at Gornto Road.
This is according to Valdosta Utilities results, which match the weekend results previously reported from WWALS testers.
Apparently the effects of the small Valdosta sewage spill into Sugar Creek Wednesday last week have washed out of the Withlacoochee River downstream.
This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.
![[Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Sugar Creek, No new sewage spills, No rain 2025-11-26]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-26--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Sugar Creek, No new sewage spills, No rain 2025-11-26
No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia since the small Valdosta spill into Sugar Creek on Wednesday, November 11, 2025.
No rain is predicted until Tuesday.
So if you can find enough water, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing this weekend.
Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results
rainfall
and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results
The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet.
![[Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Sugar Creek 2025-11-26]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-26--wq/big/2025-11-26--chart-clean-withlacoochee-river-mostly-clean-sugar-creek.jpg)
Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Sugar Creek 2025-11-26
Continue reading
Update 2025-11-28: Clean Withlacoochee River, Mostly Clean Sugar Creek 2025-11-26.
Better news from two recent Withlacoochee River water quality samples.
Apparently the effects of the small Valdosta sewage spill into Sugar Creek Wednesday have washed out of the Withlacoochee River downstream, at least where we tested.
Suzy Hall got zero (0) E. coli for Friday at State Line Boat Ramp, aka Mozell Spells.
John S. Quarterman got 100 cfu/100 mL for Saturday nine miles upstream at Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp.
Those are both less than the 126 cfu/100 mL three-test average limit, so quite clean.
This image is an overview. Scroll down for the details.
![[Clean downstream Withlacoochee River, State Line 2025-11-21, Nankin Boat Ramp 2025-11-22]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-22--wq/many.jpg)
Clean downstream Withlacoochee River, State Line 2025-11-21, Nankin Boat Ramp 2025-11-22
Nankin Boat Ramp is also 15 river miles downstream from US 84 and 27 miles downstream from GA 133 where Valdosta Utilities got way-too-high E. coli for Thursday. And about 30 miles downstream from Sugar Creek, where WWALS tester Suzy Hall got even worse Too Numerous to Count (TNTC) for Wednesday.
These new WWALS results match the zero (0) that WWALS tester Russ Tatum got for Wednesday at Holly Point, on the Withlacoochee River in Florida a few miles upstream from the Suwannee River.
So if you can find enough water, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing, at least downstream on the Withlacoochee River.
Follow this link for the WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results
rainfall
and sewage spills in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#results
The image below is a current excerpt from that spreadsheet. Continue reading
The Berrien County Commission denied the subdividing issue before them: the six lots on Bradford Road, at their November 4, 2025, regular meeting.
However, many irregularities were raised.
![[Bradford Road Denied @ Berrien County Commission. Many irregularities raised, 2025-11-04]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-04--berrien-county-commission-pictures/many.jpg)
Bradford Road Denied @ Berrien County Commission. Many irregularities raised, 2025-11-04
The other lots on Old Valdosta Highway were already decided by the same Commission in 2024, and the minutes for that meeting say at the request of John and Tonia Beville.
At this meeting, John Beville said he and she had not requested that, and never saw any Public Hearing signs posted, even though they lived there at the time. When questioned by the Commission, Zoning Coordinator Teresa Willis said it was done for South Auction, and “Russ” brought the plat to her. She did not say who Russ was.
Della Gladieux pointed out that the three Planning Commission Public Hearings this year all had both plats advertised, for the lots on Old Valdosta Highway, and for the other lots on Bradford Road. She also pointed out other issues in the document she handed the Commissioners: Formal Complaint and Demand for Investigation Re Bradford Road –Della Gladieux 2025-11-04.
Lisa Sumner also spelled out numerous issues.
Below you can see the entire Berrien County Commission meeting of November 4, 2025 in the WWALS videos of each agenda item and speaker, plus a few still pictures, followed by a WWALS video playlist.
See also Continue reading
![[Ellaville Hike, Withlacoochee River, Drew Mansion 2026-02-07, Historic Hillman Bridge, Suwannacoochee Spring]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-07--ellaville-hike/fbmany.jpg)
![[Valdosta groundbreaking on additional drinking water plant, on Race Track Road SE, South of Valdosta Airport]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-12-18--valdosta-drinking-water-plant/many.jpg)
![[Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, & Santa Fe Rivers 2025-12-04, Dirty Sugar Creek & One Mile Branch, Filthy Hightower Creek]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-12-04--wq/many.jpg)
![[Traffic cone, big metal, tire, rim, antique bottles, pull-tab cans, RCA TV, wasp nest, WWALS Withlacoochee River cleanup, Part 2 of KF to Nankin 2025-11-22]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-12--kf-nankin-tire-wheel-rim-bottles-cans-cone-wasp-nest/fbmany.jpg)
![[Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, Mattresses, signs, and trash, Old Bridge pilings, Canoe on the bottom 2025-11-22]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-22--kf-nankin-cleanup-pictures/fbmany.jpg)