Tag Archives: Withlacoochee River

Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-08-14

Update 2024-08-23: Withlacoochee and Alapaha River clean 2024-08-21.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, or Georgia.

There’s been little rain for a week, so no contamination is expected. The weather prediction is no rain until Sunday afternoon.

The Santa Fe and much of the Suwannee River are still in flood or Action Stage. We hear Gibson Park at the Alapaha River Confluence is closed. The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are now below Action Stage, although still high.

So happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

Maybe you’d like to join us tomorrow for Upstream Withlacoochee River from Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-17.

[Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-08-14 Little rain lately. None until Sunday evening.]
Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-08-14 Little rain lately. None until Sunday evening.

Withlacoochee River

The City of Valdosta results for Wednesday are 20 cfu/100 mL E. coli, which is very good, at both GA 133 and US 84.

Also for Wednesday, Russ Tatum got 33 cfu/100 mL at Allen Ramp and Holly Point. “Clean results! The water is still high but dropping slowly. It never came out of the banks here. It is tanic, slightly silty but mostly clear.” Continue reading →

Possible Valdosta trash trap sites 2024-08-01

Here are three possible trash trap sites where a Valdosta City vac truck could retrieve the trash.

They are also all narrow stream stretches where a small trash trap should work.

Here are some video views of each of these three sites:
https://youtu.be/lw2QfeF_me0

[Possible Valdosta creek trash trap sites;
Possible Valdosta creek trash trap sites;

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Continue reading →

Upstream Withlacoochee River from Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-17

Update 2024-08-18: Pictures and video.

Kayaks and canoes and jon boats are invited to join the WWALS jon boat with 9.9hp outboard seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

We will put in at Troupville Boat Ramp, go down the 1/3 of a mile to the Little River Confluence, turn left and go up the Withlacoochee River, chainsawing what needs it, collecting trash, and ending by retracing our watery steps back to Troupville.

If we’re lucky, we’ll make it up as far as Sugar Creek. Any canoes or kayaks are welcome to take out there.

If we’re very lucky, we’ll get all the way up to Langdale Park. But we won’t be taking out there, due to water over the access road seen yesterday.
https://wwals.net/?p=65622

[Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-17, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River Confluence]
Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-17, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River Confluence

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the 9.9hp outboard motor, the 24-inch Husqvarna chainsaw, the 86lb thrust trolling motor, and the two Lithium-Iron-Oxide batteries, all of which we will be using on this outing.

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 8:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, August 17, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County. It is on the site of the future Troupville Nature Park and River Camp.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536 Continue reading →

Water still high at Troupville Boat Ramp, Sugar Creek, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-13

Putting in at Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River would be no problem, kayak or power boat.

But the Withlacoochee River upstream from the Little River Confluence is still a tad high, a week after Hurricane Debby. Langdale Park Boat Ramp is completely underwater, as is much of its access road.

The Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers remain mostly in flood. The Alapaha River has come back down.

[Troupville & Langdale Park Boat Ramps 2024-08-13, Still high, Little and Withlacoochee Rivers]
Troupville & Langdale Park Boat Ramps 2024-08-13, Still high, Little and Withlacoochee Rivers

The closest I could get by land to the Little River Confluence was more than a hundred feet away, at the fourth place the river was across the woods access road. Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Ichetucknee Rivers 2024-08-08

Update 2024-08-16: Clean Withlacoochee River 2024-08-14.

The Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, and Santa Fe Rivers tested clean. Evidently any contamination Hurricane Debby washed in has been diluted by the massive amount of water.

One new sewage spill was reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida, inland in High Springs; see below.

In Georgia, the four Valdosta Monday spills showed up in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report yesterday; see below.

There is still no update on the two Monday Quitman spills: where were they, and how much? See separate post.
https://wwals.net/?p=65559

The weather prediction for the next ten days is chance of storms, but most likely in the afternoon.

Most of the rivers are still in flood or Action Stage, but a few are back down, such as the Little River from Hahira (GA 122) upstream and the ALapaha River at Sheboggy (US 82).

If you can find a river stretch that is low enough, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

[Clean Rivers: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe 2024-08-08]
Clean Rivers: Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Ichetucknee, Santa Fe 2024-08-08

Alapaha River

Continue reading →

Georgia House Navigable Streams Study Committee 2024-08-15

Update 2024-09-25: Georgia House Navigable Streams Committee in Nahunta 2024-10-11.

Update 2024-08-15: The livestream is here:
https://www.legis.ga.gov/schedule/house/AQIARgAAAxpEc5CqZhHNm8gAqgAvxFoJAGeQLC1kSDdIixjC7EHFmfIAAAJaYAAAANZQGGA2fqFiaHBHrewZqJ2eET4ABFxyjiQAAAAuAAADGkRzkKpmEc2byACqACGGA2fEWgMAZ5AsLWRIN0iLGMLsQcWZ8gAAAlpgAAAA

A new Georgia House Study Committee was established March 28, 2024, on the fraught issue of navigability of waterways: HOUSE STUDY COMMITTEE ON NAVIGABLE STREAMS AND RELATED MATTERS.

Maybe you’d like to contact your statehouse member before the meeting, since there seems to be no opportunity for public input during the meeting.

[New Navigable Streams Georgia House Studay Committee 2024-08-15: Ownership, Property Rights, Recreation, Economy]
New Navigable Streams Georgia House Studay Committee 2024-08-15: Ownership, Property Rights, Recreation, Economy

About the House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters

Continue reading →

River water levels in the Suwannee River Basin 2024-08-07

If you want to see water levels throughout the Suwannee River Basin, for example after a hurricane, there are at least three ways:

  1. NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service: color-coded interactive maps
    Easiest to find an access point that is not flooding and not too low.
  2. SRWMD River Levels: numeric water levels in a table
    Most condensed on one page.
  3. WWALS Water Levels: each public access point, with high and low water recommendations, and a link to the WWALS Water Level gauge entry
    If you already have a pretty good idea of where you want to go.

They all get their data from the USGS gauges.

What’s your favorite way? One of these, or something else?

[River Water Levels, Suwannee River Basin, NOAA, USGS, SRWMD, WWALS, Action Stage, Flood, Georgia, Florida]
River Water Levels, Suwannee River Basin, NOAA, USGS, SRWMD, WWALS, Action Stage, Flood, Georgia, Florida

NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides this color-coded map: Continue reading →

Valdosta announces four minor sewage spills due to Hurricane Debby 2024-08-06

Update 2024-11-07: More Knob Hill Road sewage spills, Three Mile Branch, Valdosta 2024-11-07.

Update 2024-08-09: Clean Alapaha, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe, and Ichetucknee Rivers 2024-08-08.

This Valdosta press release came in at 12:58 PM, while my power was down.

Running off a generator, I got the previous posts out about the Quitman spills https://wwals.net/?p=65559 and the Valdosta Knob Hill spill. https://wwals.net/?p=65562

This Valdosta PR lists that 300 Knob Hill Drive [aka Road] spill as 8,000 gallons.

The 1020 Wainwright Williamsburg Drive spill with 7,000 gallons is just across the drainage ditch from Knob Hill Road, very near Three Mile Branch, which runs into the Withlacoochee River at the bottom of Langdale Park.

All four sites are at sites of previous spills.

All are also less than 10,000 gallons, so not major spills, which means GA-EPD does not require any followup water quality testing.

The 817 Gornto Rd spill with 6,000 gallons is uphill from Two Mile Branch, which runs into Sugar Creek.

The 1212 Wainwright Dr spill with 9,000 gallons is next to One Mile Branch, which also runs into Sugar Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River.

I don’t why the Valdosta press release does not mention any of those creeks nor the Withlacoochee River.

I commend Valdosta for including specific street addresses, and for getting this press release out in a timely manner. Maybe tomorrow these spills will show up in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report, like the Quitman spills already did.

I agree with the City of Valdosta about this, at least for the above-named creeks and nearby stretches of the Withlacoochee River: “Citizens are urged to avoid contact with rivers, creeks, streams, or tributaries.”

[Valdosta PR: 4 minor sewage spills 2024-08-06: Infiltration & Inflow, Hurricane Debby]
Valdosta PR: 4 minor sewage spills 2024-08-06: Infiltration & Inflow, Hurricane Debby
The spill sites are among the yellow diamonds on this WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
The Wainwright Drive manhole spill site is highlighted towards the bottom.
The 817 Gornto Rd spill site is near the center.
300 Knob Hill Drive is towards the top.

Tropical Storm Debby Results in Minor Spills

Continue reading →

Another Knob Hill sewage spill on Three Mile Branch in Valdosta 2024-08-05

Update 2024-08-06: Valdosta announces four minor sewage spills due to Hurricane Debby 2024-08-06.

Yesterday, Richard A. Stalvey reported to Valdosta Utilities, “Obviously, low priority right now, but the manholes at 300 Knob Hill and 215 Knob Hill are flowing profusely. A large tree has also blown down across the manhole at 300 Knob Hill.”

[More sewage spewing, Knob Hill Road, Valdosta, GA, 2024-08-05, Three Mile Branch, Withlacoochee River]
More sewage spewing, Knob Hill Road, Valdosta, GA, 2024-08-05, Three Mile Branch, Withlacoochee River

At my request, he sent these pictures, and added, “Typical sewage smell. Couldn’t get close enough to the one on 215 Knob. Too much water in the creek.”

This location has seen many sewage spills before.

I left a telephone message for Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes. No doubt he is pretty busy right now, so we’ll see what he has to say later.

Meanwhile, Quitman, GA, already reported two sewage spills. Without locations or amounts, but at least Quitman informed the public that there have been spills.

Valdosta could do the same. As could Ashburn, Rochelle, Adel, Tifton, Homerville, etc. Continue reading →

Two Quitman sewage spills: size and location not yet known 2024-08-05

Credit to Quitman Utilities for reporting quickly that they had spills.

[Two sewage spills, Quitman, GA 2024-08-05, Unknown locations, Unknown amounts]
Two sewage spills, Quitman, GA 2024-08-05, Unknown locations, Unknown amounts

The two spills showed up today in the daily GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. That’s way faster than Quitman’s typical at least a week late. Continue reading →