Update 2024-11-27: Retrieving PFAS samplers, Withlacoochee River 2024-11-23.
This weekend we deployed four PFAS samplers, upstream and downstream from two wastewater treatment plants, on the Withlacoochee River and on Mud Swamp Creek.
These are a new design that you leave in the flowing water for 28 days thereabouts, then retrieve, and effectively they’ve been taking a sample a day.
If you encounter them, please leave them be.
Continue readingUpdate 2024-09-20: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-09-19.
The Withlacoochee River tested clean for Wednesday and Thursday, and the Alapaha River for Thursday. Valdosta got high results for Franks Creek at Inner Perimeter, upstream of Mud Swamp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, and the Alapaha River.
No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
There was some rain Wednesday and Friday, but mostly far upstream, so probably not much contamination washed into the river. As always, we can merely report what test results we have. Actual conditions may vary.
The weather prediction shows high chance of storms today through most of the week, but mostly in the afternoon.
Only the lower Ichetucknee River and the New River (of the Santa Fe) at Lake Butler are in Action Stage, and nothing is in flood.
The Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers have come back up a bit.
So if you can avoid the rain, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
![[Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, Bad Knights Creek at Inner Perimeter 2024-09-12]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-12--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, Bad Knights Creek at Inner Perimeter 2024-09-12
Update 2024-10-10: Video: How Native Americans and Early Settlers used Waterways –Chris Adams, WWALS Webinar 2024-09-12 2024-09-12.
Well-known local historian and naturalist Chris Adams will give a WWALS Webinar about how people used waterways in the Suwannee River Basin, Native Americans and Early Settlers.
That will be by zoom, noon to 1 PM, Thursday, September 12, 2024.
![[Now Native Americans and Settlers used Waterways, Chris Adams, WWALS Webinar 2024-09-12]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-12--chris-adams-settlers-waterways-wwals-webinar/fbmany.jpg)
Now Native Americans and Settlers used Waterways, Chris Adams, WWALS Webinar 2024-09-12
Register in advance with zoom for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIudOGprToqHNPuxvmCdnt8v3o55Qc3NF_n
WWALS Board President Sara Jay Jones will give a brief introduction, Chris Adams will speak for about 45 minutes, and we will have questions and answers. Continue reading
Update 2024-09-14: Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2024-09-12.
The Withlacoochee River tested clean for Wednesday and Thursday, but Franks Creek upstream of Hahira tested dirty; that’s upstream of the Little River.
No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
There’s been little rain for a week, so no contamination is expected. The weather prediction shows high chance of storms starting today.
The lower Ichetucknee River, and the Suwannee River downstream from the Santa Fe are in Action Stage, and the Santa Fe at TREPO is still in flood.
The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are now below Action Stage. The Alapaha is actually getting too low, as is the Withlacoochee upstream.
So if you can avoid the rain, happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Be sure to join us tomorrow, Saturday, September 7, 2024, for the WWALS River Revue,
5-8 PM at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta.
It’s a sit-down fundraising dinner with speakers from Florida and Georgia, a silent auction, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2024
Update 2024-09-02: Bad Alapaha WTP Outflow 2024-08-30.
The Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers tested clean for Wednesday and Thursday.
No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. We did hear of a fish kill in Lakes Rowell and Sampson far upstream of the Santa Fe River, apparently on Friday, August 23. People are investigating.
There’s been little rain for a week, so no contamination is expected. The weather prediction shows chance of storms starting Monday, but not for the weekend.
Santa Fe Lake, The lower Santa Fe, and the Suwannee River at Fargo and downstream from the Santa Fe are in Action Stage, and the Santa Fe at TREPO is still in flood.
The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are now below Action Stage. The Alapaha is actually getting too low.
So happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Be sure to join us Saturday, September 7, 2024, for the WWALS River Revue,
5-8 PM at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta.
It’s a sit-down fundraising dinner with speakers from Florida and Georgia, a silent auction, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2024
![[Clean Withlacoochee & Alapaha Rivers 2024-08-29 No sewage spills and No rain]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-29--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee & Alapaha Rivers 2024-08-29 No sewage spills and No rain
I think that’s eight big deadfalls and some littler stuff that we sawed, downstream on the Withlacoochee River Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup. Hurricane Debby and other storms left quite a bit of debris.
![[Downstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, 2 jon boats and a canoe, Withlacoochee River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-25--jon-boat-withlacoochee-river-chainsaw-cleanup-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Downstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, 2 jon boats and a canoe, Withlacoochee River
We had Phil Royce’s jon boat with 3.5 hp outboard, the WWALS jon boat with 9.9 hp outboard, and TJ Johnson in a canoe.
I think there were four or five chainsaws among us, including the 24-inch Husqvarna 460 that the Wild Green Future Grant paid for, along with the 9.9 hp outboard. Plus TJ’s handsaw.
Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/tuGSugOlTLw?si=xQrAla60gZzeNnkR
So you want to know: after all this sawing, can you paddle from Langdale Park to Sugar Creek? Continue reading
This map shows the big parking lots in the city of Valdosta, Georgia, along with some other impervious surface.
![[Impervious surface, Valdosta, GA 2024-04-04, Parking Lots & Streams, SGRC, VALORGIS]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-04--impervious-surface-valdosta/fbmany.jpg)
Impervious surface, Valdosta, GA 2024-04-04, Parking Lots & Streams, SGRC, VALORGIS
For example, you can see the parking lot on St. Augustine Road next to Hightower Creek that has featured in many previous WWALS posts about trash. Continue reading
Update 2024-08-27: Pictures: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25.
I thought we’d just skate up under the US 41 bridge to where Stillhouse Branch comes out of Valdosta Country Club, to see if there was a logjam or trash there.
But only a little more than halfway up Langdale Park to the bridge, we found a huge oak deadfall.
Sawing passage through that took a while. And then we could see an even bigger oak and pine deadfall.
![[Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-25--upstream-deadfalls-withlacoochee-river-chainsaw-cleanup-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup
Here are a few videos:
https://youtu.be/XB66qmC2XrY
So we turned downstream towards our primary chainsaw cleanup goal of clearing downstream passage.
We being Phil Royce and TJ Johnson from Live Oak, Florida, and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.
Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the Husqvarna 460 24-inch chainsaw and the 9.9hp outboard motor, as well as the tires on the boat trailer. Continue reading
Update 2024-08-25: Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-25.
This deadfall had been there since Hurricane Debby, 20 days before.
It was in our way to Langdale Park Boat Ramp, and we had chainsaws for the Langdale Park Boat Ramp jon boat chainsaw outing, so we removed this deadfall.
We being Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman and two people from Live Oak, Florida: Phil Royce and TJ Johnson.
Do we get paid for this, Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority?
Thanks to Wild Green Future for generous grant that paid for the Husqvarna 460 24-inch chainsaw I used to make the main cuts.
Videos:
https://youtu.be/5AnuFDuwNKQ?si=EAkbbFZU_HTLjZcF
Continue reading
Update 2024-08-31: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-08-29.
The Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers tested clean for Wednesday.
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 shows chance of storms for the next few days, but those usually happen in the afternoon.
The Santa Fe and much of the Suwannee River are still in flood or Action Stage.
The Little, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers are now below Action Stage, although still a bit high.
So happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.
Maybe you’d like to join us Sunday for Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25.
![[Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha Rivers, 2024-08-21 Happy fishing, swimming, and boating]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-21--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha Rivers, 2024-08-21 Happy fishing, swimming, and boating
For the Withlacoochee River, the City of Valdosta got very good results for Wednesday at both GA 133 and US 84.
Also for Wednesday, for the Alapaha River Kimberly Godden Tanner got zero (0) E. coli at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach.
She noted, “Both locations are looking great.” Continue reading
![[PFAS Sampling Deployment, Waterkeeper Alliance Program, Withlacoochee River 2024-09-14, Mud Swamp Creek 2024-09-15]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-14--pfas/fbmany.jpg)
![[Clean Withlacoochee River Above and below Valdosta, Dirty Franks Creek Above Hahira and Little River 2024-09-04-05]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-09-04--wq/many.jpg)
![[Chainsawing deadfall, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Valdosta, GA, Chainsaws from Live Oak, FL]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-08-25--chainsawing-lpbrdf/fbmany.jpg)