Tag Archives: Withlacoochee River

Valdosta trash in creeks and rivers 2022-02-22

We even saw the Valdosta trash problem on the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle. One paddler fell in picking up trash, and two more collected a huge bag of trash in a canoe. I think those two live in a different county.

Maybe you’d like to come say a few words tonight to the Valdosta City Council. 5:30 PM, City Hall, 216 E. Central Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601.

The WWALS trash boom at Sugar Creek is showing some promise, but there need to be more of those and people dedicated to cleaning them out, plus something done about fast food parking lots upstream, including on Threemile Branch.

[Valdosta Trash on Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, Little River]
Valdosta Trash on Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River, Little River

For all about the Valdosta trash situation, see: https://wwals.net/issues/trash/

SB

Remember the second boom we put across Sugar Creek? Here’s a report from the last day of January: Continue reading →

Federal water grants funneled through Georgia to Suwannee River Basin

The Georgia Governor’s office yesterday announced grants to many cities and counties for water projects. The funds come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

Of the eighteen awardees in the Suwannee River Basin, adding up to $57,285,314.00, no surprise, Valdosta got the most. No, it’s not to fix some more of those sewer and manhole problems. It’s to build a new drinking well system, “southwest of the City limits, west of I-75 on Highway 84 near exit 16…”

Hahira, with about 5% of Valdosta’s population, got the second most, to fix its wastewater treatment plant and some stormwater drainage. Maybe that will stop Hahira from leaking E. coli into Franks Creek and the Little River.

[Treatment Plant Flow Diagram]
Treatment Plant Flow Diagram

Ray City got a substantial amount to fix its aging wastewater treatment plant, which should be good for Cat Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Unfortunately missing is Quitman, which wanted $482,000 to top off local funds for fixing its lift stations. So no ARPA help to Quitman for stopping sewage spills into Okapilco Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Here are those awardees, most to least: Continue reading →

Litter in the City of Valdosta: Sources and Solutions 2021-09-10

This public health, well-being, and eco-tourism issue may be brought up at the Valdosta City Council meeting at 5:30 PM this Thursday, February 24, 2022, down at City Hall, 216 E. Central Avenue, Valdosta, GA 31601.

You can thank whoever brought it up, or bring it up yourself, at the end of the agenda in Citizens to be Heard.

Here’s a facebook event so you can encourage others to attend.

And if you can’t go in person, you can watch on Valdosta’s facebook livestream.

Meanwhile, if you see trash, report it with Valdosta Click N’ Fix: https://www.valdostacity.com/public-information/click-n-fix

The Valdosta trash situation is still much like this summary from last fall. For new wrinkles, see https://wwals.net/issues/trash/.

[White Paper, Trash down Sugar Creek to Withlacoochee River]
White Paper, Trash down Sugar Creek to Withlacoochee River

White Paper

See also PDF.

The other documents cited are on the WWALS website. Continue reading →

Rivers very clean 2022-02-17

Update 2022-02-25: Clean Rivers Again 2022-02-24.

More good news for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle tomorrow (Saturday) morning: about the cleanest water quality results we’ve seen.

There was some rain this morning, but probably not enough to wash much into the rivers. And no new sewage spills have been reported.

So happy boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend!

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-02-17]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-02-17

Thanks to WWALS testers

  • Elizabeth Brunner for testing at GA 122 at Folsom Bridge on the Little River, Hagan Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, and Lakeland Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River.
  • Michael and Jacob Bachrach for testing at Knights Ferry, Nankin, and State Line Boat Ramps on the Withlacoochee River.
  • Gus Cleary for testing at Cleary Bluff between Allen Ramp and the Suwannee River.

As you can see in the chart, Valdosta’s recent upstream data concurs. Continue reading →

Pictures: Troupville Boat Ramp to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2022-02-18

Plenty of water, and the water temperature is up to 58 degrees! The latest weather prediction is sunny with a high of 64 tomorrow.

Come on down tomorrow (Saturday) morning to Troupville Boat Ramp for the third annual Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle on the Withlacoochee River to Spook Bridge!

[Troupville Boat Ramp, lunch stop, US 84 rapids, Spook Bridge]
Troupville Boat Ramp, lunch stop, US 84 rapids, Spook Bridge

Take St. Augustine Road west past the Mall, cross I-75, and at the light for Val Tech Road turn left down to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Drop off your boat, sign in, and join the shuttle convoy to Spook Bridge.

The Hahira Gauge (Little River @ GA 122, Folsom Bridge) reads Continue reading →

Radio about Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Suwannee Riverkeeper 2022-02-18

Friday morning, February 18, 2022, at 8:00 AM, Suwannee Riverkeeper will be on Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio, about the annual 11-mile Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle, this Saturday, February 19th, on the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers.

[Many]
Radio, Paddle

We’ll also talk about how you can ask Georgia statehouse members to pass HB 1289 to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining, while you can ask the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to stop a strip mine far too near the Okefenokee Swamp, and ask GA-EPD to stop that second wood pellet plant in Adel while you’re at it.

We’ll mention the trash situation of Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

When: 8:00 AM, Friday, February 18, 2022

Where: Talk 92.1 FM radio, Scott James drivetime show
http://talk921.com/

Listen: Continue reading →

Trash on Threemile Branch at Country Club Road, Valdosta, GA 2022-02-13

Bobby McKenzie says, “This is visible from the road…if you’re looking.”

You guessed it: more fast food container trash in yet another Valdosta Creek: Three Mile Branch, where the Mayor lives.

Turns out the City of Valdosta owns that creek downstream from Country Club Drive. So that would be a great place for a trash trap. Otherwise, all this garbage floats down Three Mile Branch into the Withlacoochee River, then down past the future site of Troupville River Camp, and on into Florida and the Suwannee River.

[Threemile Branch, Trash, Country Club Drive]
Threemile Branch, Trash, Country Club Drive

The road is Country Club Drive, a bit south from North Valdosta Road. This is looking east, upstream, on Three Mile Branch. You can see trash in front of the box culvert under the road. Continue reading →

Clean Rivers 2022-02-10

Update 2022-02-18: Rivers very clean 2022-02-17.

Good news again: all recent tests on the Little, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers were clean. Happy boating, fishing, and swimming this weekend.

[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide]
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide

There was one sewage spill reported: 100,000 gallons on February 5 from Ashburn’s MLK Lift Station on Ashburn Branch, upstream from the Little River. Cause: Pipe failure. That’s better than “wet weather” for the other two Ashburn spills this year: those went into the Alapaha River Basin. As usual, no E. coli showed up downstream, presumably because Ashburn is so far upstream. Continue reading →

Groundwater considered important: WWALS to EPA 2022-02-07

WWALS sent EPA some comments on groundwater, which is very important here above the Floridan Aquifer in south Georgia and north Florida.

WWALS also signed on to comments by Waterkeeper Alliance and SELC, but SELC wrote almost nothing about groundwater, and there was more to say than was in the WKA comments. Those other comments are on the WWALS website.

The WWALS comments should appear on regulations.gov, Docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0602, with Comment Tracking Number kzd-8bdc-p6xf, after EPA finishes reviewing it. Here they are in PDF and inline below.

[Dead River Sink, Alapaha River Rise, WWALS Letter to EPA]
Dead River Sink, Alapaha River Rise, WWALS Letter to EPA

Continue reading →

Clean Rivers 2022-02-03

Update 2022-02-12: Clean Rivers 2022-02-10.

Clean rivers all week, according to Valdosta in the middle and WWALS upstream and down.

There is some rain falling today in Georgia, but probably not enough to wash much into the rivers.

I would paddle this weekend. Actually, I am, tomorrow, Saturday, February 5, 2022, from US 41 on the Alapaha River to Gibson Park on the Suwannee River. Expedition leader Shirley Kokidko says, “There is limited room for vehicles at the put-in so everyone needs to park up by the highway and carry kayaks down to the river. It is muddy and slippery at the launch. I would not recommend this outing for beginners due to alot of strainers and deadfall in the river with a good current also pushing you along. The water is cold and it is predicted to be a cool day so bring a change of clothes, just in case.”

[Chart, River, Swim Guide]
Chart, River, Swim Guide

No new sewage spills have been reported. GA-EPD on January 28 did update the Ashburn 40,000 gallon January 1 spill to note correctly that Hat Creek is in the Suwannee River Basin (not Ocmulgee), after I pointed out their typo. As usual, we have seen no sign of that E. coli on the Alapaha River, nor of any from Ashburn’s 30,000 gallon January 16 spill, presumably because Ashburn is so far upstream. Continue reading →