The May 2023 issue of FGS News and Research by the Florida Geological Survey has several articles relevant to the Suwannee River Basin.
On the Alapaha River Water Trail, Jennings Bluff Tract in Hamilton County Named as the Seventh State Geological Site covers what we reported from the site at the announcement. See also Continue reading
The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, host of One Valdosta-Lowndes (OVL), invited WWALS to a reception for the new OVL Executive Director, Mary Beth Brownlee.
Mary Beth Brownlee was previously with Association County Commissioners of Georgia.
I congratulated her on her new appointment.
She agreed that Troupville River Camp is top of OVL’s project list. Continue reading
WWALS got a paper letter dated May 16, 2023, which says, “The [Department of the Air Force (DAF)] is publishing a Notice of Availablitlity (NOA) in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Comprehensive Airspace Initiative at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The publication of the NOA on 19 May 2023 begins a 30-day waiting period that closes on 18 June 2023.”
![[Proposed Action & Alternatives, Moody AFB EIS]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-16--moody-afb-eis/2023-05-16--moody-afb-eis-actions.jpg)
Proposed Action & Alternatives, Moody AFB EIS
Apparently you can still send in comments during that 30-day period, but since there has been a long previous public comment period, it does not seem likely many further changes will be made.
All the documents are available from:
https://moodyafbairspaceeis.com/
They are also available Continue reading
It’s actually two bridges closed: over what GDOT calls Brice Pond Tributary Bridge and over Okapilco Creek.
There are detours shorter between Pavo and Barney than GDOT indicates.
Which is fortunate, since the closure is very long: from 7 AM April 11, 2023 to 4 PM July 31, 2024, according to GDOT 511.
Press Alert, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), April 7, 2023, Brooks County… Two Bridges on SR 122 Closed Beginning Next Week, Continue reading
Update 2023-06-02: Clean Withlacoochee River, bad Sheboggy on Alapaha River 2023-06-01.
All clear for the Withlacoochee River for the weekend.
Happy swimming, boating, and fishing!
![[Chart, River, Swim Guide 2023-05-25]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-25--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, River, Swim Guide 2023-05-25
No rain is predicted for the weekend.
No new sewage spills have been reported. in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
Or join us at the Florida Folk Festival, at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, White Springs, Florida, on the banks of the Suwannee River.
The most recent results we have from Valdosta are for Continue reading
The PFAS problem may cause wastewater treatment that cleans up another bad problem: pharmaceuticals.
Tara Lohan, The Revelator (Center for Biological Diversity), August 11, 2021, What Happens to Wildlife Swimming in a Sea of Our Drug Residues?
Wastewater exposes plants and wildlife to hundreds of chemical compounds. Researchers are learning about potential side effects and solutions.
Effects range from obvious physical defects to behavior change. For example, bold crawfish are not safe crawfish.
![[Valdosta WWTP clean outfall, 2023-03-04, 30.8361045, -83.3595411]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-08-11--wildlife-drugs-pfas/20230304_105039.jpg)
Valdosta WWTP clean outfall, 2023-03-04, 30.8361045, -83.3595411
But a different type of contaminant may lead to fixes. Continue reading
Update 2023-08-30: Lowndes County Litter Crew, JLH Beach, Folsom Bridge Landing, Little River @ GA 122 2023-08-23.
WWALS congratulates Lowndes County on winning a statewide award for their litter crew. We can attest that boat ramps and other public access points to rivers in Lowndes County are much cleaner since the county litter crew has been picking up there weekly, both on the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail and the Alapaha River Water Trail.
We’d also like to thank Lowndes County Public Works for a longstanding agreement that they pick up bagged trash that WWALS leaves at river access points.
![[Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp: Lowndes County Litter Control 2021-06-10 (Photo: Bobby McKenzie) and WWALS cleanup 2022-12-17 (Photo: Gretchen Quarterman)]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-15--loco-trash/many.jpg)
Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp:
Lowndes County Litter Control 2021-06-10 (Photo: Bobby McKenzie) and
WWALS cleanup 2022-12-17 (Photo: Gretchen Quarterman)
Malia Thomas, Valdosta Daily Times, May 15, 2023 Lowndes County honored with 2023 Georgia County Excellence Award for litter program,
VALDOSTA — Lowndes County has been recognized with a 2023 Georgia County Excellence Award for its litter program.
Continue reading
Update 2023-06-24: Work in progress at Lakeland Boat Ramp 2023-06-20.
Update 2023-05-26: Clean Withlacoochee River 2023-05-25.
Update 2023-05-20: Alapaha River tested clean, thanks to WWALS tester Kimberly Tanner.
Two unusual places tested bad for Thursday, after big rains upstream from them: Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River, and Franklinville Landing on the Withlacoochee River. And there was more rain Friday upstream of Troupville.
Oddly, downstream tests on the Withlacoochee were clean.
No new sewage spills have been reported. in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
So I’d avoid the Little River this weekend, and go downstream on the Withlacoochee River.
Or join us tomorrow on the Suwannee River to portage Big Shoals.
![[Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-05-18]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-18--wq/many.jpg)
Chart, Rivers, Swim Guide Map 2023-05-18
The most recent results we have from Valdosta are for Monday upstream and Wednesday week before last downstream. The Valdosta Monday upstream results were good, after bad Friday results for US 41 and GA 133, as we expected due to the rain back then. Continue reading
Back in December, Valdosta got a five-year renewal of its stormwater permit by GA-EPD. I noticed that the renewal process requires updating the city’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) by June 4, 2023. And the permit requires annual reports.
Here are the last five years of Valdosta annual stormwater permit reports, in 1051 files.
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1MOOnrGRNitnaD1pxmSrxM54qDtG4vhgm
They must be valuable: Valdosta charged WWALS $106.53 to satisfy the open records request.
![[Two Mile Branch water quality, Pond inspection list, Pond enforcement]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-02-14--valdosta-annual-stormwater-reports-ga-epd/many.jpg)
Two Mile Branch water quality, Pond inspection list, Pond enforcement
They are rather dry reading, and I do not claim to have read them all. But there are some interesting bits.
It turns out Valdosta has some Fecal coliform results for Two Mile Branch, Continue reading
Update 2023-06-20: Rescheduled: Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2023-06-24 to merge with Sugar Creek to Troupville, Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-07-22.
We need volunteers to pick up trash while a few people chainsaw some deadfalls.
Our main target this time is one remaining big deadfall between I-75 and GA 133.
Yes, this stretch from Sugar Creek to Troupville is the same as for the plain old cleanup a month later.
When: 9 AM, Saturday, June 24, 2023
Put In: Meet at the back of the Salty Snapper parking lot, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602 and we’ll put in at the railroad tracks.
![[A deadfall between I-75 and GA 133, and a previous deadfall]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-06-24--chainsaw-cleanup-withlacoochee-river/many.jpg)
A deadfall between I-75 and GA 133, and a previous deadfall
![[FGS N&R Madison Blue Spring]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-01--fgs-news-research/many.jpg)
![[OVL E.D. Mary Beth Brownlee]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-05-23--one-valdosta-lowndes/many.jpg)
![[Creeks and Bridges]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2023-04-07--ga-122-okapilco-creek-road-closure/many.jpg)