Tag Archives: WLRWT

Creek and river water quality problems 2022-11-03

Update 2022-11-11: Good river water quality, but rain 2022-11-10.

Downstream of the Little River Confluence should be fine for boating, swimming, or fishing in the Withlacoochee River this weekend, and apparently same for the Little and Alapaha Rivers.

On the Withlacoochee River, I got a high E. coli result at Langdale Park Boat Ramp, but there’s not enough water to paddle there anyway.

No new sewer spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.

[Chart, Creeks and Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-11-03]
Chart, Creeks and Rivers, Swim Guide 2022-11-03

WWALS tested 23 sites yesterday: the usual 1 on the Alapaha River, 2 on the Little River, and 9 on the Withlacoochee River and 11 on its upstream creeks Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek, plus Sugar Creek.

We are trying to find the source of the high E. coli Valdosta keeps finding at US 41 and GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River. Continue reading →

What happened to Langdale Park? 2022-08-05

Update 2023-09-29: After Hurricane Idalia: Langdale Park open for walk-ins, Withlacoochee River, Lowndes County, GA 2023-09-28.

Many people have asked, “Have you seen the land clearing near the entrance to Langdale Park? Wonder what that is about?”

[Langdale Park entrance and maps]
Langdale Park entrance and maps

Yesterday I actually missed my turn into Langdale Park because I didn’t recognize it, with all the trees cut down. Continue reading →

Franklinville, Skipper Bridge, Langdale Park, GA 133, Withlacoochee River WQ 2022-10-27

Yesterday I went to five water quality testing sites and sampled four of them. Results tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Brunner sampled nine sites on Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek. If nothing else we should have a good baseline to use in deciphering what is causing the E. coli and Fecal coliform that keeps showing up at US 41 and GA 133.

And inquiring minds want to know: what happened to all the trees at the entrance to Langdale Park?

[4.5 sites, Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-27]
4.5 sites, Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-27

Toms Branch

No water in Toms Branch, so no sample. Continue reading →

Winners, WWALS Boomerang paddle race 2022-10-22

Hahira, GA, October 25, 2022 — Home county favorite Kyle “Bird” Chamberlain, of Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, won the WWALS Boomerang paddle race from Georgia into Florida and back. He won the $100 First Prize with a time of one hour, sixteen minutes, and 55 seconds to paddle three miles down and three miles back up for six miles total on the astonishingly clear Withlacoochee River.

[River, Race, Prizes: WWALS Boomerang 2022-10-22]
River, Race, Prizes: WWALS Boomerang 2022-10-22

Bird said, “I wanna thank my sponsors State Line River Outfitters and Takis for believing in me… they gave me their undivided attention to make sure I had everything needed to win.” Continue reading →

Pictures: Lee St. Detention Pond Cleanup 2022-10-21

Those of us who came to the Friday morning trash reporting cleanup at Valdosta’s Lee St. Detention POnd got some bags of trash and reported a couple of Click ‘n’ Fixes.

Y’all come this afternoon, 2PM, Sunday, October 23, 2022, for another Click ‘n’ Fix reporting and cleanup, led by Bobby McKenzie. Park at Mr. B’s IGA, 1405 N Lee St., Valdosta, GA 31601. We’ll forage for trash from there.

[Trash, trash trap, banners]
Trash, trash trap, banners

The goal is to stop the trash before it gets into One Mile Branch, whic flows into Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River. Valdosta can do what its Stormwater Permit requires and educate businesses to keep trash from escaping their parking lots. Or it can enforce Valdosta’s trash ordinances. The more people reporting such violations, the more likely something will be done.

Thanks to Mr. B for keeping the parking lot at Mr. B’s IGA pretty clean. There is room for improvement, in putting trash cans in the parking lot. He said he would consider it.

It turns out the strip of land with the drainage ditch just south of Mr. B’s IGA is Continue reading →

Forever chemicals contaminate Withlacoochee River in Georgia and Florida 2022-10-18

Update 2022-12-24: PFAS contamination may be much more widespread than previously known 2022-10-12.

Hahira, GA, October 18, 2022 — A first-of-its kind study by Waterkeeper Alliance found 83% of the waters tested across the country, and 100% of tested waterways in Georgia and Florida, were contaminated by dangerous PFAS chemicals.

“The PFAS levels we found in the Withlacoochee River were lower than most sites in the U.S., but there should not have been any,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. “WWALS is working on ways to do more tests to narrow down likely sources and to see how rain events affect the results.”

[Figure 11: bigger circles indicate more contamination]
Figure 11: bigger circles indicate more contamination

The good news: PFAS levels in four test sites on the Withlacoochee River were among the lowest in the study. Still, there are currently no universal, science-based limits on the various PFAS chemicals and their presence is cause for further investigation. For many PFAS chemicals, the EPA has not set a health advisory limit that would give the public a baseline to determine what amount of PFAS is unhealthy in drinking water. In most cases, the EPA is not doing adequate monitoring for these chemicals, which is why these findings are so relevant and important.

The bad news: Continue reading →

Sunday Trash reporting cleanup, One Mile Branch, Valdosta’s Lee Street detention pond, 2022-10-23

Second chance to learn Click ‘n’ Fix reporting and seeclickfix.com followup at multiple locations in Valdosta. Come to Valdosta’s Lee Street Detention Pond at 2 PM this Sunday, October 23, 2022. Pick up trash and get a Rivers Alive t-shirt!

More people involved will improve public health, quality of life, and eco-tourism, while providing community involvement.

We invite all Valdosta City officials, especially Stormwater Division and Public Works, to come instruct us in how it should be done.

We will start at Valdosta’s Lee Street detention pond (highlighted in the map), where the city recently installed a trash trap it made and later added a net. Since Valdosta from time to time cleans that pond out, there should not be much trash in there.

So we will forage farther afield. In addition to trash, we’re looking for trash cans in parking lots: if they’re not there, they should be according to Valdosta’s own ordinances, so you can report them missing.

[Trash trap, map, Lee St. Detention Pond, Valdosta, GA]
Trash trap, map, Lee St. Detention Pond, Valdosta, GA

Continue reading →

Pictures: Chainsaw Cleanup Withlacoochee River 2022-10-16

Update 2023-05-19: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2023-06-24.

There must be a better way to order pizza.

[Start, chainsaws, pizza, sandbars]
Start, chainsaws, pizza, sandbars

The good news: we did get pizza delivered on the river during the Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2022-10-16. We cleared many logjams. Some of them we had sawed at higher water levels several times before. It seemed like we were a relix rock band doing a greatest hit tour. And at twelve hours we beat our record of taking longer than expected.

Our advice if you want to try paddling this stretch with the water this low (3.6′ or 113.8′ NAVD88) on the US 41 (North Valdosta Road) USGS Gauge?

Don’t.

Not unless you want to drag your boat much of the way. Also, stock up on magnesium and vitamin C for the muscle cramps. Continue reading →

One week: WWALS Boomerang paddle race 2022-10-22

One week from now, come paddle from Georgia into Florida and back, Saturday, October 22, 2022. It’s a fun fall event for the whole family, on the idyllic blackwater Withlacoochee River, with one small shoal to make it more interesting. Plus the fastest time gets faster every year.

Today and tomorrow are the last days for the early bird ticket price. That and everything else Boomerang here:
wwals.net/pictures/boomerang2022

Thanks, new sponsors, Ace Electric and promoleaf, plus State Line River Outfitters will supply boats, along with VSU CORE. Thanks again to earlier sponsors, Packaging Corporation of America and Wisenbaker’s Garage. You or your organization can still sponsor to support the advocacy and activities of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS), an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity.

[Flyer]
Flyer
PDF

Pick up trash before the race and get a Rivers Alive t-shirt. And there are Boomerang tumblers to all the paddlers, Suwannee Riverkeeper Suwannee Bass t-shirts to top winners, and $100 prize for First Place. Or just come for a fresh air morning on a fabulous river.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

WWALS at Brooks County Skillet Fest, 2022-10-15

Update 2023-10-17: Pictures.

Food and fun in a park. Maybe you’d like to help at the WWALS booth.

[WWALS Booth, Skillet Fest]
WWALS Booth, Skillet Fest

When: 9 AM, Saturday, October 15, 2022

Put In: Brooks County Courthouse, 100 Screven Street, Quitman, Georgia 31643

GPS: 30.785667, -83.559660 Continue reading →