For our original date, the river level was two feet below our recommended level of 116′ NAVD88, and Valdosta had just reported very high E. coli in that stretch.

On this new date of August 19th, we may also use a put-in closer to our main deadfall target. Bring a rope on at least one end of your boat for lowering it in there. Bring a chainsaw if you really know how to use it, but you do not have to saw to join us.

Our main target this time is one remaining big deadfall between I-75 and GA 133.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 4 PM, Friday, August 19, 2023

Put In: Meet at the back of the Salty Snapper parking lot, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602 and we’ll go to the put-in from there.

GPS: 30.861764, -83.318854

Crowe Deadfall 2022-07-30; Riverhill Drive Deadfall 2022-10-16;
Retry Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-19

Take Out: Troupville Boat Ramp

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.

Free: This outing is free to everyone!

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Event: facebook, meetup
https://www.facebook.com/events/608446224775579/
https://www.meetup.com/withlacoochee-alapaha-suwannee-rivers-wwals-outings/events/295135927/

Duration: 5 hours

Paddle: 4 miles, 3.5 hours.

Shuttle: 2.4 miles, 20 minutes.
This outing includes the traditional WWALS shuttle. Everybody takes their boats to the put-in, most people drive to the take-out, and the drivers pile into one or two vehicles and go back to the put-in.

Host: Phil Hubbard

Contact: Phil Hubbard

Gauge: US 41 (North Valdosta Road), recommended low 116′ NAVD88 (5.7′), high 123′ NAVD88 (12.7′)

Backup: in case of high or low water or bad water quality or weather is: reschedule.

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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

Valdosta’s Withlacoochee River water quality results for Monday, July 31, 2023 were very bad at US 41 (North Valdosta Road) and GA 133. Bad was 12,000 cfu/100 mL of E. coli at US 41, which is twelve times the alert limit of 1,000.

There was intermittent rain over the weekend upstream from Valdosta, which probably washed contamination into the river.

Judging by the previous WWALS creek tests, most likely that contamination came down Cat Creek. More testing is needed to find out what it is.

Problem spots and context 2023-07-31

Those locations are north and west of Valdosta.

Map: Bad US 41 and GA 133, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide 2023-07-31

The test results were worse at US 41, upstream, than at GA 133, downstream of Sugar Creek, which drains about 80% of Valdosta. Thus even though we have seen bad water quality in Sugar Creek lately, it wasn’t this bad, and Sugar Creek cannot explain this US 41 result.

Map: Just US41, GA133, US 84, Withlacoochee River, Swim Guide 2023-07-31

Cat Creek comes down past the Ray City Wastewater Treatment Plant, but our previous tests indicated that is probably not the culprit, since we got high readings on Beaverdam Creek upstream of there. And we got high readings on Beatty Branch coming out of Moody AFB, but there had been no spill there.

Map: Cat Creek to US 84 Withlacoochee River in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

Only more testing, preferably adding DNA tests, will solve this riddle.

 -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/

If you get into the Finals, the judges will decide in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest in the WWALS River Revue at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA, 6-10 PM, Friday, September 22, 2023. The judges are Joe Smothers from Lowndes County, Georgia, Anna Stange from Madison County, Florida, and Tony Buzella from Columbia County, Florida.

Songwriting Flyer 2023
PDF

“I’m very pleased to welcome Joe Smothers and Tony Buzella back again, plus new judge Anna Stange,” said WWALS President Sara Jay Jones. “We’re gonna rock the Autumn Equinox.”

Thanks to our sponsors so far, Brooksco Dairy, Landis International, Michael Smith, Georgia Beer Company, Azalea City Womans Club, Agri-Supply, and Georgia Power. You, too, can be a sponsor!
https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

For more about the Contest the WWALS Revue, and WWALS, see:
https://wwals.net/?p=62712

 -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/

Bring a chainsaw if you really know how to use it.

But you do not have to use a saw to join us.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 1 PM, Saturday, September 9, 2023

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602,

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

Easy and hard deadfalls, 2021-05-15

Take Out: Sugar Creek, Salty Corner Landing, north of the Salty Snapper parking lot

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.

Free: This outing is free to everyone!

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Event: facebook, meetup

Duration: 4 hours

Paddle: 3 miles, 3 hours.

Shuttle: 4 miles, 30 minutes round trip.

Host: Phil Hubbard

Contact: Phil Hubbard

Backup: in case of high or low water is: reschedule to October 14, 2023.

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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

This will be the only blue moon of 2023 (second full moon of a month), and is expected to be the biggest and brightest supermoon this year. It will be the third supermoon of this year, “when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full.”. According to NPR, this will be the only blue supermoon of 2023, and there won’t be another until 2032.

There may still be bats.

When: Gather 7 PM, launch 7:30 PM, moonrise 8:08 PM, sunset 7:58 PM, end 9 PM, Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

Sunset 2023-03-07, Moonrise 2018-12-22;
Full Blue Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2023-08-30

Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp

Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Mosquitoes can be bad at dusk so come prepared.

Safety: Be on time. If you miss the safety briefing, you cannot paddle with us.
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD.
You must have a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow sticks work well, or head lamp, flashlight, etc.) so other boaters can see you in the dark. It will be totally dark after sunset.
A whistle is not required, but it’s a good idea in the dark.

Boats: Bring your own if you have it.
Thanks to Banks Lake Outdoors for free boat rental for these WWALS Full Moon Paddles.
We are using eventbrite for boat reservations, so you will get an automatic confirmation, unless all boats of the type you requested are reserved, when you won’t be able to get a reservation.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kayak-and-canoe-reservation-banks-lake-full-blue-moon-2023-08-30-tickets-689000568247

Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net/outings

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Event: facebook, meetup

Duration: 2 hours

Paddle: 3 miles, 2 hours.

Shuttle: none, none.

Host: Shirley Kokidko

Contact: Shirley Kokidko

Backup: in case of high or low water is: Cancel

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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

Our main target this time is one remaining big deadfall between I-75 and GA 133.

When: Gather 1 PM, launch 1:30 PM, end 6 PM, Thursday, August 3, 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.

GPS: 30.861764, -83.318854

Crowe Deadfall 2022-07-30; Riverhill Drive Deadfall 2022-10-16;
Retry Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2023-08-03

Take Out: Troupville Boat Ramp

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.

Free: This outing is free to everyone!

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Event: facebook, meetup

Duration: 5 hours

Paddle: 4 miles, 3.5 hours.

Shuttle: 2.4 miles, 20 minutes.
This outing includes the traditional WWALS shuttle. Everybody takes their boats to the put-in, most people drive to the take-out, and the drivers pile into one or two vehicles and go back to the put-in.

Host: Phil Hubbard

Contact: Phil Hubbard

Backup: in case of high or low water is:

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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

The Withlacoochee River tested good for Friday in WWALS sampling, but Crawford Branch and Sugar Creek were each above the one-time test limit for E. coli.

The Sugar Creek result is presumably due to ongoing effects from Valdosta’s July 17th 6,000 gallon sewage spill into Hightower Creek “behind the Target,” reported as at 1700 block River Street. This follows the disturbing Sugar Creek results Valdosta Utilities told us about Friday a week ago, after which we converted a cleanup paddle into an on-land cleanup.

We do not have any downstream results because the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program is short-handed this week. Maybe you’d like to become a WWALS tester; please fill out this form:
https://forms.gle/DzWvJuXqTQi12N6v7

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

Rain fell hard today, but only briefly, so most of the rivers are probably OK for fishing, swimming and boating this weekend, although we have no downstream test results to tell.

I’d avoid the Withlacoochee River downstream from Sugar Creek as far as the Little River Confluence.

Chart, River and Creeks, Swim Guide Map 2023-07-28

The most recent results we have from Valdosta are for Wednesday upstream and Wednesday two weeks ago downstream. For Monday Valdosta got way-too-high results for US 41 on the Withlacoochee River, probably due to rain last Saturday, but Valdosta’s Wednesday results were back within acceptable range. GA 133 and US 84 were OK for Monday and Wednesday in Valdosta’s results.

WWALS testers Cindy and David Vedas got a zero result for Friday at US 41, and good results at Franklinville and Staten Road. However, they found Crawford Branch above the one-time test limit.

WWALS tester Suzy Hall found Sugar Creek above the one-time test limit for Friday.

Thanks once again to Valdosta Utilities Director Jason Barnes for placing a Valdosta sewage spill warning sign in the Salty Snapper parking lot for Sugar Creek.

Suwannee Riverkeeper Banner and Valdosta Sewage Spill sign at Sugar Creek

It seems likely that warning is still needed.

Chart: Clean Withlacoochee River, dirty creeks 2023-07-28
For context and the entire WWALS composite spreadsheet of water quality results, rainfall, and sewage spills, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing

Thanks to Cindy and David Vedas for their four sites, Franklinville Road on the Withlacoochee River, Crawford Branch at Skipper Bridge Road, and Staten Road and US 41 on the Withlacoochee River.

Thanks to Jacob and Michael Bachrach for their years of testing at Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River, and Clyattville-Nankin and State Line Boats Ramps on the Withlacoochee River. They have moved on.

Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman for training the testers and delivering supplies.

Thanks to WWALS Testing Committee Chair for herding the testing cats, and this week for testing Sugar Creek.

I’ve marked green for the WWALS “beaches” for which we have recent data, on

Map: Clean Withlacoochee River 2023-07-28

Here’s a live Swim Guide Map.

Thanks to Joe Brownlee and Georgia Power for a generous grant for water quality testing equipment and materials.

You or your organization could also donate to the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program.

There are more images below.

 -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/

franklinville

Franklinville, Withlacoochee River @ Frankinville Road 2023-07-28

crawfordbranch

Crawford Branch, Withlacoochee River @ Skipper Bridge Road 2023-07-28

staten

Staten Road, Withlacoochee River @ Staten Road 2023-07-28

US41

US 41 Landing, Withlacoochee River @ North Valdosta Road 2023-07-28

SC

Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River @ Gornto Road 2023-07-28

BS

Suwannee Riverkeeper Banner and Valdosta Sewage Spill sign at Sugar Creek

 -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/

Maps, Arglass air permit application 2023-07-17

What they want to do is more pithily summarized in a local variance Arglass already got from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) on June 6, 2023:

6. VAR-2023-13- All or part of Tax Map 0059-Parcel 094 and a part of Tax Map 0063- Parcel 012. A request from Arglass for a Variance to Table 4.01.02 (E) of the ULDC as it pertains to standards for building location. The subject property is located at 1 Arglass Road, Valdosta, Georgia in a M-2 (Heavy Manufacturing) zoning district.

In the minutes, Trinni Amiot explains for Lowndes County, “Arglass needs a second furnace. The only way for the bank lending officer, to support that is for it to be on its own parcel. What they’re suggesting is to create a second parcel, put the furnace on that with zero lot lines, and then it’ll meet the requirements of the lending company. What they’re suggesting is to create a second parcel, put the furnace on that with zero lot lines, and then it’ll meet the requirements of the lending company. It’s on M-2 surrounded by E-A. Those black lines are the current parcel lines. Now, those will be reconfigured. The expansion of the Arglass will more than double the footprint of the existing facility and includes the second furnace. The lending agent requires that the furnace is on the side of the parcel. To maintain efficient operations, the new expansion must be connected to the existing facility and the variance request is for zero lot lines between the two tra[cts].”

There was apparently a map of the proposed new plant area in the ZBOA packet, which I have requested from Lowndes County.

Lowndes County parcel 0059-094 is the current site of the plant in 80.93 acres owned by the Valdosta-Lowndes Industrial Authority. Parcel 0063-012 is the much larger parcel owned by LANGDALE CAPITAL ASSETS INC from which the plant parcel was split out in 2016.

Lowndes County parcel 0059-094 80.94 acres in the Lowndes County Tax Assessors map.

The air quality permit application includes a map with an expanded boundary:

Map: Stack Locations

Curiously, that map shows two emission points within the original parcel, and none in the expanded are.

It is curious how the size and shape of the plant area keeps changing.

Project Max REZ-2016-01, 123 acres 2016-01-11

Trinni Amiot also remarked, “I think that the new furnace is supposed to be a little quieter, and the only complaints through the years that we’ve gotten about Arglass has been about noise.”

ZBOA Chairman Mac McCall asked, “Since this is totally an aside, it’s just something, since you are expanding, you’re not required to hold all your water on the same side as what you’re building on. Do we need to do anything to address that?”

Clayton Milligan answered for the applicant, “If I’m not mistaken, there might be some stormwater easement that got put in place. That can be done outside of this. It would be like a master’s regional storm water facility for a park, but this is its own private park.”

No objections had been filed with ZBOA, and nobody spoke against. ZBOA voted unanimously to approve the variance.

Needless to say, in the air quality permit application there is nothing about any stormwater easement. I will check with Lowndes County and the Development Authority to see if they know more about that.

Even though USGS maps show the plant site in the Withlacoochee River watershed, actually it drains to Mud Swamp Creek, which is in the Alapaha River watershed.

Map: Arglass drains to Mud Swamp Creek
in the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)

Mud Swamp Creek joins Grand Bay Creek to form the Alapahoochee River, which joins the Alapaha River in Florida.

Map: Arglass to Alapaha River
in the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)

The entire air quality permit, received from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in response to a WWALS open records requests, is on the WWALS website.

 -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/

“I’m very pleased to welcome Joe Smothers and Tony Buzella back again, plus new judge Anna Stange,” said WWALS President Sara Jay Jones. “We’re gonna rock the Autumn Equinox.”

Songwriting Flyer 2023
PDF

Judge Joe Smothers is from Reidsville, NC, lives in Valdosta, and often plays The Salty Snapper, with a second home in Cortez, FL, with his wife Murphy. Joe’s mom Betty purchased a Stella guitar at the local pawn shop when he was thirteen. Born in the Piedmont area of North Carolina in 1950, he toured with his teenage inspiration, the legendary Doc Watson, and played on more than a dozen albums with him. Joe has performed at every Merle Fest (31) and was asked to perform at Doc’s funeral. Joe toured extensively with Jack Lawrence as a supporting act for John Prine, Leo Kottke and Emmylou Harris, to name a few. He has released two albums: These Things I Know, and ‘Terpretations. His song “The Three Buglers” — a mix of fiction and history on Taps — won him a first place at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS, in 2007.

“We are excited to see and hear the talented songwriters and discuss future water protection goals,” said new organizing committee member Matt Prentice.

Judge Anna Stange moved to Madison, FL, in 2019, after 25 years as a music teacher, performer,and educator in the Chicago area. Well known for her multicultural music programs, Anna performed at festivals, libraries, and community events, from Key West to Seldovia, Alaska. Her most recent album, When Will We Ever Learn: Songs For Peace and Justice, is a mix of folk and original songs. She currently homesteads on six acres in North Florida with her spouse, 15 chickens, and two lovable mutts. “I am honored to be a part of this community-led event that aims to celebrate and inspire our talented local musicians,” said Lauren Lewis, also a new member of the organizing committee.

Judge Tony Buzella lives in Lake City, and was raised in Miami, FL. He studied under many great teachers, and he has performed with many great musicians over the years, including Frank Hubble, Charlie “Brown” Weatherbee, Rusty Hammerstrum, Leo Villar, Carlos Guzman, and the “Our Gang” Dixieland band during the 1960s and ‘70s. He has also performed with Pete Fountain, Bonnie Dawson, Freddie Palmer, Jerry Clower, Grandpa Jones, The Original Salt & Pepper Trio, The Gainesville Jazz Orchestra, Alfonso Levy, and many others.

“I beat Bird last year with my song and I’m gonna beat him again this year,” said musician David Rodock. They’ll each have to recuse themselves from the organizing committee when they submit a song.

This first-ever WWALS gala is an indoor fundraising gala, with a catered sit-down meal, speakers, a silent auction, a kayak raffle, and the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. It will be held 6-10 PM, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA.

Follow this link for tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more:

https://www.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2023/

“Submissions can be songs about any river, stream, spring, sink, swamp, lake, or pond in the Suwannee River Basin or Estuary (except not the Santa Fe Basin; that has its own contest),” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Here’s the entry form:

https://forms.gle/ZPbfnnLj5ruum5xk6

“Thanks to our sponsors so far, Landis International, Agri-Supply, Georgia Beer Company, and Georgia Power. You, too, can be a sponsor!” said Scotti Jay, longtime organizing committee member and new WWALS board member.

WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman said, “Your ticket or sponsorship helps support everything WWALS does, from water quality tests, paddle outings and swimming & boating lessons, to chainsaw cleanups, and beyond to advocacy to stop trash at its sources, strip mines, and pipelines. We work for water trails, solar power, and the Right to Clean Water, with growing engagement for youth and marginalized communities.”

About WWALS: Since June 2012, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity working for a healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.

Mission: WWALS advocates for conservation and stewardship of the surface waters and groundwater of the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, in south Georgia and north Florida, among them the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds, through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.

Our Watershed: The 10,000-square-mile WWALS territory includes the Suwannee River from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Gulf of Mexico, plus the Suwannee River Estuary, and tributaries such as the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers as far north as Cordele in Georgia, as well as parts of the Floridan Aquifer, which is the primary water source for drinking, agriculture, and industry for millions of Georgia and Florida residents.

Suwannee Riverkeeper: Since December 2016, WWALS is the WATERKEEPER® Alliance Member for the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary as Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®, which is a project and a staff position of WWALS focusing on our advocacy.

Contact: John S. Quarterman
Suwannee Riverkeeper
song@suwanneeriverkeeper.org
850-290-2350

===

That word “immediately,” I don’t think it means wait yet another day before informing the public, after Valdosta Utilities already waited four days to tell GA-EPD about the sewage spill.

Even though Valdosta wrote to GA-EPD, “we did not observe any direct flow to the creek,” Valdosta’s own state-required followup testing showed too-high Fecal coliform and E. coli in Knights Creek a week later, downstream, but not upstream, of the spill. Just because they didn’t see the sewage running over the ground doesn’t mean it’s not seeping through the vegetation or the ground itself.

Maybe you’re as tired as I am of Valdosta blaming sewage spills on contractors. Who hires the contractors? Who supervises them? Why doesn’t Valdosta’s fancy SCADA system alert the city to these spills early, where, when, and how much?

The information seemed pretty skimpy that Valdosta Utilities supplied to the public about its July 6, 2023, sewage spill into Knights Creek. Also, I wanted to know when did Valdosta tell GA-EPD, since that spill did not show up in GA-EPD’s Sewage Spills Report for a long time, Not until after I asked GA-EPD about it, actually, even though Valdosta City Manager Richard Hardy had said he would look into that.

So I filed an open records request with the City of Valdosta for all communications between Valdosta and GA-EPD about Valdosta’s last three sewage spills. I only got back information about the Knights Creek spill, so here is that much.

Where, When, After: Valdosta’s Knights Creek Sewage Spill 2023-07-06

Let me say that recent communications from Valdosta Utilities have been much improved in recent days, coming from Assistant Director Jason Barnes. Barnes took it upon himself to warn WWALS about contamination in Sugar Creek before the cleanup paddle we had scheduled for last Saturday, so we converted it into an on-land cleanup. That elevated Fecal coliform and E. coli came from Valdosta’s July 17, 2023, spill into Hightower Creek near River Street, upstream from Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River. Reporting for that July 17th spill was much better: a press release went out the next day, and it also appeared in GA-EPD’s Sewage Spills Report the day after the spill. And Jason Barnes showed up in person to see about getting a warning sign placed at Sugar Creek.

Back to the July 6, 2023, spill into Knights Creek, above Mud Swamp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, and the Alapaha River.

Utilities Director Bradley L. Eyre did not write to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) until July 10th, four days after the spill was discovered on July 6th.

Valdosta Utilities to GA-EPD 2023-07-10

The letter says, “Water quality sampling will be conducted above and below the spill location as required, signs posted and a press release issued immediately.”

The press release was actually issued at 6:24 PM the following day, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, five days after the spill was discovered.

I don’t think that word “immediately” means what Director Eyre seemed to think it meant.

Apparently GA-EPD has a similar opinion, since their reply on July 11th says in part, “In the future, please let us know once you are aware of the spill, even if it is still ongoing. This allows us to know about the spill as it is occurring and also helps us inform citizens if we receive complaints/questions.”

GA-EPD to Valdosta Utilities 2023-07-11

Apparently informing citizens is important to GA-EPD. Too bad it was not important to the City of Valdosta about this spill.

That reply from GA-EPD also noted, “I will be on the lookout for the final volume. Also, when can we be expecting the review of the proposed Consent Order back from the City?”

That’s right, four days after the spill was detected, Valdosta did not even have an estimate for how much had spilled. They came up with one before the end of that day: 194,251 gallons of raw sewage. For comparison, 10,000 gallons is the minimum to call it a major spill. So 19 times that.

Valdosta Utilities did start testing for Fecal coliform and E. coli. And I thank them for putting the test results on Valdosta’s own web pages. Actually, Valdosta had already been testing the same locations since its February 2023 major spill.

Fecal coliform and E. coli in Knights Creek through 2023-07-16

Anyway, those Knights Creek test results show that Valdosta got too-high results on July 10th, the day before their press release, and they did not mention that in the press release.

For comparison, 1,000 is the Georgia EPD alert limit, and 410 is the one-time test limit.

The results on the seventh day were still too high. Why did Valdosta stop testing? Let me guess. Is it the usual Valdosta excuse? Because they did the letter of what GA-EPD requires?

What about the people who fish downstream of there, or who may have wells nearby?

Valdosta told GA-EPD on July 12th that “we did not observe any direct flow to the creek.”

we did not observe any direct flow to the creek. 2023-07-12

Yet Valdosta’s own test results say contamination got to the creek. Sure, for two days back in March they attribute contamination to rainfall. But there was no significant rain on Valdosta after the July 6th spill.

The press release gives a vague location of “near the 1800 block of East Park Avenue.” Utilities of course knew the precise location, 30.851385, -83.251667. That is not on E. Park Avenue at all, it is at least half a mile south-southeast, halfway to US 84.

Map: Location of Overflow manhole M0222

Five days late and many dollars short of information to the public: that’s how Valdosta Utilities handled this Knights Creek spill.

We still don’t know how they handled their other two recent spills, because now six business days after my open records request for that, nothing has been returned. The time limit in Georgia law is three days for either supplying the information or saying why not or when it can be supplied.

This is what I asked for. Does it seem unclear? “Letters sent from the City of Valdosta to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD) about the sewage spills of June 21, 2023, on Williams Street into One Mile Branch, of July 6, 2023, on E. Park Ave. into Knights Creek, and of July 17, 2023, on River Street into a branch of Hightower Creek, as well as any email correspondence to or from GA-EPD and the City of Valdosta and any telephone logs or transcriptions or recordings related to those spills.

But I repeat that in recent days communications have been much improved from Valdosta Utilities, coming from Assistant Director Jason Barnes. Maybe that will continue.

Here is the PDF WWALS got in response to that open records request. Images of each page are below.

 -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/

Correspondence

Valdosta Utilities to GA-EPD 2023-07-10
PDF

July 09, 2023 Photos

Overflowing manhole
PDF

SSOVol

SSO Volume Estimation Worksheet
PDF

Map1

Map: Location of Overflow manhole M0222
PDF

Map2

Location Map
PDF

Tables

Table: Fecal coliform and E. coli above and below the spill for days after
PDF

Update11

GA-EPD acknowledges spill information, calculations, and press release 2023-07-11
PDF

Update12

we did not observe any direct flow to the creek. 2023-07-12
PDF

Reply12

GA-EPD is satisfied 2023-07-12
PDF

Reply14

GA-EPD acknowledges start and end times 2023-07-14
PDF

 -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/