Not just for the Withlacoochee River! There’s Valdosta trash in Dukes Bay Canal, which drains to the Alapaha River.

Valdosta Stormwater Division did remove trash from culverts near Southside Recreation Center, one somebody reported them via Click ‘n’ Fix. Then they declared the problem fixed, archived the tickets, and left trash floating in Dukes Bay Canal.

Tire, Dukes Bay Canal, Church’s, Map

I know Valdosta’s liability insurance does not cover any city employee getting into water. That’s right: Stormwater can’t get in water. But it’s hard to believe they don’t have long-handled nets that would reach halfway across the canal from each side.

Plus, how about find out where the trash is coming from, and stop it at the source? There’s a hint below.

The Oak Street location is in Valdosta City Council District 3, Thomas B. McIntyre, Sr.

The Toombs Street and Bay Street locations are in District 2, Sandra Tooley.

Map: Southside Rec Center in the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

Trash above a culvert, 706 S Oak St Valdosta, GA, 31601

Seeclickfix 14008514:

Trash above pipe, 706 S Oak St, #14008514, 2023-01-31

Angela Bray
1/31/23 2:34:40 PM Flag
Verified Official

Good afternoon, this area was inspected today and the ditch is on grade (the of the ditch is at the bottom of the pipe. Meaning the pipe is completely open. This area is Dukes Bay and has always held water because it is labeled by the Army Corp as a large wetland.

Angela Bray
1/31/23 2:35:01 PM Flag
Verified Official

Thank you for reporting to the City of Valdosta!

Dukes Bay Canal drains much of the south side of Valdosta.

Trash above another culvert, 624-702 S Toombs St Valdosta, GA, 31601

Seeclickfix 14008486:

Trash above another pipe, 624-702 S Toombs St, #14008486, 2023-01-31

Angela Bray
1/31/23 2:37:27 PM Flag
Verified Official

Good afternoon, this area was inspected today and has some buildup at the mouth of the pipe. We will get this scheduled to clear the opening for better drainage; however, this ditch will always hold back some water, as it should, because it slowly drains to a wetland off of Oak St.

Angela Bray
2/2/23 11:00:45 AM Flag
Verified Official

This issue is now fixed; thank you for reporting to the City of Valdosta!

She didn’t mention trash, not in this response, and not in the response to the previous item.

Trash inside storm grates, at 608 Bay St Valdosta, GA, 31601

Seeclickfix 14011988.

Trash inside storm grate, 608 Bay St, #14011988, 2023-01-31

Angela Bray
1/31/23 2:51:26 PM Flag
Verified Official

Yes, this is checked; however, it’s been a while with change in staff. Our Vac truck is now scheduled to inspect and clean this box at the first of every month. This will be done tomorrow with taking other duties into consideration. Thank you!

Angela Bray
2/1/23 10:08:30 AM Flag
Verified Official

This issue is now fixed; was cleaned this morning. Thank you for reporting to the City of Valdosta!

They did remove the tire that had grass growing out of it through trash.

Grass growing out of tire through trash, #14011988, 2023-01-31

But they did nothing about the trash in Dukes Bay Canal, which was still trashy a week and a half later.

Movie: Trash in Dukes Bay Canal, 2023-02-12 (15M)

That looks like Southside Rec Center in the distance.

South Side Recreation Center

And here’s a clue. This cup says Church’s on it. I can’t tell whether it’s from Church’s Fried Chicken, or Church’s Texas Chicken, both within a few blocks of Valdosta City Hall.

I wonder if either of them have trash cans in their parking lots, as required by Valdosta ordinances?

Church’s cup

I bet if they used reusable cups with deposits, not nearly as many would be tossed out.

Here is where Dukes Bay Canal runs through Valdosta:

Map: Dukes Bay Canal, Southside Rec Center in ARWT

Dukes Bay Canal drains with its trash to Mud Samp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, The Alapaha River, and the Suwannee River.

Map: Dukes Bay Canal, Mud Swamp Creek, Alapahoochee River, Alapaha River in ARWT.

For more on the trash situation, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/trash

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

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