{"id":12461,"date":"2015-03-01T08:23:31","date_gmt":"2015-03-01T13:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=12461"},"modified":"2015-03-01T08:27:41","modified_gmt":"2015-03-01T13:27:41","slug":"valdosta-sewage-into-alapaha-river-watershed-three-times-in-february-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2015\/03\/valdosta-sewage-into-alapaha-river-watershed-three-times-in-february-2015.html","title":{"rendered":"Valdosta sewage into Alapaha River watershed three times in February 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nValdosta didn’t mention it and the Florida Department of Health doesn’t seem to know it,\r\n\r\n\"300x219<\/a>\r\nbut\r\nKnights Creek is in the Alapaha River watershed.\r\nValdosta spilled sewage into it twice in February.\r\nPlus that 16 February spill into Dukes Bay Canal\r\nalso ends up in the Alapaha River.\r\nBut never you mind,\r\nValdosta also spilled\r\ninto the Withlacoochee River through the usual Sugar Creek.\r\nSomehow I don’t think all these spills are not Valdosta’s fault.\r\nSeems like it’s time for Valdosta to finish fixing its wastewater problem.\r\nAnd since the most recent spills were due to rainfall directly on\r\nValdosta,\r\nthe\r\n\r\nlevee proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers on Sugar Creek\r\nat the Withlacoochee River<\/a> wouldn’t help,\r\nnor would it help at any time for spills directly into the Withlacoochee\r\nRiver at GA 133, nor for Dukes Bay Canal nor Knights Creek,\r\nwhich flow into the Alapaha River.\r\n

\r\nNews Release, Florida Department of Health (FDH), 27 February 2015,\r\n\r\nFlorida Department of Health Advises of Possible Wastewater Contamination<\/a>,\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n

\r\nTALLAHASSEE, Fla. —The Florida Department of Health today\r\nissued an advisory to residents and visitors in two counties next to\r\nthe Withlacoochee River in north Florida. The city of Valdosta has\r\nreported a spill, made up of a combination of stormwater and\r\nuntreated sewage that has overflowed into Knights Creek, One-Mile\r\nBranch, Two-Mile Branch and Sugar Creek, which flow into the\r\nWithlacoochee River.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nUntil further information is known regarding possible contamination\r\nof the river, people in the area are urged to take precautions when\r\nin contact with the Withlacoochee River. This includes those\r\nindividuals in the counties of Hamilton and Madison.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"600x438<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThat PR continues with the usual health warnings.\r\n

\r\nBut it doesn’t note that Knights Creek does not end up in the Withlacoochee River.\r\nIt flows into Mud Swamp Creek, which joins with Grand Bay Creek\r\nto form the Alapahoochee River, which joins the Alapaha River,\r\nwhich flows into the Suwannee River.\r\nNone of this is in Madison County, Florida, but the Alapahoochee\r\nalso goes through Echols County, Georgia, and does flow through\r\nHamilton County, Florida, as does the Alapaha River.\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"600x591<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nWhat does the City of Valdosta say about this overflow?\r\nThe\r\n\r\nUtilities Department<\/a> doesn’t say anything:\r\nits most recent News update about an overflow is about\r\nthe 16 February 2015 overflow<\/a> into Dukes Bay Canal.\r\n

\r\nAnd, wait a minute, Dukes Bay Canal also<\/em>\r\nends up in the Alapaha River, although\r\nValdosta’s PR never mentioned that.\r\nHere is a map that shows\r\nDukes Bay Canal flowing into Mud Creek from\r\nValdosta’s own\r\n\r\nSWMP Update Phase 1 Final Report, Section 2 Methodology<\/a>:\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"600x776<\/a>\r\n
\r\nFigure 2.3.1. USGS Gages and Stream Mouths\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nIf we tarzan over to Valdosta’s front page and look under Valdosta News,\r\nwe do find this PR of 26 February 2015, which adds more detail to the \r\nFDH PR:\r\n\r\nCity Responds to Wastewater Spills due to Heavy Rains<\/a>,\r\n

\r\n

On Feb. 25-26, 2015, a severe weather system dumped over three inches of rain on the City of Valdosta and the surrounding areas, most of which arrived overnight between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.<\/p>\r\n

Utilities Department crews responded throughout the night and early morning to several wastewater spills in the following locations: <\/p>\r\n