Tag Archives: wastewater

Videos: New Valdosta Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, and $2 million budget surplus while record raw sewage was spilling @ VCC 2020-01-09

A month ago at the Valdosta City Council we learned that Valdosta has a $2,410,000 budget surplus.

Valdosta municipal audit and budget surplus
5b) Presentation of the Municipal Audit for Fiscal Year 2019

Maybe they could spend some of that to help fix the well and river testing costs downstream on the Withlacoochee River of Valdosta’s record 7.5 million gallons of raw sewage spill into Sugar Creek, which has taken two months to maybe finally get diluted down the Withlacoochee River, twice entering Florida, with three Florida river advisories, and with Georgia warning signs on the Withlacoochee River downstream of Sugar Creek by Lowndes County and by WWALS (but not by Valdosta).

One City Council member tells me that audit doesn’t mean Valdosta has $2 million cash lying around. But they do have several hundred thousand unspent.

Maybe they could also budget some of that surplus to help fix the stigma, the decades-long reputational damage to all our rivers, caused by Valdosta’s chronic sewage spills. That would involve for example water quality testing or paying for testing downstream on the Withlacoochee River and doing marketing.

Four Citizens spoke at the end of the meeting: Continue reading →

Annual Retreat, Valdosta Mayor and Council @ VCCSummit 2019-03-15

Not on Valdosta’s online calendar yet, but we got this email notice from City Council Tim Carroll, indicating Valdosta wastewater is first on his list to discuss. His number 4 about Internet speed and access is also of interest throughout the county and beyond. As are his other items.

All,

I hope each and everyone of you are having a great start to 2019. As we kick the year off, it is time to begin preparing for the cities annual Mayor and Council retreat.

It will be held March 15 & 16 at the Women’s Building.

When: All day, Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, 2019

Where: The Woman’s Building,
1409 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31602

What: Annual Retreat, Valdosta Mayor and City Council


The Woman’s Bulding

My current list includes: Continue reading →

Videos: Opioid Attorney, Soccer, Airport Authority, Probation, Ankle Monitoring, Wetlands, Hay, GEFA, Pump @ LCC 2018-05-08

Two weeks ago, they spent the most time (5.5 minutes) on the two sections of 5. Proclamation Presentations for National Drug Court Month.

They spent 2.5 minutes on bids and almost 2 minutes (almost 5.5 total) on the wetland credits for the North Lowndes Park Soccer Complex.

Third most time was 4.5 minutes on recognizing retiring volunteer firefighter Scott Caldwell(?). The speaker was Chief Ashley Tye, so I guess he’s now the regular county Fire Chief.

They tabled the Airport Authority appointment waiting for more information. Maybe they noticed George Page had also asked the City of Valdosta to appoint him.

The alleged County Attorney, with his microphone three feet from his face and pointing 90 degrees away, muttered something about the mysterious Wisconsin bond issue.

The Probation agreement and Electronic Monitoring Contract got more than three minutes total. They spent a bit more than a minute voting on a law form for the opioid litigation.

The Hay Lease Agreement Amendment is a water item, because it’s about the county’s spray field, also known as its Land Application Site (LAS). And the Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump that feeds it. Final water item: dates of completion for the GEFA Loan Agreement; they did provide a clue what that loan was for.

Here are links to Continue reading →

Videos: Opioids, Soccer, Airport Authority, Probation, Ankle Monitoring, Wetlands, Hay, GEFA, Pump @ LCC 2018-05-07

Opioid litigation will be added to the agenda for this evening, although not for voting, as 8.i, Selection of Legal Firm for Opioid Litigation: Select legal firm,

The Studstill Law Firm and the Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley Law Firm have both submitted proposals to represent Lowndes County in the opioid litigation.

That was the longest agenda item at the Monday morning Work Session. The Probation Resolution and Services Agreement, which had been tabled two weeks before, got almost two minutes, including questions about cost. Add the minute and a half for the Electronic Monitoring Contract and those two items with the same presenter got the longest total.

The two North Lowndes Park Soccer Complex items, Wetland Credits and Bids, that will massively change Hahira, did not get a total of two minutes. The Hay Lease Agreement Amendment is another water item, because it’s about the county’s spray field, also known as its Land Application Site (LAS). And the Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump that feeds it. Final water item: dates of completion for the GEFA Loan Agreement, whatever it’s for.

The mysterious Wisconsin Public Finance Authority Bond Issue is to finance a project on Old Statenville Road in the Valdosta City Limits.

They’re going to reappoint Steve Everett to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority; he did not speak. And George Page would also like to be considered.

Here are links to Continue reading →

Solar-powered wastewater treatment plants in the southeast

Georgia Power is still digging in its heels about solar power even for cities. Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers and Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning: it’s time for you to lead the southeast into the sun, not, like King Canute, to try to hold back the sea-change to solar power.

A closer view of the solar panel array at Mud Creek Wastewater Teratment Plant
A closer view of the solar panel array at Mud Creek Wastewater Teratment Plant.
Photo: submitted to VDT, apparently by City of Valdosta.

Terry Dickson, Florida Times Union, 4 July 2017, Southeast Georgia cities turning to solar power to save money on wastewater treatment, Continue reading →

Videos: Coal ash, Calles, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-14

Not on the agenda: Coal Ash and Y-Lead from Hahira Middle School and Teen Explosion. Also Stone Creek train quiet hours.

In a fifteen minute item, the Commission approved a split rezoning for REZ-2017-02 Calles, and they approved the removal of conditions from REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle. They approved the CDBG Grant preparation, but they didn’t mention they can’t actually apply until the resolve their feud with the local cities about tax allocation.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 14 March 2017 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: Calles again, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-13

Maybe more will show up at 5:30PM today for the Regular Session than the Chairman and only two Commissioners at yesterday’s Work Session (Joyce Evans and Mark Wisenbaker).

Chairman Bill Slaughter revealed why he had been missing from the meetings two weeks before: he had been attending an America’s Defense Community event in in San Antonio, Texas about Moody AFB. Follow the link for more about this. He complimented Vice-Chair Joyce Evans for running the meeting better than usual in his absence. She did beat his former record of five minutes by holding a three-minute Work Session.

The returning REZ-2017-02 Calles rezoning now wants to split half conservation and half R-A. Apparently the other rezoning, REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle, PD Amendment and Conditions Removal, Water & Sewer, ~9 acres had been heard before and was now being reconsidered because a road had been paved. Remember that when they try to claim roads don’t drive development.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 13 March 2017 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also the agenda, and the LAKE videos of the 27 February 2017 Greater Planning Commission meeting. Continue reading →

Valdosta to add solar power to both wastewater treatment plants 2016-10-06

Valdosta just leapfrogged the rest of the state in solar power for wastewater treatment plants. Council Tim Carroll expanded beyond the laconic summary of Thursday’s Valdosta City Council action, which itself expanded on a July action. Turns out Valdosta is one of several cities across Georgia with solar power for their wastewater treatment facilities, and maybe not the largest nor the earliest, but apparently the earliest large one. The main point is clear from all of them: solar power for wastewater plants pays for itself in only a few years and can save millions of dollars over decades.

Summary of Actions, Regular Meeting, Valdosta City Council, Thursday October 6th 2016, Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant packet materials @ GLPC 2015-11-30

The mysterious missing materials from Monday’s Planning Commission meeting are on the LAKE website now, thanks to Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport, by electronic mail today, 3 December 2015.

He explained that this requested zoning, REZ-2015-20, was a followon to rezoning REZ-2010-15 from 2010 for the new Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant, plus since then Valdosta had bought another adjoining parcel. The materials explain the current concerns about buffers, setbacks, roads, other uses, noise, lights, etc.; see the text pages. The County Planner said the packet for next week’s County Commission meetings will also include an agenda item cover sheet.

For all the other packet items from Monday’s GLPC meeting, see the previous post. See also the related variance VAR-2015-16 that was before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) Tuesday.

Here’s the beginning of the overview from the GLPC materials:

The main reason for this request is the current conditional requirement of a bermed buffer along the norther boundary of the subject property. Right now if the previously approved conditions (Attached toward the end of the packet), approved site plan (Attached . . ,), and ULDC are combined it looks like what is currently required to be constructed is Continue reading →

Videos: votes on decisions already made, and paving Black Road, Naylor? @ LCC Regular 2015-09-08

They meet again today. Here are videos of when they voted last, after apparently already deciding before the meeting how they would vote, plus one citizen spoke for several in the audience who want their road paved (Black Road near Naylor), even though the Chairman said “we kind of minimize that dialog”. County Manager Joe Pritchard again reminded of the Annual 9/11 Memorial Service to be held 10AM Friday at Historic Courthouse,

Indeed they did not vote on the Roundabout Support. There was a bit of discussion on the water main to Lowndes Middle School to fend off suspected Valdosta annexation. Everything else they breezed through as fast as they could move, second, and unanimously vote, including the church rezoning and the two lift station pumps, on Bevel Creek and Coleman Road.

See also Continue reading →