Update 2015-07-27: Pictures and new pipeline information at this link.
After the
Alapaha River sinks into the Florida Aquifer, some of it comes back up
at the
Alapaha Rise,
which actually flows into the Suwannee River, a bit upstream from the
Alapaha Confluence.
Come with WWALS to the Alapaha Rise, then down the Suwannee River
past the Confluences of both the Alapaha and the Withlacoochee Rivers,
seeing the proposed site of the Sabal Trail Pipeline on the way.
This is a pretty easy outing, but the Suwannee is deep,
so as always bring your personal flotation
device.
If you need a boat, let us know, and we can find you one.
| When: | 8AM Saturday, August 15th, 2015 |
|---|---|
| What: | 8 mile paddle from Gibson Park to Suwannee River State Park, with a side trip upstream first to the Alapaha Rise, then downstream past the Alapaha-Suwannee confluence, the proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline crossing, and ending at the Withlacoochee confluence, taking out at Suwannee River State Park. |
| Duration: | 4 hours, after a 30 minute shuttle. |
| Directions: | Florida Highway 6 in Hamilton County, Florida, west to CR751 South to park just before the river. |
| Responsible party: | Chris Mericle |
This event is FREE! All we ask is that you are a current member of WWALS Watershed Coalition. If not, it’s easy to join online today at /donations/. You do not have to be a member to come on this outing. If you like the experience, we recommend that you join to support the efforts of WWALS.
This follows from our
June Outing to the Dead River Sink,
continuing our exploration of the
Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
You can see these access points on the
ARWT interactive Map.
This outing also follows our August 2014 Outing down the Withlacoochee River and the Suwannee River past the crossing points Sabal Trail proposed at that time. Since then, Sabal Trail has apparently moved off the Withlacoochee River In Florida, but it still proposes to cross the Suwannee River. As a Suwannee County landowner pointed out, there are many springs and sinks at that new proposed crossing, so Sabal Trail needs to move off the whole Floridan Aquifer.
In case Gibson Park is still closed or some other eventuality, here’s the backup plan:
| Backup location: | 6 miles from Suwannee campsites ramp to Anderson spring |
|---|---|
| When: | 8AM Saturday, August 15th, 2015 |
| Duration: | 3 hours, after a 30 minute shuttle. |
| Directions: | Florida Highway 6 in Hamilton County, Florida, west to CR141 south to 74th ST East, slight jog at stop sign onto 74th Way; follow to ramp. |
Meanwhile, don’t forget to come to the Third Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, Saturday May 16, 2015 at Reed Bingham State Park on the Little River between Moultrie and Adel.
And to the Sunday, June 14th Outing from Sasser Landing to Jennings Bluff.
And the Saturday July 11th Outing from Lanier Park to US 84.
-jsq
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