Azalea Festival: what does WWALS do?
Monthly Archives: March 2017
Azalea Festival
Sabal Trail burning, water, and pipe in Brooks and Lowndes Counties, GA 2017-03-08
Update 2017-03-10: PDF of burning and water well drilling violation complaint sent to FERC, USACE, GA-EPD, and GFC.
Bringing materials from another site to burn is illegal in Georgia, even if they had a permit, which they didn’t, it couldn’t cover open burning of treated ties like Sabal Trail is doing at the Brooks County Industrial Park south of Quitman, Georgia. Georgia Forestry Commission is already on it, and I’m alerting FERC, USACE, GA-EPD, and Brooks County today. The entire Troy yard is right next to a wetland, with three drainage ditches crossing the site.
There’s nothing going on at the Withlacoochee River HDD site in Lowndes County, but they’re shuffling pipe on a Texas Troy truck between Gary Lane Knights Ferry Road, right past a Lowndes County School bus on McGoggle Road. Continue reading
Requesting protection of Suwannee River from Valdosta wastewater –Levy BOCC 2017-03-07
Levy BOCC passed a resolution Tuesday much like the Suwannee BOCC resolution, but adding instructions to transmit it to a wide range of Florida and U.S. elected officials and agencies.
If you’re in Valdosta today, the City Council meets at 5:30 PM; you can join us in talking to them about this, or send them email.
Thanks to Jessica Berryhill, Administrative Assistant I, Board Administration, Levy Board of County Commissioners, for the PDF.
RESOLUTION 2017-008
A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LEVY COUNTY, FLORIDA REQUESTING THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.
WHEREAS, Levy County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered by the Historic Suwannee River on its western side; and
WHEREAS. the Historic Suwannee River is one of the most widely known and recognized river system in the world; and Continue reading
Groups want coal ash regulation –VDT 2017-03-07
The VDT article never said “landfill” even though landfills were one of the main topics of the bills and of the discussion, including specifically the active landfill in Lowndes County, which has already received coal ash from Tennessee and Florida. Maybe you’d like to come mention that to Valdosta City Council Thursday evening.
Daniel DeMersseman, Valdosta Daily Times, 7 March 2017, Groups want coal ash regulation,
VALDOSTA — Georgia Interfaith Power & Light recently sponsored a presentation on the dangers of improperly stored coal ash.
Members of GIPL, No Ash at All, and Suwanee Riverkeeper joined together to discuss proper coal ash storage.
Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition, 2017-03-01.“Coal ash contains Continue reading
Pictures: Azalea festival pictures 2016-03-12-13
You can join WWALS at Azalea Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from last year.
Sewage spill notification is not just a local Valdosta problem: Black Warrior Riverkeeper – Sewage Notification
Water issues at Valdosta City Council 2017-03-09
A rare agenda with nothing about water on it does have this, “6. Citizens to be Heard”, which people from anywhere can use to talk about water issues such as sewage and its effects on the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee Rivers all the way to the Gulf, coal ash from TVA and Florida, PCBs, and Superfund wastewater in the landfill in Lowndes County, which is a quarter mile upstream from the Withlacoochee River and in a recharge zone for the Floridan Aquifer.
When: 5:30 PM, Thursday, March 9, 2017
Where:
Council Chambers, City Hall, 216 E Central Avenue, Valdosta, GA 31601, 30.832961, -83.277471
Too far? Call them up or send them email.
Event: facebook
Photo: Michael Rivera
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
What: Continue reading
St. Petersburg wastewater official says he fears retaliation for opposing mayor’s sewer crisis “narrative” | Tampa Bay Times
WWALS at Azalea Festival, Valdosta, GA 2017-03-11-12
Come help WWALS celebrate spring with 25,000 of our Valdosta-area friends, at the Azalea Festival, Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 March 2017.
When:
10AM-6PM Saturday 12 March 2016
10AM-5PM Sunday 13 March 2016
Volunteer: WWALS members can help at the table!
Where:
Drexel Park
30.846771, -83.285066
Patterson Street at W. Brookwood Drive,
Valdosta, GA
(across Patterson from VSU)
The 2017 Azalea Festival will feature arts and crafts vendors from several different states, a huge food court, six stage areas of entertainment, a Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, KidZone, entertainment, Bike Ride and 5K race, and a whole lot more. Free admission.
The 16th Annual Azalea Festival (March 14 & 15, 2016) was a huge success. Thanks to all of our attendees, entertainers, sponsors, and all of our Board members and volunteers. Saturday, March 12 was a record setting day with a single day record of over 15,000 patrons visiting the Festival. Sunday was shortened due to severe thunderstorms, but the rains didn’t dampen the successes that we had on Saturday. Average two day attendance for the Festival is approximately 25,000.
The 2016 Azalea Festival featured a record number of over 170 arts & crafts vendors from several different states, a huge food court, six (another record) stage areas of entertainment, a Classic Car & Motorcycle Show, a newly expanded KidZone, the World Famous Disc-Connected K9’s Frisbee Show, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show (sponsored by The Langdale Company), the all-new Falconry Forever/Birds of Prey Exhibits and Demonstrations, entertainment by Wild Adventures Theme Park, two great bands (sponsored by Camping World of Valdosta), the VLPRA Smoothie King Century Bike Ride & 5K race, and a whole lot more. None of this would have been possible without our sponsors, volunteers, and the support of our local community.
What started off as a small, local festival 16 years ago has become a major regional festival attracting attendees from all over the Southeastern United States, as well as a major economic booster for Valdosta and Lowndes County. Our vendors, attendees, and race participants come from several different states from Florida to South Dakota.
Drexel Park is on One Mile Creek, so we can watch it for any grease-caused spills, or fish, for that matter. Maybe it won’t flood like in the rain last year that closed festival Sunday afternoon.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!