Monthly Archives: April 2017

Gas pipeline leak near Withlacoochee River in Valdosta

If a small city gas pipeline leak shuts down major roads, imagine what the much larger Sabal Trail pipeline could do.

North Valdosta Road is US 41, and the section between Country Club Road and Val Del that was shut down is there it crosses the Withlacoochee River:

Music Funeral Services
Map from Lowndes County Property Appraiser.

I can’t find this notice anywhere on the city’s website or the Valdosta Police website, so here it is from the VDT:

Valdosta Daily Times, 27 April 2017, City issues gas leak caution, Continue reading →

Paddle or Race, Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio 2017-04-27

Paddle Race logo Scott James had already been talking to WWALS Outings Chair Phil Hubbard about the BIG Little River Paddle Race Saturday morning at Reed Bingham State Park, so he knew some good questions to ask on his Talk 92.1 FM Radio show this morning. Scott also had this morning’s Valdosta Daily Times, which has a nice writeup on the paddle race on the top of page 5A.

Remember to register online or at the event Saturday morning. On-site registration is at Red Roberts Landing, from Exit 41 on I-75.

You do not have to actually race, you can just paddle. But the long-time winner has some real competition this year, with multiple people training seriously to win that $50 first place prize. You could win one of many other prizes, for young, old, male, female, or single, double, or triple kayak or canoe.

Come on down and paddle, eat the lunch grilled by Phil Hubbard, and bid in the silent auction!

And you can get tickets for the kayak raffle, either at the race or online.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Charlie Walker dried off in time on KIX 99.5 FM for the BIG Little River Paddle Race 2017-04-26

Last year paddling the Withlacoochee River Charlie Walker fell in before we got to Langdale Park, but he’s dried off now and ready for the BIG Little River Paddle Race.

Movie: Charlie Walker and BLPR (75M) As we discussed this morning on KIX 99.5 FM, come on down to Reed Bingham State Park between Adel and Moultrie Saturday morning at 8AM, and stay for the the grilled lunch and the silent auction. You do not have to train by paddline upstream; you can just paddle the excellent course three miles downstream past cypress, pines, great blue herons, turtles, and fish. Charlie Walker, 99.5 KIX Country Don’t pet the alligators and they won’t bother you.

Remember to register online or at the event Saturday morning. And you can get tickets for the kayak raffle, either at the race or online!

Here’s the video. Continue reading →

Video: BLPR and Neighbor Steve Nichols, WVGA 105.9 FM 2017-04-26

You don’t have to race, but some paddlers are training big-time, so come on down 8AM Saturday morning to Red Roberts Landing Movie: Steve Nichols and BLPR (87M) for the BIG Little River Paddle Race, the grilled lunch, and the silent auction.

The Little River is so low that if you fall in, you can just stand up.

Remember to register online or at the event Saturday morning.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

FL Sen. Nelson to EPA about Valdosta sewage and response

Here is a letter from Florida Senator Bill Nelson to the EPA about the Valdosta wastewater situation, and the EPA’s response, which was underwhelming.

A suggestion: say what it is you’d like the EPA, GA-EPD, FDEP, etc. to actually do. And what I’d suggest is get them all to fund and implement regular, frequent, closely spaced, water quality monitoring along all the rivers in the Suwannee River Basin. That way we’d know where pollution is coming from, we’d be able to calibrate what cities including Valdosta say from their own monitoring, and we’d have baselines to compare to.

Sen. Bill Nelson to EPA

Continue reading →

Protection of the Suwannee River against Valdosta Sewage –City of Fanning Springs, FL 2017-04-11

Not just for all seven downstream Florida counties anymore: the City of Fanning Springs has also passed a resolution asking the Florida governor to help stop Valdosta wastewater spills. Maybe Valdosta will pay attention this time.

The Valdosta City Council and Mayor didn’t seem to understand when I used the Suwannee County resolution to draw attention to the part about:

“which again resulted in the Florida Department of Health issuing public health advisories warning the public of wastewater contamination in the Withlacoochee River and portions of the Historic Suwannee River, which resulted in warnings being posted at all public access areas along the rivers stating that the rivers were not safe for recreational use and every precaution should be taken to avoid any contact with the river;”

Maybe I should have tried this pithier part at the end: Continue reading →

Get a kayak raffle ticket online

2017-07-12: Tickets are sold out!

As seen at Wanee! Raffle sign

When: Now until the drawing at the July 14 12, 2017 WWALS Annual Meeting

Where: Online right here or on the WWALS.net front page, or at any of our events until mid-July, such as the BIG Little River Paddle Race this Saturday April 29, 2017 at Reed Bingham State Park.

What: It’s a Continue reading →

Steve Nichols, WVGA 105.9 FM, BIG Little River Paddle Race 8:15 AM 2017-04-26

Update 2017-04-26: video of me and Neighbor Steve Nichols on the radio.

After racing or just paddling, you can eat grilled lunch afterwards, while bidding in the silent auction at the Fifth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia, and you can year about it in your car 8:15 tomorrow morning with Steve Nichols on WVGA 105.9 FM.

When: 8:15AM Wednesday, April 26th, 2017

Where: 105.9 FM WVGA, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia

What: Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman on The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols about the paddle race, Wanee, fertilizer runoff, solar power, and yes, I’ll mention the pipeline.

The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols, WVGA 105.9 FM

Event: Join the facebook events for Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper at Sparkleberry Florida Native Plant Society in Branford 2017-05-09

Water, Agriculture, Forestry, and WWALS, by WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman, and recent advocacy (BMAPs, Bill Gates, Pilgrim’s Pride, phosphate mines, Wanee, Sabal Trail, and solar power) by Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, at the Florida Native Plant Society Sparkleberry Chapter in Branford, Suwannee County, Florida, on the Suwannee River.

When: 6:30 PM 9 May 2017: 30-45 minutes plus Q & A

Where: Hatch Park, 403 SE Craven St., Branford, FL 32008

Host: Sparkleberry Chapter, Florida Native Plant Society
“Serving Suwannee, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette and Taylor Counties.”

Event: facebook

Vaccinium arboreum
Vaccineum Arboreum, tree huckleberry, sparkleberry

Hatch Park is easy walking distance from Continue reading →

Suwannee BOCC approves Duke solar plant 2017-04-18

Duke to build solar farm in Suwannee County instead of new natural gas turbines. How about more solar farms to help reduce fertilizer nitrogen runoff and solve the BMAP problem?

Parcel 25-01S-11E-1090700.0000
Parcel 25-01S-11E-1090700.0000, Suwannee County Property Appraiser.

Thomas Lynn, Suwannee Democrat, 23 April 2017, Suwannee County BOCC approves 62 acres worth of solar panels,

LIVE OAK — The county commissioners approved a special permit to allow Duke Energy to install 62 acres worth of solar panels that will provide electricity to 1,700 homes.

During a county commissioners meeting on Tuesday, the county held a Continue reading →