Monthly Archives: April 2017

Ft Macomb to Ivey Memorial Park, Suwannee River, 2017-06-10

A medium length summer paddle on the Middle Suwannee River: Fort Macomb Ramp to Ivey Memorial Park June 10, 2017, past springs, shoals, and Branford. This one will probably take about 5 hours paddling, or 6 hours including shuttle. With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.

Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.

When: 9AM Saturday 10 June 2017

Put In: Ft. Macomb Ramp, river mile 86.6
From Mayo, travel east on US 27 to CR 410; turn left on CR 410; follow to boat ramp.

GPS: 30.0097911,-83.0168023

Take Out: Ivey Memorial Park Ramp, river mile 76.0
Boat ramp is located in Branford on the south side of US 27 at the Bridge in Ivey Memorial Park.
29.9538379,-82.9303607

Event: facebook, meetup

River mile 86.6 to 76.0
This map detail and all landing directions are from Continue reading →

Crop nitrogen losses into Suwannee Basin

Here is a very interesting paper about increasing nitrogen from crops into the Suwannee River Basin and its springs (promoting algae growth), with actual data on how well best management practices (BMPs) are containing the runoff: Environmental Nitrogen Losses from Commercial Crop Production Systems in the Suwannee River Basin of Florida, by Rishi Prasad, George J. Hochmuth, PLOSOne, Published: December 1, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167558


Fig 3. Comparison of A) environmental nitrogen losses (Nenvloss) from three crops (potato, sweet corn and silage corn) during four growing seasons (2010 to2013) and B) relationship between seasonal total N rates and environmental nitrogen losses at the study farm in the Middle Suwannee River Basin, Florida. Silage corn was not studied during 2013. Mean values of Nenvloss (represented by individual bars and their standard errors for the three crops) followed by different letters indicate significant difference at α = 0.05 level

Abstract Continue reading →

Delineation of Spring Protection Areas

These figures tell the story of springsheds in a coastal lowland karst plain such as much of the Suwannee River Basin. Maybe you already know all this, but if you don’t, these pictures may help make sense of Springsheds and Water Withdrawal Permits in the Suwannee River Basin.

Fig. 11_1: Groundwater Basin

A spring is fed from a ground-water basin.

Fig. 11_1: Groundwater Basin

Fig. 12_1: Springshed Protection Area

Continue reading →

Springsheds and Water Withdrawal Permits in the Suwannee River Basin

This figure for Florida water withdrawal permits in the Suwannee River springsheds shows by far the largest blue dots for the biggest withdrawal permits in Hamilton County at the location of the PCS Phosphate mine.

Fig. 4: Principal springsheds (red lines) + consumptive use permits (dots sized by withdrawal rate), Florida portion of Suwannee River springshed.

Fig. 4: Principal springsheds (red lines) + consumptive use permits (dots sized by withdrawal rate), Florida portion of Suwannee River springshed.

Thanks to Continue reading →

PCS Phosphate Mine 2016-10-22

W across PCS Phosphate Mine, 30.4429360, -82.7851800 Is this what you want Bradford, Union, and other counties in Florida to look like? I wonder what effect this phosphate mine had on the much lowered water level of White Springs, or the Suwannee River?

The PCS Phosphate mine in Hamilton County near White Springs and Jasper spread under our Southwings plane while surveying the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline 22 October 2016. On board were Southwings pilot Roy Zimmer, photographer Dominick Gheesling, Jim Tatum of Our Santa Fe River, and John S. Quarterman of WWALS. Here are pictures by Jim Tatum, a few videos by John S. Quarterman, and a Google map showing the locations. Continue reading →