Monthly Archives: September 2017

Florida Public Notice of Pollution

While Alabama is thinking about it (actually, Alabama already does it) and Georgia requires an open records request with slow response (since 2018-12-21 Georgia now posts spills),

Florida has already required and is publishing timely notices of spills, and more recently a map of the most recent 30 days of spills!

Among them, surprisingly few in the Suwannee River Basin from Hurricane Irma: three in Baker and Bradford Counties from The Chemours Company, and two from Camp Blanding.

Follow this link for the interactive google map.

Daniel H. Thompson, Lexology, 4 May 2017, Florida Legislature Passes “Public Notice of Pollution Act” Continue reading →

Alabama stricter sewage spill regulations and notification

Here’s an idea for Georgia and Florida!

Dennis Pillion, AL.com, 27 September 2017, Alabama cracks down on E. coli bacteria in rivers with revised standards,

A sanitary sewer overflows into Opossom Creek in Hueytown, Ala.(Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper)

Existing five-year permits are valid until they expire, but all new or renewed permits issued by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management going forward will include the new standards.

E. coli bacteria are commonly found in Continue reading →

WWALS @ Suwannee Roots Revival 2017-10-12-15

Back for a second year at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, WWALS at Suwannee River Roots Revival, this time with the Suwannee Riverkeeper banner, Way Down Upon the Suwannee River at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SoSMP). We can always use help at the booth, so contact us if you want to help talk to people about paddle outings, water trails, sewage spills, fertilizer runoff, coal ash, phosphate mines, pipelines, holding polluters accountable, and fishable, swimmable drinkable waters throughout the Suwannee River Basin.

When: Thursday through Sunday, October 12-15, 2017

Where: Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak, Florida

Event: facebook, meetup.

Questions and the Suwannee Riverkeeper banner at Suwannee Spring Revival 2017-03-23.

Last year was the first time WWALS had a booth at a SoSMP event, and was the first year for the Roots Revival. It’s true most of the attendees saw it as Continue reading →

Suwannee Spring Reunion 2017-03-23-26

Four days of music and good conversation, not to mention beer, Suwannee Riverkeeper went to Suwannee Spring Reunion, Way Down Upon the Suwannee River at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

Gretchen listening, Thursday

Continue reading →

WWALS @ Hahira Honeybee Festival 2017-10-06-7

At the WWALS booth at the 36th Annual Hahira Honeybee Festival, we will be talking about water trails, paddle outings, holding poluters accountable, and making sure that water in our area is swimmable, fishable, drinkable. Come help us spread the water word.

When: 9AM-6PM, Friday and Saturday, 6,7 October 2017

Where: West Main Street, Hahira, Georgia

Event: facebook, meetup

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Pictures: WWALS @ South Georgia Pride 2017-09-16

Fun was had by all at the WWALS booth at South Georgia Pride, in Saunders Park, Valdosta, Georgia, September 16, 2017. Plus we saw the remains of an artesian spring. Here are pictures plus a google map.

Continue reading →

Quitman, GA, WPCP spill 2017-09-11

Quitman, Georgia also spilled sewage during Tropical Storm Irma, next to Okapilco Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River, then the Suwannee River.

According to John Thursby with Quitman Utilities, the lift station at Quitman’s main wastewater treatment plant lost power, and Continue reading →

Lowndes County Force Main Spill 2017-09-23

Lowndes County (not Valdosta) spilled sewage Saturday that may have reached the Withlacoochee River. The county also had “several” lift station spills during Tropical Storm Irma.

Google map, Val Tech Road.

After tonight’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, I asked Utilities Director Steve Stalvey whether the county had spilled any sewage this month. He said yes, Saturday (September 23, 2017), about 25,000 gallons from the force main on Val Tech Road. He said it was due to Continue reading →

GA DNR responds about Sabal Trail at Okapilco Creek 2017-09-21

Not the answer I was looking for, but GA-EPD is still by far the most responsive agency regarding Sabal Trail.

Lisa Myler of GA-DNR called back Friday about 7PM saying Tom Fowler had been to the Okapilco Creek Sabal Trail sinkhole site I reported.

I called her back Monday, and after DNR’s web server came back up she forwarded Tom Fowler’s report today: Continue reading →

Public meeting, Live Oak, Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) 2017-10-03

When: 1:30PM to 4:30PM, Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Where: SRWMD Office, 9225 County Road 49, Live Oak, Florida

Event: Suwannee River SWIM Plan public meeting

Received this morning:

Suwannee River and Coastal Rivers SWIM Plan interested parties:

In 2016, the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) received funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to develop consolidated updates to the Continue reading →

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.