Category Archives: Quality

One Mile Branch Cleanup, Valdosta, GA 2017-11-11

Update 2017-10-29: Meet at VSU CORE.

A first for WWALS: an urban cleanup! One Mile Branch runs right through the heart of the biggest city in the Suwannee River Basin (Valdosta) and through the biggest educational institution in the Basin (Valdosta State University). It has some trash, and you can help WWALS come get it!

When: 10AM, Saturday, November 11, 2017

Where: One Mile Branch, through the heart of Valdosta and VSU.

Meet: VSU CORE, 1300 Sustella Ave., Valdosta, GA 31698
(This is a WWALS event; we’re just meeting in CORE’s parking lot.)

Event: facebook, meetup.

Map: Brookdale Drive and VSU parking lot
Map: Brookdale Drive and VSU parking lot

Hosts: Scotti Jay and Dan Phillips

Contact: Continue reading

GA coal ash committee might consider more safeguards

Georgia Power (and Florida Power & Light and Jacksonville Electric Authority) created the coal ash; they can find ways to dispose of it safely on their own land. And if FPL is shutting down coal plants, how about shutting down its Unit 4 at Plant Scherer, which sends mercury into our Alapaha River. FPL bought into that unit decades ago with the same excuses it’s using for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline now: shutting down a different generating plant, and alleged (now admitted false) need for more electricity.

Georgia Power coal ash pond at Plant Scherer
The Georgia Power coal ash pond at Plant Scherer, seen here in this undated company photo, will be closed over the next three years. Fabian, Liz – Macon Special to The [Macon] Telegraph

Kristina Torres, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, More safeguards could be considered for coal ash ponds in Georgia, Continue reading

Valdosta has a new Utilities Director

The good news: no wastewater spills from Valdosta since January. W-Darryl-Muse And Valdosta has a new Utilities Director: Darryl Muse, formerly of Ocala, Marion County, Florida. While at Ocala, Muse handled converting septic tanks to city sewer and a wastewater plant upgrade, both to protect springs. Maybe he will be more sympathetic to people downstream in Florida than certain officials still with the City of Valdosta.

Having completed the installation of the new Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant and the the force main at the Y on Gornto, Continue reading

Pafford’s Landing, Alapaha River

Plenty of trash to pick up on the site of the WWALS Rivers Alive Cleanup and Paddle Outing, Alapaha River 2017-09-10.

Beach with purple trash

Such a nice river. Come help clean it up!

See also one reason we always give a safety lecture before boating.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

Continue reading

HPS II Phosphate Mine proposal maps

Update 2017-08-31: More maps are in Issues menu in the Phosphate Mining page.

These are from the mine permit proposal, and are thus public record.

Location map

Location map
PDF

Detail map

Continue reading

Burnt Church access to Alapaha River 2017-08-18

Historic church, steep downhill access to the Alapaha River, and lots of trash.

And trash

Why would anybody trash a nice river like that? Continue reading

Please choose wisely about phosphate mine vs. water: Suwannee Riverkeeper to Union County, FL 2017-08-21

The biggest asset any of us, all together, will ever own, is water.

Phosphate mining is complicated, but your choice is not.

Please choose wisely and make your moratorium on phosphate mining permanent.

Sent to Union BOCC this afternoon as PDF along with copy of previous letter to Bradford BOCC.

Suwannee Riverkeeper banner at Bradford County Courthouse

August 21, 2017

To: James Tallman, Chairman
Union County Board of County Commissioners
15 NE 1st Street, Lake Butler, FL 32054
(386) 496-4241
ucbocc@windstream.net

Cc:
Scott R. Koons, Executive Director
North Central Florida Regional Planning Council
2009 NW 67th Pl, Gainesville, FL 32653
(352) 955-2200
koons@ncfrpc.org

Re: Phosphate Mine zoning and land use

Continue reading

Please accept assistance to choose wisely about phosphate mine –Suwannee Riverkeeper to Bradford BOCC 2017-08-16

Sent to Bradford BOCC this morning as PDF. You can send a letter, too, or come speak at the Commission meeting in Starke Thursday afternoon.

August 17, 2017

Danny Riddick, Chairman
Bradford County, Florida, Board of County Commissioners
P O Drawer B, Starke, Fl. 32091
(904) 966-6327
bocc@bradfordcountyfl.gov
Re: HPS II Phosphate Mine proposal

Dear Chairman Riddick, Commissioners, and Staff,

White Sulfur Springs, Then and Now Thank you for your warm welcome at your meeting of July 20, 2017. The videos I took of the entire meeting are on YouTube as promised: /?p=35374

I look forward to seeing you all again this Thursday at your meeting of August 17, 2017.

In that meeting and in others, I urge you not to limit your review Continue reading

Phosphate mine protest and decision, Bradford County, FL 2017-08-17

2017-08-16: The letter today from Suwannee Riverkeeper to Bradford BOCC.

A month ago (see WWALS videos) the Commissioners scheduled a decision on hiring a consultant for this Thursday, and others have scheduled a protest before it. See you there.

When: 6:30 PM, Thursday, August 17, 2017, BOCC Meeting
5:30 PM Phosphate Mine Protest

Where: Bradford County Courthouse
945 North Temple Avenue
Starke, Florida 32091

What: County Commissioners of Bradford County, Florida

Protest: facebook event for 5:30 PM Phosphate Mine Protest, hosted by Our Santa Fe River (OSFR)


Photo: Bubba73 (Jud McCranie), Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The phosphate mine item on the agenda is: Continue reading

Trash, Withlacoochee River @ GA 122 2017-02-16

Thanks to Lowndes County Manager Joe Pritchard and Public Works Director Robin Cumbus for having these bags of trash picked up after WWALS Executive Direcgtor Gretchen Quarterman had a probationer collect them at Hagan Bridge over the Withlacoochee River on GA 122.

Bags of trash with reference dogs
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for WWALS 16 February 2017.

Lots of other bags of trash Continue reading