Just north of GA 122 in Brooks County, GA
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-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
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Category Archives: Quality
Videos: NFRWSP Plan passed at joint SRWMD-SJRWMD Board Meeting 2017-01-17
Update 2026-04-13: Stagger SRWMD and SJRWMD Board meetings –Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson 2027-01-17.
The playwright could have added a bit more suspense.
After listening to almost two dozen public comments, many recommending tabling the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan (NFRWSP) or a moratorium on new water withdrawal permits,
the boards of the Suwannee River Water Management District and the
St Johns River Water Management District each voted unanimously to approve.
Here are WWALS videos of each of the speakers, with a few notes, followed by video playlist of the whole thing. Continue reading
Videos: Rivers against Sabal Trail in Live Oak —Suwannee RIVERKEEPER® 2017-01-12
Standing room only last night for
two hours of how to oppose Sabal Trail and help the sun rise on Florida and the southeast,
7 PM, Thursday, January 12, 2017
at The Woman’s Club of Live Oak,
called by Suwannee Riverkeeper.
Here are links to each of the videos, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Please share widely, and you can reuse any of these videos; just cite the source, WWALS Watershed Coalition. Continue reading
SRWMD responds about NFRWSP; come to Alachua Tuesday 2017-01-17
SRWMD did post responses to comments from WWALS and others on the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan (NFRWSP). A week before the planned NFRWSP adoption, same as for the agenda for the joint SRWMD-SJRWMD meeting next Tuesday in Alachua. After OSFR and WWALS posted critical blog posts, SRWMD Executive Director Noah Valenstein sent us and others an offer to meet this Friday in Live Oak to discuss. While many (including me), thanked him for his collegial offer, nobody took him up on it. See you in Alachua Tuesday (facebook event).
Below are Noah Valenstein’s letter and my response. Continue reading
$1.7 million sanitary sewer improvements, Lowndes County Commission 2017-01-10
Tonight at 5:30 PM the Lowndes County Commission will vote on a contract for $130,000 out of $1.734 million for sewer system improvements from a GEFA loan. This includes work at the Land Application Site (LAS), which Lowndes County uses instead of a wastewater treatment plant. The LAS is in the Withlacoochee River watershed. Here is video of discussion of this item from yesterday morning’s Work Session.
6.i. Engineering Services for Sanitary Sewer System Improvements
Video. Utilities Director said Carter & Sloope was the same firm who originally designed the Lowndes County Land Application Site. The agenda sheet says, apparently mis-spelling the name:
Continue readingNorth Florida Regional Water Supply Plan on agenda for joint SRWMD-SJRWMD meeting 2017-01-17
Update 2017-01-19: Videos: NFRWSP Plan passed at joint SRWMD-SJRWMD Board Meeting 2017-01-17.
Update 2017-01-12: SRWMD did post responses to comments on the NFRWSP: they posted them a week in advance of planned adoption. Come on down to Alachua Tuesday!
Next week in Alachua without further public meetings or response to those who wrote in, SRWMD and SJRWMD plan to approve the North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan (NFRWSP), as the only item on the agenda.
When: 11AM Tuesday 17 January 2017
Where: 15100 NW 142nd Terrace, Alachua, FL 32615
Event: facebook
WWALS never got a response to our letter about the NFRWSP, not about less water withdrawal, nor about better modeling and data, nor about more water retention, nor specifically about ditching the Rube Goldberg Falling Creek Aquifer Recharge Project for Dennis Price P.G.’s more cost-effective solution, nor with any mention of participation from farther afield in Florida nor in Georgia, for that matter.
The language of the memorandum accompanying the agenda is rather Orwellian:
The NFRWSP has identified sufficient sources of water to meet the needs of the environment and the projected demands through 2035.
That sounds like the environment is making projected demands. Actually, the maps in the NFRWSP are pretty clear that Jacksonville is making the most demands for water, along with other cities and corporate agriculture, and the plan would take from the environment, mostly from the Suwannee River Basin, to get that water.
Our Santa Fe River sums it up pretty well: Continue reading
Rivers against Sabal Trail in Live Oak 7PM Jan 12 2017 —Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
Update 2017-10-13: WWALS Videos of all the speakers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Live Oak, Florida, January 4, 2017
—Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas is drilling its 36-inch fracked
methane pipeline under the Suwannee and Withlacoochee (south) Rivers
in Florida right now. It already caused a frac-out of drilling mud
into the Withlacoochee River in Georgia and a sinkhole, plus more
sinkholes where it drilled under the Santa Fe River in Florida. How
did this happen? What can we do to stop this unnecessary,
destructive, and hazardous corporate boondoggle?
Suwannee Riverkeeper calls water protectors to rally in Live Oak
against the Sabal Trail pipeline and for our property rights,
rivers, and the Floridan Aquifer.
When: 7 PM, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: The Woman’s Club of Live Oak, 1308 11th Street SW, Live Oak, FL 32064
Agenda: Continue reading
WWALS receives grant for water conservation outreach to farmers and community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WWALS receives grant for water conservation outreach to farmers and community (PDF)
Hahira, Georgia; December 27, 2016 — Local water conservation
group WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) has received a grant of
$6,000 from the Georgia Water Coalition (GWC) to help groups in
towns, counties, and countryside to draw the big picture of
watershed conservation, as well as to help organize at least one
grant from a different source to assist at least one farmer in
erosion control.
The award contract of November 11, 2016, says Continue reading
Stop Sabal Trail fracked gas pipeline; invest in solar –John S. Quarterman in Citrus County Chronicle 2016-12-25
Here’s a Christmas present for pipeline opponents and solar power proponents.
John S. Quarterman, Citrus County Chronicle, other voices, 25 December 2016,
Stop gas pipeline; invest in solar,
Sabal Trail and FDEP assured us there would be no problems drilling a 36-inch natural gas pipeline through the fragile karst limestone under the Suwannee River and the Withlacoochee (south) River in Florida, yet already Sabal Trail’s pilot hole under the Withlacoochee (north) River in Georgia caused a frac-out of drilling mud into the river and a sinkhole. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should halt construction and do a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
When I happened to fly over the Withlacoochee (north) River frac-out, I also saw Continue reading
Why #NoSabalTrail #NoDAPL #WaterIsLife
Update 17 Dec 2016: What would you add? Comment here or send email to wwalswatershed@gmail.com. There will be a longer second version of this post.
Many new people and organizations are joining the opposition to the Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail fracked methane pipeline.
Many of them ask me: why are we opposing this pipeline?
It’s simple: our water, land, and air are more important than
profit for a few utility executives and a few fossil fuel companies from Houston, Texas and Alberta, Canada.
Solar power is now cheaper, faster to install, and far less destructive than any other power source, so the Sunshine State should turn directly to the sun.
Three years ago FPL said Sabal Trail was needed for new Florida electricity. FPL’s 2016 Ten Year Plan says Florida needs no new electricity until 2024 at the earliest. So why should we accept any destruction or risk for an unnecessary pipeline?
We were assured by Sabal Trail and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s one witness testified under oath in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP: Continue reading