Here’s
the letter Prof. Thieme and two other VSU professors wrote
to the Air Force about sinkholes and subsidence on the proposed
Moody Family Housing in Lowndes County,
which also turns out to be
in an aquifer recharge zone.
It’s an open board meeting anyone can attend for the business part, as well.
Here’s the agenda:
Agenda WWALS Board Meeting
7:30 pm October 9, 2013
IHOP, Adel GA
Call to Order, Welcome and Introductions
Speaker: Don Thieme, VSU geologist. Topic: Aquifers, sinkholes, and ground scans.
Agenda Review: Additions and Changes
Review and Approval of Minutes of September Board Meeting
Future Meetings and Events
Monthly outing (fourth Saturday): October 26, 2013 at Banks Lake near Lakeland.
Monthly board meeting (second Wednesday): November 13 Continue reading →
Albany TV covered yesterday’s
WWALS Watershed Conference.
First picture by Fox31, the rest by John S. Quarterman and Gretchen Quarterman.
WWALS video will follow.
Gordon Rogers says, “it’s important to advocate for good management
by our resource agencies within that framework of laws.”
Gordon says it hits home for him because the Flint River where he
works ranks second on the american rivers endangered rivers list, a
reason he says water management is such an important issue to the
region.
He says, “it belongs to all of us. it’s the single largest asset
that you’ll ever own is your river and your creek and you’re
aquifer.”
Environmental Lobbyist Neill Herring says the goal is to restore and
preserve the habitat, water quality and flow of the Flint and other
rivers.
Herring says, “these natural resources particularly the water
systems are their private property, they have a property interest in
the water.”
And outside of the Flint, officials say there are four other major
rivers to keep an eye on. those being Willacooche, Withlocooche,
Alapha, and Little River systems.
“Cause it’s a rapidly moving political landscape. Operating wisely
with this limited amount of water that you have,” says Gordon.
He says it’s important for local citizens to take ownership of the
political process of their watershed. To learn more, visit the
Watershed Coalitions website at
WWALS.net.
How we manage water affects our water’s quality and quantity.
WWALS Watershed Coalition is pleased to announce a Water
Conference where Gordon Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper will share information on hydrology of the South Georgia
region and Neill Herring, Environmental Lobbyist, will discuss upcoming legislation that can affect our watersheds and aquifer. The
conference will take place in Tifton on Saturday, August 24, 2013
from 9:00 am until noon at the NESPAL, University of Georgia, Tifton
Campus at 2360 Rainwater Road.
Here in central south Georgia our pocosin swamps and blackwater river
flood plains are important for fishing, hunting, wildlife and
ecological preservation as well as recreation and flood control.
In our watersheds we have serious problems of flooding at least
partly due to Continue reading →
The Southern Georgia Regional Commission invites you to
contact them
about agricultural
runoff. WWALS is concerned with how industrial
farming and clear cutting affects both water quality and quantity in
our watershed.
The pictured example of runoff from a cotton field was in Berrien County
yesterday.
While rain was pouring down, it ran half way across the road, and
two cars wrecked.
Once it gets across the road, either over it or through the culvert,
it runs into the Withlacoochee River.
As Pesticide Action Network reminds us,
“Conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop.”
PDF
of
Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics in the Upper Suwannee River Basin
by
Prof. George Vellidis,
Crop & Soil Sciences Dept., University of Georgia, Tifton, GA.
He used these slides when he discussed the
dynamics of dissolved oxygen concentrations in WWALS waterways at the
8 May 2013 WWALS board meeting.
Water issues strongly affect economic development, so I talked about
the new WWALS Watershed Coalition at the
16 April 2013 Board Meeting
of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority.
The VDT declined to speak, so I did.
After apologizing for no okra today,
I commended the Authority for talking about the missing agenda items
and for mentioning due diligence and flood control.
WWALS board meetings are every second Wednesday of the month,
usually at the IHOP in Adel because it’s centrally located.
WWALS is communicating with Valdosta and
various organizations about
flooding and other watershed-wide issues, which in my opinion
have to do with things like too much clearcutting without
consideration for where the water goes, too much development
without consideration for what the impervious surface would do,
(to my surprise, the Executive Director and several board
members nodded along with that)
so it was good to hear them mention flood containment.
Arsenic, Outings, and Flooding: WWALS Watershed Coalition
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton, Attorney, Tom Davis, CPA, Allan Ricketts, Project Manager,S. Meghan Duke, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, Lu Williams, Operations Manager,
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 16 April 2013.
At Risk: Water supply for communities, farms, recreation, and wildlife
Threat: Outdated water management
The Flint River provides water for over one million people, 10,000
farms, unique wildlife, and 300 miles of exceptional fishing and
paddling. Despite being in a historically wet area of the country,
in recent years many Flint River tributaries are drying up
completely and the river’s low flows have dropped dramatically.
American Rivers and Flint Riverkeeper are working in collaboration
with diverse partners to restore the flows and health of the Flint.
The State of Georgia also has a role to play and must act to protect
the Flint in droughts and at all times to safeguard the river’s
health for today and future generations.
The Threat
The Flint is a river running dry. The reasons are many, and include
Moved to
VSU, University Center, Dogwood Room!
Speaker: Don Thieme, VSU geologist. Topic: Aquifers, sinkholes, and ground scans.
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