Category Archives: River

Resolution in Support of National Water Trail Designation of The Suwannee River in Madison County 2016-10-12

Madison BOCC passed a Resolution unanimously, with the same wording as the resolution by Suwannee BOCC.

SRWT Upper and Middle Suwannee River In the MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016:

Upon a motion by Commissioner [Wayne] Vickers, seconded by Commissioner [Justin] Hamrick, the Board voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Consent Agenda (1. Agreement between the County and the North Central Florida Planning Council for Monitoring Hazardous Waste Generators for Fiscal Year 2017; 2. Resolution 2016-10-12A; Support of National Water Trail Designation for the Suwannee River).

Resolution

Continue reading →

Ensure that Valdosta, Georgia eliminates the dumping of raw sewage into our rivers –Madison BOCC 2017-02-08

Apparently Madison County was the first in Florida to call for state help to resolve the Valdosta sewage situation, back on February 8, 2017.

Followed by Hamilton and Suwannee Counties, both on February 21, 2017, and the other three four downstream Florida counties seem to have it on their agendas. After all, people downstream have been complaining about this since at least 2013, and the 2009 old Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) overflow was one of the reasons for the founding of WWALS in 2012.

In the BOCC packet for the Wednesday March 8, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Madison County, Florida Board of County Commissioners, and see also PDF of just those two pages.

RESOLUTION 2017-02-08

A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MADISON COUNTY, FLORIDA ASKING FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER AND THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.

WHEREAS, Madison County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered by the State of Georgia to the North and the Withlacoochee River and Historic Suwannee River to the East; and

WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River starts its journey in Valdosta, Continue reading →

FL 200 to Citrus County Line, Sabal Trail @ WWALS 2017-02-07

See Sabal Trail jogs around fancy houses yet run right by a country club and a gated community in Marion County, E. upstream Withlacoochee (South) River, Marion County HDD, 28.9932140, -82.3611430 before its Citrus County Line starts at the Dunnellon Compressor Station and crosses the Withlacoochee (South) River into Citrus County where the houses are too close together to avoid.

Below are Continue reading →

Resolution in Support of National Water Trail Designation of The Suwannee River in Suwannee County 2016-12-06

They passed a Resolution and wrote a Letter.

Thanks to Eric Musgrove, Clerk, Suwannee BOCC, for the PDF.

Resolution

RESOLUTION NO. 2017-16

A Resolution in Support of National Water Trail Designation of I

The Suwannee River in Suwannee County

WHEREAS, the benefits of designation of the Suwannee River in Suwannee County as a National Water Trail include Continue reading →

Ask Florida governor to intervene about Valdosta wastewater –Suwannee BOCC 2017-02-21

The Suwannee County BOCC resolution is even more explicit than the Hamilton County one.

Thanks to Eric Musgrove, Clerk, Suwannee BOCC, for the PDF.

RESOLUTION 2017-26

A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF SUWANNEE COUNTY, FLORIDA REQUESTING THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.

REQUESTING THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA WHEREAS, Suwannee County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered for 100 miles by the Historic Suwannee River on its north, west and south sides; and

WHEREAS. the Historic Suwannee River is one of the most widely known and recognized river system in the world; and

WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River (North) begins at its headwaters in South Georgia, and flows into the Historic Suwannee River at Suwannee County’s northwestern border area; and

WHEREAS, Suwannee County and each Continue reading →

Hamilton County Florida Valdosta wastewater resolution asks Georgia and Florida governors to step in 2017-02-21

Hamilton County, Florida is not pleased with Valdosta’s sewage, and has asked the states of Georgia and Florida to step in.

Thanks to Kristy Morgan, Chief Deputy Clerk/Administrative Assistant, Hamilton County Clerk’s Office, for the PDF.

RESOLUTION 2017-01

A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDA DEMANDING PROTECTION OF THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER, THE ALAPAHOOCHEE RIVER, THE ALAPAHA RIVER AND THE SUWANNEE RIVER FROM THE ILLEGAL DISCHARGE OF RAW SEWAGE BY THE CITY OF VALDOSTA, GEORGIA

WHEREAS, WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River forms the Western boundary of Hamilton County, Florida from the Florida/Georgia state line until its juncture with the Suwannee River; and

WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River provides recreational and economic benefits to the citizens of Hamilton County and others; and

WHEREAS, citizens of Hamilton County depend on clean water from the Withlacoochee River watershed for activities of daily life as well as for agricultural, business, and recreational purposes; and

WHEREAS, the health and welfare of many Hamilton County citizens is directly harmed by any degradation of the quality of water in the Withlacoochee River and its watershed; and

WHEREAS, the City of Valdosta, Georgia over the past several years has Continue reading →

Pictures, McIntyre and Arnold Springs, Nankin to Madison Hwy, Withlacoochee River 2016-07-09

Update 2024-02-29: Now with better picture format.

We found McIntyre Spring, and Arnold Springs, too, on the WWALS Withlacoochee River Outing from Nankin Boat Ramp to Madison Highway Boat Ramp, July 9th 2016. Swimming, snorkeling, karst, shoals, an abandoned railroad trestle, more shoals, State Line Shoals, old road bridge posts, dragonflies, and Halberdleaf rosemallow (Hibiscus laevis All.), unfortunately plus Chamber bitter.

[McIntyre Spring and State Line Shoals 2016-07-09]
McIntyre Spring and State Line Shoals 2016-07-09

Update 2017-05-13: On 2016-07-09, the US 84 Quitman gage showed about 1.75 feet (85.26 NAVD), and the Pinetta gage showed about 6.57 (53.08 NAVD). That’s a foot lower than June 22, 2013, when we thought that was already as low as you’d want to paddle.

Here are a few videos, some pictures, and a google map showing where the pictures were taken.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Videos

Here is a playlist of WWALS videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qyed6eWPp4xcYNjZI-NMW-j Continue reading →

Protestors inside Sabal Trail pipe, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve, Dunnellon, FL

Update 2017-02-22: And they’re “rescued”: Ocala.com, News4JAX.com, WUFT-FM, ClickOrlando.com, ramping up a spate of anti-Sabal Trail news, putting a crimp in Sabal Trail’s own putsch of “on target to begin operating in June” which is already a month late for the May 2017 in-service date Sabal insisted on for three years.

Skirting the edge of this preserve wasn’t enough, not for local cattle grazers, not for Dunnellon High School less than half a mile from the pipeline, and not for protestors inside Sabal Trail’s pipe this morning. At 8:30 AM I received a copy of this email message, which was sent to John Peconom of FERC by Panagioti Tsolkas:

Picture inside the pipe Good morning. I just received word there are two people inside a stretch of pipeline along FL-200 near the Halpata Tustanaki preserve in Dunnellon. They are refusing to come out until the Environmental Impact Statement is Revisited to fully include environmental justice communities and school children.

Can you please inform the company to keep them safe?

There is a protest near by as well. Details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/393349654372338/?ti=cl

They have sent this statement from inside the pipeline:

Continue reading →

GA HR 281 Water Trails resolution

This bipartisan resolution sounds like a good idea to me. And apparently it also looks good to the Georgia Forestry Association (of which I am a member).

Capitol Forestry Report, GFA, 20 February 2017:

House Resolution 281
Sponsor: Rep. Spencer Frye, D-Athens
This is a resolution with no force of law the supports the use and enjoyment of river trails in the State of Georgia. GFA has engaged with the bill’s author, Rep. Spencer Frye, who is very supportive of private property rights for forest landowners in Georgia.
Status: House Natural Resources and Environment Committee.

WWALS has two water trails, the Alapaha River Water Tral, and the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, both following up on many years of harmony among boaters and landowners dating back to earlier Canoe Trails on the same rivers in the 1970s.

HR 281: A RESOLUTION recognizing and encouraging the proliferation and use of water trails in Georgia; and for other purposes. Continue reading →

Cooperative Coalition for Change in Winter Park, Florida

Tomorrow in Winter Park near Orlando, the Cooperative Coalition for Change (CCC), a new group formed by Alaina Marshall, will have its first semi-annual meeting. I’ll be talking about Semi-Annual Meeting how solar power is here right now, even FPL admits Sabal Trail is not needed, and how working together about this and much bigger problems with our waters in the Floridan Aquifer, rivers, springs, and swamps is much better than everybody trying to go it alone.

When: 6:30-9PM Monday February 20, 2017

Where: 116 S Semoran Blvd, Winter Park, Florida 32792

Event: facebook

CCC member organizations, affliate organizations, and all members of the community are welcome. This is Continue reading →