Category Archives: River

Hamilton County, FL unanimously asks Army Corps for on-site independent study of Sabal Trail

Thanks to the Hamilton Board of County Commissioners for standing up for its people, Hamilton BOCC deliberating and for all those affected by the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline.

Debra Johnson, SpectraBusters, 15 March 2016, Hamilton County takes exception with Sabal Trail,

Tonight, Tuesday March 15, 2016, Hamilton County unanimously voted to request that the Army Corps of Engineers perform an independent study on site concerning the ommisions and discrepancies contained in the final environmental study that FERC and Florida DEP used to issue the[ir] permit[s] for the Sabal Trail pipeline.

These ommisions in the EIS were discovered by Mr Chris Mericle when Continue reading →

Thanks to Hamilton BOCC and all are watching tonight’s action against Sabal Trail 2016-03-15

Here’s what I just sent Hamilton County Commissioners before their meeting tonight, 6PM Tuesday 15 March 2016, Room 112 Courthouse, 207 Northeast First Street, Jasper, Florida (PDF):

100 Florida p. 1: sun, wind, and water mix, jobs, efficiency Re: Thanks for your efforts against the unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous Sabal Trail pipeline

Dear Commissioners,

Thank you for your Resolution 2015-2 of March 3rd 2015 to support SB-166 and HB-169 to ban Fracking in the State of Florida. As you know, a bill in the Florida legislature that would have prohibited counties from banning fracking was defeated recently. But beware: Calhoun County, FL may see the Cholla Petroleum Company begin seismic testing any day now. And there is a shale gas basin underneath Hamilton County. http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=12546

Thank you for protecting our Withlacoochee River and the Floridan Aquifer with Continue reading →

Staten Road, Withlacoochee River, water levels, outing 2016-03-20

This Sunday, 9AM March 20th 2016, come paddle from Staten Road Bridge From high water put-in to bridge past Shadrick Sink and under the North Valdosta Road Bridge to Langdale Park! Follow this link for details. Although Langdale Park will be closed, Parks and Rec. will let us in for this event. (facebook event, meetup) Continue reading →

Urge your GA House member to oppose SR 954: strip Sabal Trail easements

Update 2016-03-17: Your calls are working! Please keep calling: details.

You can help stop Georgia eminent domain easements for Sabal Trail from passing the statehouse! (PDF handout)


Photo: TONY CASSADY, 31 May 2015, in Arkansas River pipeline blowout occurred on Sunday morning, cause still unknown, by Benjamin Hardy, Arkansas Blog, 3 June 2015

Sabal Trail (a project of Houston-based Spectra Energy) is a methane frack-gas pipeline that would run from east central Alabama to south-central Florida. Multiple route choices exist. The company has chosen one, despite massive amounts of public objection, that maximizes the public and private impact. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has granted a permit for the particular one the company wants, one which that places a large number of Georgian’s private property under threat of (federal) eminent domain, for private profit. The FERC permit process is under appeal by property owners and advocacy groups. The pipeline still does not have several major state and federal permits (water quality, air, and wetlands).

Yet the Deal Administration seeks Continue reading →

Fourth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race 2016-05-21

Community, water, trees, birds, fish, sunshine, and fun! $50 cash prize for first place, plus awards in numerous categories, or just paddle leisurely. Continue reading →

Geological determinations about Sabal Trail and Suwannee River by Dennis Price P.G.

Sinkholes, springs, and caves abound where Spectra Energy wants to gouge its yard-wide Sabal Trail pipeline Figure 1. Location Map of Sabal Trail Pipeline through the heart of the Florida Springs Heartland, wrote a Practicing Geologist WWALS member to FERC, following up on his testimony in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP.

Here is the text of the report by Dennis Price, followed by the images (PDF in FERC accession number 20151027-5034), all about the same area where WWALS board member Chris Mericle recently guided Hamilton and Suwannee County Commissioners to see for themselves. -jsq

Continue reading →

Stream Flow, SE Gulf and Atlantic Rivers

The Suwannee River flows most in May, and most of that comes almost equally from Upper Suwannee River (to Santa Fe River confluence) the Withlacoochee (with Little River and Okapilco Creek), the Alapaha, and the Suwannee from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Alapaha confluence. This is an interestingly different seasonal pattern from other rivers of similar flow, such as the Altamaha, Savannah, St Johns, Flint, and Chattachoochee.

These are screenshots from the interactive ESRI Hydro Hierarchy, http://maps.esri.com/rc/radial/, whose Help message says: Continue reading →

FDEP silently issued Sabal Trail permit and easement 2016-021-22

Despite being on FDEP’s permit announcement list, I never got anything about a Sabal Trail permit. Sabal-trail-23.3 35146.1-0001 After much digging, the other day I found that FDEP went ahead and issued the Sabal Trail permit 22 January 2016 (PDF), conveniently before FERC issued certificates 2 February 2016.

That FDEP permit was also before the appeal deadline of 15 February 2016 in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP. They did not copy the petitioner in that case, namely WWALS. They did copy Audubon Florida, which, as you may recall back in October sent FERC a letter supporting Sabal Trail (and then tried to walk back part of it). A letter that EPA chose to mention by name to the Army Corps of Engineers, while not naming Sierra Club or WWALS in opposition. Apparently if you go along with FDEP you get preferential notification.

And that, that’s nothing. FDEP issued Continue reading →

Videos: Hike to Sabal Trail route across Suwannee River with Suwannee and Hamilton County Commissioners 2016-02-18

Here are WWALS videos of Chris Mericle (WWALS board member) explaining the sinkholes in the path of the proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane crossing of the Suwannee River under Suwannee River State Park. Commissioners and staff from Suwannee and Hamilton Counties attended, along with many other interested parties. Both Commissions have regular meetings tomorrow, Tuesday March 1st, Hamilton County at 9AM, and Suwannee County at 6PM. See previous post for locations, pictures, and more names of participants in the hike. Sabal Trail declined to send anyone to this well-announced hike, although Spectra has been holding one-on-one meetings with individual county commissioners, or, rather six to one, just like they did in their “Open Houses” where they surrounded each landowner with six pipeline blueshirts.

Here are links to each of the WWALS videos, followed by a video playlist. Can you spot the Sabal Trail marker stakes, and the sinkholes? Continue reading →

Winners, student logo contest, Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, by WWALS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, February 28, 2016 — Two VSU students took First and Second Prizes Saturday for logos for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT), First prize: circle with trees, by Eboni Patterson at a Workshop at VSU, with an art exhibit and silent auction, and talks on history, archaeology, hydrogeology, and safety, organized by WWALS Watershed Coalition, the Waterkeeper® Affiliate for the Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, and upper Suwannee Rivers. “These logo winners reflect the beauty and unusual nature of our blackwater rivers,” said logo contest organizer Julie Bowland, a VSU Art Professor. She aded, “I’ve already heard talk that we may use both of these logos, one for color, and one for black and white.”

Logo Contest Winners

Logo winners with Julie Bowland (Gretchen Quarterman, Tom Potter, foreground) Eboni Patterson (center) won First Prize for the circle logo. Ann Reid (left) won Second Prize for the river trace logo. Both were congratulated by contest organizer Julie Bowland, who handed them checks from WWALS. The prizes were contributed by Continue reading →