Someone inside FDEP has been brave enough for years to say the emperor has no clothes regarding contamination in the Suwannee River Basin.
Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS, of Thomas Greenhalgh suiting up at the
Alapaha Dye Test, 2016-06-22.
Dinah Voyles Pulver, The Daytona-Beach News-Journal, 24 November 2018, State geologist challenging springs action plan raised questions before, Continue reading
Would you like to paddle the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers for a week in June 2019 with 300 of your closest friends? Our rivers topped Paddle Georgia’s poll of six destinations. Joe Cook, Mr. Paddle Georgia, called me back in July about this possibility. That’s why on July 5, 2018, I blogged A week on the Withlacoochee River in June?
Paddle Georgia discovering the Withlacoochee River has rapids.
It turns out there was a story in the Continue reading
Seven of the fourteen Florida Waterkeepers visited the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to express our serious concern and a sense of urgency to protect and restore Florida’s rivers, coast, bays, estuaries, lakes, springs, and aquifer, especially about resiliency after hurricanes, harmful algal blooms, BMAPs, and phosphate mines. I congratulated Noah Valenstein on his meteoric rise: only two and a half years ago he was just starting as head of the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), and now he’s the head of FDEP.
L-R: Andy Hayslip (Tampa Bay Waterkeeper),
Georgia Ackerman (Apalachicola Riverkeeper),
Marty Baum (Indian Riverkeeper),
Jen Lomberk (Matanzas Riverkeeper),
Drew Bartlett (Deputy Secretary for Ecosystem Restoration, FDEP),
Whitney Gray (Administrator, Florida Resilient Coastlines, FDEP),
Rick Frey (St. Marys Riverkeeper),
Lisa Rinaman (St. Johns Riverkeeper),
Noah Valenstein (Secretary, FDEP),
Shannon Blankinship (Advocacy Director, St. Johns Riverkeeper),
John S. Quarterman (hat, Suwannee Riverkeeper),
Tom Frick (back, Director, Division of Environmental Restoration, FDEP); Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Mosaic Co., market cap $11.5 billion, just lost to DeSoto County, Florida, annual budget $84.3 million. Maybe this will help Bradford County to do the right thing about phosphate mines.
Craig Pittman, Tampa Bay Times, 26 July 2018, Mosaic spent 20 years planning new phosphate mine. DeSoto County has rejected it,
Mosaic Co., the world’s largest phosphate company, has spent two decades lining up a new mine in DeSoto County as part of a broader effort to move its operations south.
Photo: Jim Tatum on Southwings flight for WWALS, 2016-10-22: W across PCS Phosphate Mine, 30.4429360, -82.7851800But DeSoto County commissioners last week slammed the door in the company’s face, voting 4-1 against rezoning 18,000 acres from agricultural to mining.
A major concern: Continue reading
Unlike FDEP’s BMAP plans, “When a new building code is final in Florida, [Rusty] Payton [CEO, Florida Home Builders Association] said, “there’s always six months between the final rule and the date the rule takes effect.” Because of his organization’s petition for more time to file a protest, none of Florida’s new Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) have gone into effect yet, which gives spring and river advocates (and FDEP) more time to try to fix them.
Dinah Voyles Pulver, Daily Commercial, 30 July 2018, Groups protest new Florida springs action plans,
A sweeping effort to adopt action plans to improve water quality in 13 springs systems across the state is on hold after a dozen groups and individuals asked to intervene with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, including one of the department’s own springs experts.
Thomas Greenhalgh, a hydrogeologist with the department’s Florida Geological Survey, is one of two people who asked for an administrative hearing on one of the 13 “basin management action plans” signed by Noah Valenstein in late June.
Thomas Greenhalgh suiting up before releasing dye into the Dead River of the Alapaha River to go into the Dead River Sink, 2016-06-22, Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS.“There are many claims and statements in the BMAP that I believe are inaccurate and unsubstantiated,” wrote Greenhalgh in seeking a state hearing on the plan for the Suwannee River, where he owns property.
He’s not alone.
In addition Continue reading
Somebody asked recently whether it is possible to paddle a week on the Withlacoochee River in Georgia in June. Sure, as long as you start not too far upstream on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT), you can paddle past shoals and little-known Georgia springs into the Florida springs heartland, and then continue a day or two on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail (SRWT). WWALS has paddled many of the most interesting stretches multiple times, often in June.
Troupville to Suwannee River Rendezvous
Here’s some history of the Withlacoochee River: fishing weirs, shoals, ghost towns, and springs.
Here is a list of access points on the Withlacoochee River with recommended water levels.
Your first put in will actually be on the Little River, slightly upstream from its confluence, at Troupville Boat Ramp.
27 April 2016, GA 122 Hahira Little River Gauge 70.9′ (140.6′ NAVD88).
Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA)
fixed the Troupville access road back in April 2016.
Photo: Julie Bowland
21 April 2018, GA 122 Hahira Little River Gauge 7.2′ (140′ NAVD88).
WWALS did a cleanup at Troupville, in which you can see our water trail signs.
See also some history of
Troupville, the previous county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia.
At Troupville Boat Ramp,
by the
signs for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)
that
Phil Hubbard planted yesterday (2018-04-20).
Three of the six second-magnitude springs in Georgia used to be in Brooks County, Georgia, before somebody apparently tried to Continue reading
WWALS Scout and VSU Art Professor Julie Bowland donated this painting of Running Spring for auction 1-5PM this afternoon at The Salty Snapper, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602, in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.
Come on down to hear new songs about our rivers, with a buffet and cash bar! Plus you could get this painting, maybe even for Continue reading
Did you know the Final Suwannee River BMAP was released last week? Apparently not many others did, either. Here’s the letter I sent FDEP about that.
June 4, 2018
Mr. Noah Valenstein, Secretary
Dept. of Environmental Protection Continue reading
Remember the Florida bill with the bad amendment, withdrawn because you called? Well, the bill itself, HB 1149, is bad enough, and near to a vote.
Please sign Margaret Tolbert’s petition against that and another bad bill, HB 1308.
Photo: John S. Quarterman for WWALS, from the Suwannee River, of Saturday crowd at Madison Blue Spring, 2017-06-24.
According to a March 1, 2018, Tampa Bay Times article:
“Cynthia Barnett, the author of three books on water and an environmental fellow in residence at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service, said the bills are based on a faulty assumption concerning how much water Florida needs for its future growth.
The bills say that Florida will need Continue reading
Update 2018-03-02: The amendment was withdrawn, thanks to all of you who called!
They’re going to vote tomorrow (Friday), so call today or very early tomorrow and ask your state rep to vote against Amendment 246447 by Rep. Ingoglia on HB 1149. That amendment would force septic tanks to be installed near springs while putting off useful actions for years during further “review” and “study”.
Contact numbers for them are here: http://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx
Or here are all the ones in the Suwannee River Basin listed on a web page.
Illustration from the
“2015 final
report written as part of the study originally authorized in
Specific Appropriation 1682 of chapter 2008-152, Laws of
Florida”.
On House Bill 1149, a general environmental regulation bill, Rep. Blaise Ingoglia (R-35) this afternoon introduced Amendment 246447 which includes for example:
(3) As part of the pilot program, the department, in coordination with the Department of Health, must:
(a) Review and build upon Continue reading