Category Archives: Springs

Hydrogeologic Issues of Concern, HDD under Suwannee River –Peter J. Schreuder 2016-06-23

See press release, New hydrology report exposes Sabal Trail pipeline risk to Floridan Aquifer, and this report is also available in PDF.

Hydrogeologic Issues of Concern

Schreuder, Inc. Water-Resources & Environmental Consultants

Directional Horizontal Drilling (HDD) under the
Suwannee River
At Suwannee River State Park

Hydrogeologic Issues of Concern

In any review of potential environmental consequences related to the use of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), both the geotechnical and scientific communities can be expected to raise serious concerns when such drilling is done around karst areas, and in regions which over lie the Floridan Aquifer System (FAS), which includes the Upper Floridan Aquifer, and the karstic geologic subsurface features at the location proposed in Continue reading →

Push to block Sabal Trail gas pipeline looks to enlist U.S. Army Corps of Engineers –Florida Bulldog

Again tying Florida Governor Rick Scott into the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline invasion, Florida Bulldog reports about last month’s elected official hike at the Suwannee River, Pastured Life, Peurrung, Hildreth Compressor Station but could get no response from hike attendee Ted Yoho FL-03. And FL Bulldog confirmed that as of last week the Corps had not responded to Sanford Bishop GA-02.

Jake Galvin and Dan Christensen, Florida Bulldog, 28 June 2016, Push to block Sabal Trail gas pipeline looks to enlist U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Continue reading →

Pipeline Opposition Meeting in Gainesville, FL 2016-08-06

August 6th in Gainesville, you can join groups and individuals in Gainesville to defend water and property rights from the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline.

Third place: Jessica Bowman, Branford High School, 12 grade
Picture by Jessica Bowman, Branford High School, 12 grade, Third Place in Lime Run Sink Photography Contest organized by the Woman’s Club of Live Oak and WWALS Watershed Coalition.

You can register for the conference here, and soon we’ll hear the location and times of day. All of Florida and south Georgia drinks from the Floridan Aquifer, and the Suwannee, Santa Fe, and other rivers with their springs such as Lime Run (depicted here) are gems that also bring in substantial tourism revenue to Florida.

While Sabal Trail only aims at the southwest corner of Alachua County, Gainesville is near the center of the proposed pipeline path of destruction and hazard in Florida. WWALS will be there, and we welcome many new groups to the pipeline opposition which is water conservation and protection of property rights.

Below is what Johanna de Graffenreid of Gulf Restoration Network sent as background. I’ve added some pictures and some links for easy access. WWALS applauds Gulf Restoration Network for taking on the task of organizing this conference.

STOP THE SABAL TRAIL PIPELINE

Continue reading →

Where to look for dye from Alapaha Dye test

Update 2023-05-01: Alapaha Swallets Dye Trace Project 2016-10-01.

Tom Greenhalgh dying the Dead River, Harley Means, and a drone Tom Greenhalgh started putting the dye in the Dead River Swallet about 11:06 this morning, with Harley Means observing in this picture, plus a drone also taking pictures. See below for where to look for the dye coming back up in the next few days. If you see it, please take a water sample for SRWMD. Continue reading →

Madison, FL BOCC tonight: WWALS on agenda about Sabal Trail 2016-06-22

Sabal Trail would go far too close to Madison Blue Spring and water wells in Madison County, it doesn’t have all permits, and the Madison BOCC could help stop this unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous fracked methane pipeline boondoggle. I have five minutes to say all that tonight to the Madison Board of County Commissioners.

Madison County, FL Courthouse Annex
Photograph by George Lansing Taylor Jr.

Anybody else who wants to speak, please sign up in advance, according to the Madison BOCC meeting rules. And the more people who come, the more likely they’ll pay attention.

When: 6PM Wednesday June 22nd 2016

Where: Courthouse Annex, 229 S.W. Pinckney Street, Madison, Florida 32340

Excerpt from the agenda. Continue reading →

Public Comment Period for Madison Blue Springs until 2016-06-24

A public hearing already happened last week, but you can still send comments until next Friday, June 24th 2016, about Madison Blue Spring State Park. Maybe you’d like to comment on the specific improvements they plan, or maybe something about Nestle or maybe how close Sabal Trail wants to come with its fracked methane pipeline.

That’s the deadline in the Green Publishing notice, but the Public Comment Form says Thursday June 23rd, so to be safe, get your comments in by next Thursday. Continue reading →

Dye test in Dead River Sink on Alapaha River

Update 2016-06-22: Dye test into the Dead River Sink: it came back up several days later and eighteen river miles south, in the Alapaha River Rise and Holton Bluff Spring, both on the Suwannee River.

The Alapaha River disappears underground in dry seasons, and nobody has ever known where it comes back up. Soon, we will know.

Green Publishing, 16 June 2016, Dye test held for river basins,

The Florida Geological Survey will be conducing a dye test for the Suwannee River Water Management District in the Upper Suwannee/Alapaha River basins later this month. They will introduce dye into the Dead River Swallet (swallets are sinkholes that capture flow) and a swallet that is located on privately owned land. They will also have sampling devices setup at Continue reading →

4610 foot explored cave at McIntyre Spring, Withlacoochee River, Georgia

Did you know there’s an almost mile-long cave system under the Withlacoochee River between Lowndes and Brooks Counties, Georgia? Valdosta cave-diver Guy Bryant wrote a fascinating in-depth blog about McIntyre Spring, including this map he drew, and the picture below of him in this cave system that starts in the river bottom.

There’s no land access, so don’t trespass. And don’t try to go in the cave even from boats unless you really know what you’re doing. It’s been visited by some of the most famous cave divers in the world, a couple of whom are no longer with us due to accidents in other underground caverns.

But do please go read Guy Bryant’s blog post. Continue reading →

Pictures of high school student photography contest winners, Serenity at Lime Run Spring

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Live Oak, June 4rd 2016 — The photographers of these inspirational pictures were themselves photographed by a local photographer.

“It’s so important to engage young people in respecting and appreciating nature. Hopefully they will want to protect it.” said Deanna Mericle, WWALS member from Hamilton County, who organized this contest along with Eileen Box of Suwannee County and the Live Oak Woman’s Club, two weeks ago in Live Oak, Florida. Continue reading →