Category Archives: Springs

Winners of Lime Run Spring Photography Contest at Live Oak Womans Club 2016-05-23

The Winners of the Serenity at Lime Run Spring photo contest have been selected by the judges! Lime Sink Run from the foot bridge, looking out over the Suwannee River We will be having the award ceremony as planned on Monday May 23, 2016 at 6:00 pm. at the Woman’s Club of Live Oak, 1308 11th St. SW, Live Oak, FL 32064.

Anyone who can join us, please do come out and support the winners!

-Deanna Mericle

Preserving and Protecting Pristine Areas of Our Earth for Future Generations.

Why: In order to bring awareness to the fragile beauty of Lime Run Spring, located in Suwannee River State Park, and to help preserve this spring in accordance with the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act.

Organizers: the Woman’s Club of Live Oak and WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. are organizing a photo contest for high school students to capture the beauty and serenity at Lime Run Spring.

Who can participate? Any Continue reading →

Cave Diving Workshop, Lake City, 2016-05-21

If you can’t get to the BIG Little River Paddle Race Saturday at Reed Bingham State Park Saturday morning between Adel and Moultrie, GA, there’s a cave diving workshop in Lake City, FL. And yes, the Paddle Race is still on unless there’s actually lightning, hail, or torrential rain tomorrow morning, and so far that seems unlikely. But you can still paddle at Reed Bingham and go to the social in Lake City tonight, the afternoon part of the Workshop tomorrow, and the rebreather demonstration or spring tours Sunday.

What’s NCS-CDS? National Speleological Society, Cave Diving Section.

Social: 7PM Friday May 20th 2016 at 313 NW Commons Loop, Lake City, FL

Workshop: Continue reading →

Sinkholes and Sabal Trail: Elected Officials Hike, Suwannee River State Park 2016-05-15

Sunday morning May 15th 2016, nine and more environmental organizations showed U.S. Congress member Ted Yoho FL-03 and a representative from Sen. Bill Nelson Chris Mericle showing Ted Yoho two geology reports 30.3861389, -83.1693420 saw sinkholes much closer to Sabal Trail’s proposed drill path under the Suwannee River than the pipeline company told FERC, along with two reports by local practicing geologists explaining how fissures and caverns underground extend the problem far past the artificial distance of effects Sabal Trail claimed.

Update 2016-05-17: Thomas Lynn reported in the Suwannee Democrat and Valdosta Daily Times.

Both Rep. Yoho and Suwannee River Water Management District Executive Director Noah Valenstein said at the end of the expedition that Continue reading →

Leadership is supporting the county’s own people against the Sabal Trail invader –WWALS in Suwannee Democrat

In the paper Suwannee Democrat, May 5th, 2016.

A company from Houston, Texas wants to fill our earth, water, and air with violence. WWALS Watershed Coalition showed Suwannee County Commissioners sinkholes in the middle of the pipeline path that Sabal Trail didn’t mention to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). All of them, except Jason Bashaw, studied a report by a local geologist and showed leadership by voting to tell that “truth that exists in the middle” to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The quotation above is a reference to Continue reading →

Marion County, FL requests USACE investigation of Sabal Trail 2016-05-03

Thanks to Janet Barrow for this letter approved by the Marion County, Florida BOCC yesterday, 3 May 2016 (PDF). That makes three Florida Counties requesting investigation of Sabal Trail discrepancies by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after Hamilton County and Suwannee County.

Marion County
Board of County Commissioners

District 1 — David Moore, Commissioner
District 2 — Kathy Bryant, Chairman
District 3 — Stan McClain, Commissioner
District 4 — Carl Zalak ill, Vice Chairman
District 5 — Earl Arnett, Connnissionar

McPherson Governmental Complex
601 SE ZSth Ave.
Ocala, FL 34471
Phone: 352-438-2323
Fax: 352-438-2324

May 3, 2016

springs and karst US. Army Corps of Engineers
Jacksonville District Regulatory Division
Jacksonville Permits Section
Attn: Mr. Mark R. Evans
Post Office Box 4970
Jacksonville, Florida 32232

RE: Sabal Trail Transmission and Sabal Trail Citrus County Line projects within Marion County, Florida

Dear Mr. Evans:

Over 30 miles of pipeline are expected to be installed within Marion County, Florida for the Sabal Trail Transmission and Sabal Trail Citrus County Line projects. These pipelines will cross important, sensitive environmental lands, While Continue reading →

Thanks for a historic victory against Sabal Trail –WWALS in VDT 2016-04-10

In today’s Sunday April 10th 2016 Valdosta Daily Times:

The Georgia House on March 22nd by an unprecedented 34 ayes to 128 nays rejected easements for Sabal Trail Sunday VDT to drill our Withlacoochee and other Georgia Rivers. This was a historic victory by the Georgia Water Coalition, including Georgia Sierra Club, WWALS, Flint Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, plus SpectraBusters, and thanks to all of you who called their state reps.

That same day, Continue reading →

Florida Campsites Ramp to SRSP, Withlacoochee River Paddle 2016-06-04

A rock field, many springs, and shoals add to the beautiful landscape There is a chair on top of that concrete of one of the finest stretches of River you may ever paddle! Mostly on the Withlacoochee River, plus just after Suwanoochee Spring, we turn left up the Suwannee River to Suwannee River State Park (SRSP). Will the chair still be there, on top of the old bridge pier?

When: 7:30 AM, Saturday, June 4th 2016
facebook event, meetup.

Duration: 13.3 miles  about 7 hours

Put in: Florida Campsites Ramp
MILE 13.3, 2137 NW 47th St, Jasper, FL 32052
30.501128, -83.242411

Directions: Continue reading →

WWALS invites Army Corps of Engineers to inspect and investigate Sabal Trail

Sent 5 April 20156. PDF.

Transco-atlantic-sunrise.jpg

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Continue reading →

Blue Spring and McIntyre Spring, Withlacoochee River, Brooks County, GA, 1903-11

Update: 4610-foot explored cavern under McIntyre Spring.

Blue Spring between Quitman and Valdosta has been known since the settling of Brooks County, when it was used as a reference point in building roads starting in 1859. Here’s an early 20th century report, with a much later picture postcard (probably not the same building) and location map.

A Preliminary Report on the Underground Waters of Georgia, by S. W. McCallie, State Geologist, Continue reading →

Lime Run Spring

Lime Run Spring is a 1st magnitude spring located in Suwannee River State Park. The Spring is the end point of the Falmouth Cathedral Cave System, one of the longest known underwater cave systems in the world. The Sabal Trail pipeline is proposed to cross over the cave and under U. S. 90 and CSX railroad all at the same point. Collapse of the cave roof is a distinct possibility at this point. We cannot allow Sabal to jeopardize this natural wonder.

Chris Mericle

See also: Continue reading →