The south end of Sabal Trail connects its Hunters Creek Pipeline, running through many wetlands and past many subdivisions and malls through Davenport and Kissimmee to connect to Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) just west of Florida’s Turnpike. This is all about six miles south and east of Disney World.
NW past Central Florida Pipeline Corp. to Reunion Compressor Station, 6781 Osceola Polk Line Rd, Davenport, FL 33896, 28.2610489, -81.5572004
Here are aerials taken Continue reading
A medium length summer paddle on the Middle Suwannee River: Fort Macomb Ramp to Ivey Memorial Park June 10, 2017, past springs, shoals, and Branford. This one will probably take about 5 hours paddling, or 6 hours including shuttle. With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.
Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
When: 9AM Saturday 10 June 2017
Put In: Ft. Macomb Ramp, river mile 86.6
From Mayo, travel east on US 27 to CR 410; turn left on CR 410; follow to boat
ramp.
Take Out:
Ivey Memorial Park Ramp, river mile 76.0
Boat ramp is located in Branford on the south side of US 27 at the
Bridge in Ivey Memorial Park.
29.9538379,-82.9303607
This map detail and all landing directions are from Continue reading
Here is a very interesting paper about increasing nitrogen from crops into the Suwannee River Basin and its springs (promoting algae growth), with actual data on how well best management practices (BMPs) are containing the runoff: Environmental Nitrogen Losses from Commercial Crop Production Systems in the Suwannee River Basin of Florida, by Rishi Prasad, George J. Hochmuth, PLOSOne, Published: December 1, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167558
Fig 3.
Comparison of A) environmental nitrogen losses (Nenvloss) from three
crops (potato, sweet corn and silage corn) during four growing
seasons (2010 to2013) and B) relationship between seasonal total N
rates and environmental nitrogen losses at the study farm in the
Middle Suwannee River Basin, Florida. Silage corn was not studied
during 2013. Mean values of Nenvloss (represented by individual bars
and their standard errors for the three crops) followed by different
letters indicate significant difference at α = 0.05 level
Abstract Continue reading
These figures tell the story of springsheds in a coastal lowland karst plain such as much of the Suwannee River Basin. Maybe you already know all this, but if you don’t, these pictures may help make sense of Springsheds and Water Withdrawal Permits in the Suwannee River Basin.
A spring is fed from a ground-water basin.
This figure for Florida water withdrawal permits in the Suwannee River springsheds shows by far the largest blue dots for the biggest withdrawal permits in Hamilton County at the location of the PCS Phosphate mine.
Thanks to Continue reading
Is this what you want Bradford, Union, and other counties in Florida to look like?
I wonder what effect this phosphate mine had on the much lowered water level of White Springs, or the Suwannee River?
The PCS Phosphate mine in Hamilton County near White Springs and Jasper spread under our Southwings plane while surveying the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline 22 October 2016. On board were Southwings pilot Roy Zimmer, photographer Dominick Gheesling, Jim Tatum of Our Santa Fe River, and John S. Quarterman of WWALS. Here are pictures by Jim Tatum, a few videos by John S. Quarterman, and a Google map showing the locations. Continue reading
Following up on Cody Suggs’ pictures of pipeline dug up at Pilgrim’s Pride, I found a flock of glow-shirts inspecting a fancy new pipeline sign. Remember, where Sabal Trail goes through Pilgrim’s Pride property is right next to at least two large sinkholes and on top of the world-famous miles-long Falmouth Cathedral Cave System that feeds the Floridan Aquifer from which we all drink. They were also across US 90 and the railroad, and then at the Suwannee River HDD site in Suwannee County, Florida. Here are many pictures, a video playlist, and a Google Map.
Here are updated maps of the two big pipelines in Suwannee County (before Sabal Trail): SONAT and FGT, feeding Duke’s Suwannee River Power Plant and Pilgrim’s Pride, from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Agency (PHMSA) Public Map Viewer that shows where the main pipelines go, county by county.
PHMSA says there are only two main pipelines in Suwannee County, one east-west across the top, and one north-south and then over into Columbia County.
Here’s an older version from January 2016 before PHMSA changed their map viewer: Continue reading
The Georgia legislature
did nothing but appoint a study committee,
but you can see why they should do more, in these
WWALS videos of the coal ash meeting in Valdosta
that was organized by Rev. Deacon Leeann Culbreath of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL).
Thanks to Rev. Floyd Rose for the venue at Academy of Excellence on Lee Street.
The Valdosta Daily Times covered this meeting, but did not mention the local landfill, which was a major topic of my presentation, as you can see in my slides. The Mayor of Valdosta disclaims any control over that landfill and the Lowndes County Commission expressed no interest. Nevermind both city and county governments have Continue reading
Heather Brasell spoke about A Day in the Woods at her Gaskins Forest Education Center in Berrien County on Earth Day, 22 April 2017.
WWALS Ambassador Dave Hetzel will be there.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!