Aerials: I-75 to Withlacoochee (south) River 2017-02-07

Update again 2017-03-13:

Sabal Trail north from I-75 to the Withlacoochee (south) River.

Tommys Tire Shop, 418 FL-44, Wildwood, FL 34785,
Photo: Mark Skogman for WWALS on Southwings flight 2017-02-07

The Villages is about six miles northeast of where Sabal Trail crosses I-75 just north of FL-44.

Closeup, Withlacoochee (South) River crossing,
Photo: Jim Tatum for WWALS on Southwings flight 2017-02-07

Many more pictures below, and a Google Map showing the locations.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Pictures

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Valve Turners and fossil fuel divestment

What’s more effective than valve turning or tower toppling? Divestment.

WWALS Watershed Coalition advocates non-violent opposition to the unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. As an organization, we do not participate in property damage, either. (Individual WWALS members may of course do whatever they like, as long as they don’t say they’re doing it on behalf of WWALS.) Among many other reasons, I think there is a more effective tactic: fossil fuel divestment. I think this because of the history of the anti-nuclear movement and because of how fast fossil fuel divestment is going compared to earlier divestment movements.


Photo: Ken Ward, EcoWatch, 6 March 2017, The Climate Data That Led to a Hung Jury

This reminds me of something long ago. Steve Liptay, Vimeo, 16 October 2016, SHUT IT DOWN TODAY, Continue reading

Sabal Trail burning, water, and pipe in Brooks and Lowndes Counties, GA 2017-03-08

Update 2017-03-10: PDF of burning and water well drilling violation complaint sent to FERC, USACE, GA-EPD, and GFC.

Bringing materials from another site to burn is illegal in Georgia, even if they had a permit, which they didn’t, it couldn’t cover open burning of treated ties like Sabal Trail is doing at the Brooks County Industrial Park south of Quitman, Georgia. Georgia Forestry Commission is already on it, and I’m alerting FERC, USACE, GA-EPD, and Brooks County today. The entire Troy yard is right next to a wetland, with three drainage ditches crossing the site.

Carries tie

There’s nothing going on at the Withlacoochee River HDD site in Lowndes County, but they’re shuffling pipe on a Texas Troy truck between Gary Lane Knights Ferry Road, right past a Lowndes County School bus on McGoggle Road. Continue reading

Requesting protection of Suwannee River from Valdosta wastewater –Levy BOCC 2017-03-07

Levy BOCC passed a resolution Tuesday much like the Suwannee BOCC resolution, but adding instructions to transmit it to a wide range of Florida and U.S. elected officials and agencies.

If you’re in Valdosta today, the City Council meets at 5:30 PM; you can join us in talking to them about this, or send them email.

Thanks to Jessica Berryhill, Administrative Assistant I, Board Administration, Levy Board of County Commissioners, for the PDF.

RESOLUTION 2017-008

A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LEVY COUNTY, FLORIDA REQUESTING THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.

WHEREAS, Levy County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered by the Historic Suwannee River on its western side; and

WHEREAS. the Historic Suwannee River is one of the most widely known and recognized river system in the world; and Continue reading

Groups want coal ash regulation –VDT 2017-03-07

The VDT article never said “landfill” even though landfills were one of the main topics of the bills and of the discussion, including specifically the active landfill in Lowndes County, which has already received coal ash from Tennessee and Florida. Maybe you’d like to come mention that to Valdosta City Council Thursday evening.

Daniel DeMersseman, Valdosta Daily Times, 7 March 2017, Groups want coal ash regulation,

VALDOSTA — Georgia Interfaith Power & Light recently sponsored a presentation on the dangers of improperly stored coal ash.

Members of GIPL, No Ash at All, and Suwanee Riverkeeper joined together to discuss proper coal ash storage.

Gretchen videoing and photographing
Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition, 2017-03-01.

“Coal ash contains Continue reading

Pictures: Azalea festival pictures 2016-03-12-13

You can join WWALS at Azalea Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from last year.

Main festival way

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Water issues at Valdosta City Council 2017-03-09

A rare agenda with nothing about water on it does have this, “6. Citizens to be Heard”, which people from anywhere can use to talk about water issues such as sewage and its effects on the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee Rivers all the way to the Gulf, coal ash from TVA and Florida, PCBs, and Superfund wastewater in the landfill in Lowndes County, which is a quarter mile upstream from the Withlacoochee River and in a recharge zone for the Floridan Aquifer.

When: 5:30 PM, Thursday, March 9, 2017

Where: Council Chambers, City Hall, 216 E Central Avenue, Valdosta, GA 31601, 30.832961, -83.277471
Too far? Call them up or send them email.

Event: facebook


Photo: Michael Rivera Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

What: Continue reading

WWALS at Azalea Festival, Valdosta, GA 2017-03-11-12

Come help WWALS celebrate spring with 25,000 of our Valdosta-area friends, at the Azalea Festival, Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 March 2017.

When: 10AM-6PM Saturday 12 March 2016
10AM-5PM Sunday 13 March 2016

Volunteer: WWALS members can help at the table!

Where: Drexel Park
30.846771, -83.285066
Patterson Street at W. Brookwood Drive, Valdosta, GA
(across Patterson from VSU)

Events: facebook, meetup

WWALS booth for all ages

What: The Festival website says:

The 2017 Azalea Festival will feature arts and crafts vendors from several different states, a huge food court, six stage areas of entertainment, a Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, KidZone, entertainment, Bike Ride and 5K race, and a whole lot more. Free admission.

The 16th Annual Azalea Festival (March 14 & 15, 2016) was a huge success. Thanks to all of our attendees, entertainers, sponsors, and all of our Board members and volunteers. Saturday, March 12 was a record setting day with a single day record of over 15,000 patrons visiting the Festival. Sunday was shortened due to severe thunderstorms, but the rains didn’t dampen the successes that we had on Saturday. Average two day attendance for the Festival is approximately 25,000.

The 2016 Azalea Festival featured a record number of over 170 arts & crafts vendors from several different states, a huge food court, six (another record) stage areas of entertainment, a Classic Car & Motorcycle Show, a newly expanded KidZone, the World Famous Disc-Connected K9’s Frisbee Show, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show (sponsored by The Langdale Company), the all-new Falconry Forever/Birds of Prey Exhibits and Demonstrations, entertainment by Wild Adventures Theme Park, two great bands (sponsored by Camping World of Valdosta), the VLPRA Smoothie King Century Bike Ride & 5K race, and a whole lot more. None of this would have been possible without our sponsors, volunteers, and the support of our local community.

What started off as a small, local festival 16 years ago has become a major regional festival attracting attendees from all over the Southeastern United States, as well as a major economic booster for Valdosta and Lowndes County. Our vendors, attendees, and race participants come from several different states from Florida to South Dakota.

Drexel Park is on One Mile Creek, so we can watch it for any grease-caused spills, or fish, for that matter. Maybe it won’t flood like in the rain last year that closed festival Sunday afternoon.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Resolution in Support of National Water Trail Designation of The Suwannee River in Madison County 2016-10-12

Madison BOCC passed a Resolution unanimously, with the same wording as the resolution by Suwannee BOCC.

SRWT Upper and Middle Suwannee River In the MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016:

Upon a motion by Commissioner [Wayne] Vickers, seconded by Commissioner [Justin] Hamrick, the Board voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Consent Agenda (1. Agreement between the County and the North Central Florida Planning Council for Monitoring Hazardous Waste Generators for Fiscal Year 2017; 2. Resolution 2016-10-12A; Support of National Water Trail Designation for the Suwannee River).

Resolution

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Ensure that Valdosta, Georgia eliminates the dumping of raw sewage into our rivers –Madison BOCC 2017-02-08

Apparently Madison County was the first in Florida to call for state help to resolve the Valdosta sewage situation, back on February 8, 2017.

Followed by Hamilton and Suwannee Counties, both on February 21, 2017, and the other three four downstream Florida counties seem to have it on their agendas. After all, people downstream have been complaining about this since at least 2013, and the 2009 old Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) overflow was one of the reasons for the founding of WWALS in 2012.

In the BOCC packet for the Wednesday March 8, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Madison County, Florida Board of County Commissioners, and see also PDF of just those two pages.

RESOLUTION 2017-02-08

A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MADISON COUNTY, FLORIDA ASKING FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER AND THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.

WHEREAS, Madison County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered by the State of Georgia to the North and the Withlacoochee River and Historic Suwannee River to the East; and

WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River starts its journey in Valdosta, Continue reading