May 2016 Tannin Times: WWALS member newsletter

WWALS members have already received the June Tannin Times. A month or so later, we publish the WWALS newsletters online, such as this one from May 2016.

Big Little River Paddle Race and Outings Follow this link for PDF and below are images of the May 2016 Tannin Times. Click on any small image to get a bigger image. It’s all about the BIG Little River Paddle Race, WWALS Ambassador Dave Hetzel went to A Day in the Woods, and we boated in outings at Ray’s Mill Pond and on the Alapaha River with Great Egrets and canopied by trees in full spring leaf.

In advocacy, WWALS applauded Suwannee County, FL Continue reading →

Sabal Trail library funding on Suwannee County Agenda 2016-07-05

Sabal Trail offers $60,000 to a library in Suwannee County, the only county through which every path ever proposed by Sabal Trail would pass. Suwannee County Route Map The same Florida county where another hydrogeology report says Sabal Trail’s 36-inch fracked methane pipeline drilling would risk springs, caverns, the Suwannee River, and everyone’s drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer.

If you think $60,000 or $60 million or $3 billion is not enough for that hazard to our water and property rights, you can come and say so.

When: 6PM Tuesday July 5th 2016

where: Judicial Annex
218 Parshley St. SW
Live Oak, FL 32064

Event: facebook

What: On the agenda for the Suwannee Board of County Commissioners: Continue reading →

Rivers-Alive Cleanup at Berrien Beach Launch, Alapaha River 2016-09-10

No boat needed! This Rivers-Alive Cleanup is on land, at GA 168, the launch for Berrien Beach on the Alapaha River. Bring gloves. Trash bags will be supplied. 300x221 Public access on north side of bridge, with cement strip boat ramp at higher water level but no facilities. Access road is unpaved and about 1/4 mile long. Nice sandy beach., in Berrien Beach at GA 168 on the Alapaha River, by Bret Wagenhorst, for

When: 4PM Saturday September 10th 2016

Where: Berrien Beach Launch, at GA 168, 31.159076, -83.045554

Directions: 12.9 miles east of Nashville, GA on GA 168; launch access road is on left (north) side of highway west of the river.

Duration: about 1.5 hours.

Events: facebook, meetup.

Responsible party: Bret Wagenhorst

This outing is Free! But we encourage you to join WWALS today Continue reading →

New hydrology report exposes Sabal Trail pipeline risk to Floridan Aquifer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jasper, Florida, July 1st 2016 — Another independent professional geologist reveals more omissions and discrepancies in pipeline company reports and faults in federal oversight of the Sabal Trail pipeline: Figure 7: Locations of the caves and springs mentioned in this study groundflow actually goes the other way, drilling under a river will change water flow in the Floridan Aquifer, and there is very high risk of sinkhole collapse. An indigenous Floridian commissioned this scientific report to protect his mother, the living earth. This geological report provides compelling additional reasons for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to open a new process to evaluate this and other new information.

Bobby C. Billie, one of the Clan Leaders and Spiritual Leader, Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples, asked professional geologist and hydrologist Peter Schreuder, P.G. to conduct investigations at the proposed Sabal Trail crossing under the Suwannee River from Hamilton County and under U.S. 90 in close proximity to the Falmouth Cave System in Suwannee County.

This Schreuder report concludes about the Floridan Aquifer System (FAS): Continue reading →

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 →

Ribbon Cutting, new WWTP and Force Main 2016-07-12

Finally ready for prime time and a ribbon cutting: the new, uphill, out-of-the-floodplain, long-awaited Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and Force Main, New WWTP site near Withlacoochee River which have not overflowed or otherwise caused sewage spills in the recent rains, so maybe Valdosta’s chronic problem smelt downstream all the way to the Gulf is perhaps finally fixed. Congratulations, Valdosta!

When: 8AM Tuesday July 12th 2016

Where: At the new WWTP on Wetherington Lane, north off US 84, west of I-75 exit 16

Invitations: Paper invitations were mailed last week, including to counties and health departments downstream in Florida, according to Sementha Mathews. If you didn’t get one, contact her, and she says the event is in any case open to the public.

Update 2016-05-30: Sementha Mathews says the paper invitations were mailed Tuesday (day before yesterday), so they should arrive by the end of the week. Arrived.

Contact: Sementha Mathews 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 →

CR/T Class 3 Permit Change Meeting Report 2016-06-22

A small but inquisitive group attended the CRT Class 3 Permit Change Public meeting on Wednesday June 22nd at the Public Library on Woodrow Wilson Drive in Valdosta.

The representatives of the company included Ramesh Mulani (Operations Manager for CR/T), Brian Jones from International Paper (apparently International Paper is responsible for the monitoring of the wells), Carol Northern from EarthCon Consultants, a subcontractor to International Paper and a gentleman whose name I failed to record. Ms. Northern gave a detailed overview of the reasons for the two permit change requests.

  1. The first permit change was to Continue reading →