The Florida Department of Greenways and Trails now
links to WWALS
for the
Alapaha River Water Trail.
Chris Mericle, who negotiated this for WWALS, says:
This action will shine a brighter and wider light on WWALS, anyone searching the Greenways and Trails website and clicks on the ARWT will be directed to WWALS.
Follow the link to see.
We’re also looking for pictures Continue reading
Canada’s National Energy Board just ordered Spectra Energy to fix chronic
corrosion and leak problems after numerous fines, as did U.S. PHMSA before, yet
Florida’s DEP plans to trust Spectra to build the Sabal Trail pipeline
on top of our Floridan Aquifer, drilling under the Suwannee and Santa Fe
Rivers.
This in the Notice of Intent to Issue Sabal Trail Transmission of 10 July 2015 sounds good without that context: Continue reading
This letter is for today’s Monday 20 July 2015 SSRWPC meeting, at Aniston’s Restaurant, 1404 W. Baker Highway, Douglas, GA. See also the LAKE videos of last month’s SSRWPC meeting. -jsq
Dear Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Planning Council,
WWALS Watershed Coalition is the WATERKEEPER® Affiliate
representing the watersheds of the Withlacoochee and Little Rivers,
which are in the proposed paths of the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline
through Lowndes, Brooks, and Colquitt Counties Georgia.
WWALS has long opposed that pipeline from Alabama to Florida, which is funded by NextEra Energy of Florida and Duke Energy of North Carolina for construction by Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas. WWALS is an intervenor against it with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on docket CP15-17.
Thirty-day comment periods closing 12 August 2015 to comment on
the US 84 widening project, say
two Public Advisories from GA-EPD Watershed Protection Branch.
One is in
the Satilla River watershed, about
“two existing open water ponds
(outflowing into jusrisdictional[sic] wetlands associated with Lees Branch)”:
those ponds are next to the groundwater-contaminating CSX railyard in Waycross.
One is in
the Upper Suwannee River watershed, about
“three existing open water ponds
(outflowing into jusrisdictional[sic] waters associated with Greasy Creek and the CSX railroad)”.
Maybe the
Southern Environmental Law Center letter
to GDOT and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got some results,
although these advisories are from a different state agency.
The Upper Suwannee one starts at Continue reading
Update 2022-07-20: Better picture labels and access.
Update 2015-10-29: Pictures: Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Spring Withlacoochee River 2015-10-24.
Downstream on our tea-colored Withlacoochee River to the Blue Spring, it’s the October WWALS Outing!
When: 9AM Saturday October 24th 2015
Where: Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Springs State Park.
Distance: 10.2 miles, about 5 hours, after a shuttle of about 40 minutes.
Facebook: event.
This outing is Free! But we encourage you to join WWALS today to support our fun outings and important work: /donations/. See our newsletters, and the press Releases and news. And consider joining the new Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Committee.
Directions: Continue reading
It’s the annual WWALS Adopt-A-Stream cleanup, this time at GA 135
on the
Atkinson County side of the Alapaha River, plus if there’s time, the
Berrien County side.
When: 9AM Saturday September 26th 2015
Where: Continue reading
It was hot Saturday morning. The water level was perfect (2.2 feet on the Statenville gage),
a nice current to help push us to our destination 14 miles away. As the Alapaha River meanders through the wilderness of South Georgia it erodes the banks on the outside of the curves forming tall bluffs and on the inside of the curve the slow water drops sand to form beautiful white sand beaches that beckoned us to stop for a swim, so we did.
The canopy at times covered the river completely. It is very Continue reading
WWALS Ambassador
Dave Hetzel will speak about the
Alapaha River Water Trail
(now looking to place signs)
and the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail
(Committee just formed and looking for more members)
at the
Southern Georgia Regional Commission Council
meeting 11AM July 23rd in Pearson, GA 31642.
Update 2015-07-23: Civic Center, 786 Austin Ave. East, Pearson, GA
According to New Georgia Encyclopedia, Continue reading
Update 2021-03-09: The funding cost per gauge has gone up, to $22,500, of which usually the USGS contributes about $900.
How much would it cost
to fund the Okapilco Creek gage so it won’t go offline July 31st?
About
$13,600/year, more or less, mostly for field and office labor
and administration, with only 10% for the field equipment.
Since this gage is located in Brooks County, Georgia,
the most likely funding body (after USGS itself)
would be the Brooks County Commission.
Yes, it’s in WWALS watersheds; no, WWALS doesn’t plan to take on
funding streamgages. If some funding organization appeared
that wanted to pass the funds through WWALS, which is a 501(c)(3)
educational institution, that would be possible.
But this seems more like a government issue.
In USGS Groundwater Data for Georgia:
The following streamgage will be shut down on July 31, 2015 unless alternative funding can be found:
- 02318700 Okapilco Creek at Georgia Highway 333, near Quitman, Georgia
For questions regarding this threatened streamgage, please contact Tony Gotvald at (678) 924-6648 or agotvald@usgs.gov.
-jsq