Received yesterday. -jsq
These pictures are of a dust storm that occurred earlier this year. The dust is from Bill Gates’ farms. Look closely, there is a power transmission tower in the picture. Continue reading
Tag Archives: agriculture
Proposed EPA Water rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes some new rules to
clarify Clean Water Act protection.
Some people and organizations have concerns about that,
and the EPA has now responded to those concerns.
Comment periods are still open for you to provide input directly to EPA
about the proposed rule.
Here’s the EPA’s Waters of the United States Proposed Rule. EPA says clarification of the Clean Water Act was requested by a broad range of state, tribal, and local government agencies and elected officials and NGOs, ranging from AASHTO to the National Association of State Foresters. One of the two examples EPA cites of state enforcement problems is on the Flint River in Georgia:
Recreation in Lake Blackshear, Georgia
Continue reading
Agricultural runoff
The Southern Georgia Regional Commission invites you to contact them about agricultural runoff. WWALS is concerned with how industrial farming and clear cutting affects both water quality and quantity in our watershed.
The pictured example of runoff from a cotton field was in Berrien County
yesterday.
While rain was pouring down, it ran half way across the road, and
two cars wrecked.
Once it gets across the road, either over it or through the culvert,
it runs into the Withlacoochee River.
As Pesticide Action Network reminds us,
“Conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop.”
Abbie Fentress Swanson wrote for GPB 6 July 2013, What Is Farm Runoff Doing To The Water? Scientists Wade In,
Agriculture is the nation’s leading cause of impaired water quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Continue reading
Flint River #2 on American Rivers’ Most Endangered Rivers list
American Rivers
released Wednesday its list of
America’s Most Endangered Rivers® 2013,
and our neighbor to the west, the Flint River, is on it.
Some of the Flint’s problems are the same as in our WWALS watersheds,
including
drought and floods.
The writeup doesn’t mention it, but I think
the arsenic wellwater problem
extends over there, too.
The Flint does have Atlanta at its headwaters,
and Flint Riverkeeper and others just had to fight off
a legislative attempt to frack Flint water for Atlanta.
However,
the overpumping problem was apparently already much worse
in parts of our watersheds way back in 1980.
And the Flint doesn’t have
the Lowndes County Commission, which prefers to
close its only public access to the Alapaha River
rather than
listen to 350 people wanting to keep it open for demonstrated
public uses. -jsq
| Flint River, Georgia | Take Action |
At Risk: Water supply for communities, farms, recreation, and wildlifeContinue reading
Threat: Outdated water managementThe Flint River provides water for over one million people, 10,000 farms, unique wildlife, and 300 miles of exceptional fishing and paddling. Despite being in a historically wet area of the country, in recent years many Flint River tributaries are drying up completely and the river’s low flows have dropped dramatically.
American Rivers and Flint Riverkeeper are working in collaboration with diverse partners to restore the flows and health of the Flint. The State of Georgia also has a role to play and must act to protect the Flint in droughts and at all times to safeguard the river’s health for today and future generations.
The Threat
The Flint is a river running dry. The reasons are many, and include
Nonpoint Source Pollution biggest water quality problem –EPA
EPA found phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizers, bacteria and other pollutants from urban runoff, plus mercury, in most U.S. rivers and streams. And they didn’t even mention low dissolved oxygen.
Ian Simpson wrote for Reuters, carried by NBC, EPA: More than half of U.S. rivers unsuitable for aquatic life,
Continue readingFifty-five percent of U.S. river and stream lengths were in poor condition for aquatic life, largely under threat from runoff contaminated by fertilizers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday.
High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, runoff from urban areas, shrinking ground cover and pollution from mercury and bacteria were putting the 1.2 million miles of streams and rivers surveyed under stress, the EPA said.
“This new science shows that America’s streams and rivers are under significant pressure,” Nancy Stone, acting administrator of the EPA’s Office of Water, said in a statement.
Twenty-one percent of the United States’ river and stream length was