I still see EPA’s new Clean Water Rule
as a good thing, since it protects drinking water,
paddling, and fishing, while opponents remain quite vague about
what might be wrong with it.
After last year’s comment period, U.S. EPA has posted a prepublication version of its final Clean Water Rule.
Katie Shepherd, L.A. Times, 27 May 2015, Under new EPA rule, Clean Water Act protections will cover all active tributaries, Continue reading
Update 2017-09-13: The Lowndes County Commissioners surprisingly agreed to rezone “backwards” to Estate A gricultural (E-A) at their Regular Session of 14 April 2015.
A historic dairy farm wants to go back to the most agricultural zoning,
upstream on Cherry Creek from the
Cherry Creek Sink that leaks into the
Floridan Aquifer.
Vallotton Farms (both the part outlined in red
that appears to be the subject of the rezoning and the bigger part west of Bemiss Road) includes quite a bit of Cherry Creek itself.
Agriculture is probably better than other likely uses in such a location. Continue reading
A surprising number of the Board’s nine goals for 2014 have been accomplished, and some new ones have already been added. What goals should WWALS have for 2015?
Goals accomplished include
becoming an
IRS 501(c)(3)
and raising money for and purchasing
insurance.
Some we’ve been doing right along:
cleanups, including Rivers Alive.
Some are so much the core of what WWALS does that we
didn’t even list them as goals, but we’ve been doing them anyway:
monthly outings
and
indoor events.
The later-added goal of the Alapaha River Water Trail is Continue reading
Lakeland Sands LLC has bought 341.26 acres for Bill Gates
in Suwannee County, Florida, about six miles from the Suwannee River.
All seven parcels adjoin, and are located on or near the corner of 44th Street and 167th Road:
Here’s a list from the Suwannee County Property Appraiser. Interestingly, one of those parcels shows Continue reading
Last in before FERC closed 5PM Wednesday for the holidays was local geologist Don Thieme, commenting about our Withlacoochee River and the fragile karst limestone that underlies it, among other concerns. It’s likely that FERC will continue accepting comments and motions to intervene after yesterday’s deadline.
Filed with FERC 24 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141224-5109 “Comment of Donald M. Thieme in Docket(s)/Project(s) CP15-17-000 Submission Date: 12/24/2014”,
Donald M. Thieme, Valdosta, GA.
As a local resident and head of household in Lowndes County, I have
concerns about the rights of landowners to continue agriculture and other economically productive uses which may be incompatible with the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline. I have also heard many concerns voiced regarding loss of property value, particularly where new pipe may be laid on land which presently has no existing line. As a professional geologist, however, Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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