Tag Archives: Brooks County

Condolences to the survivors of the recent storms

As our community begins the long path of recovery, WWALS Watershed Coalition extends deepest sympathy and condolences to those who have lost family, friends, possessions, and a sense of security in the recent storms and tornadoes.

The first two tornado fatalities were in Brooks County west of Barney, with seven more in Cook County and two in Berrien County, plus four in Dougherty County. Only rubble left at Rock Hill Road 31.0092858, -83.5478993 Lowndes County got off light this time, with nobody injured, although there is extensive property damage in all these counties and others.

Cook County Probate Court (Judge Chase Daughtrey) has set up a fund to which you can donate directly. That Court has also supplied contacts for other methods of donation: a bank account, and dropoff locations for school supplies. That page announces a memorial service tonight: Continue reading →

Tornado crosses Sabal Trail unfinished pipeline last night: time to report violations 2017-01-20

It’s time to photograph and report all potential Sabal Trail violations after last night’s storm. Pipeline construction should stop until damage can be independently assessed. I-75 is shut down, and so should Sabal Trail be.

Thats not daylight The sky was lit by lightning all night as a tornado killed two people in Brooks County and more in Cook County, Georgia. In between is Sabal Trail’s pipeline path across Okapilco Creek. I-75 is closed. What did that tornado do to the unfinished pipeline? What will all this water and wind do to all the Sabal Trail pipe exposed on top of the ground? What about that frac-out and sinkhole at Sabal Trail’s Withlacoochee River drilling only a short way downstream? What about Sabal Trail’s pipe going into that now probably waterlogged ream under the Suwannee River, or the Withlacoochee River South? What about Continue reading →

Tornado crosses Sabal Trail unfinished pipeline: more corrosion? 2017-01-20

It’s time to photograph and report all potential Sabal Trail violations after last night’s storm. Pipeline construction should stop until damage can be independently assessed. I-75 is shut down, and so should Sabal Trail be.

Thats not daylight The sky was lit by lightning all night as a tornado killed two people in Brooks County and more in Cook County, Georgia. In between is Sabal Trail’s pipeline path across Okapilco Creek. I-75 is closed. What did that tornado do to the unfinished pipeline? What will all this water and wind do to all the Sabal Trail pipe exposed on top of the ground? What about that frac-out and sinkhole at Sabal Trail’s Withlacoochee River drilling only a short way downstream? What about Sabal Trail’s pipe going into that now probably waterlogged ream under the Suwannee River, or the Withlacoochee River South? What about Continue reading →

No sign of sinkhole with equipment in it 2016-12-18

There’s a rumor that Sabal Trail has some equipment stuck in a sinkhole at the Suwannee River. Multiple people have gone and videoed and seen nothing like that there, on either side of the Suwannee River. We’ve also checked the Withlacoochee River at US84: nothing like that is visible at the visible HDD site in Georgia (it could be at the Brooks County, GA site that we can’t see).

The drilling equipment formerly at the Martin Lane Withlacoochee HDD site in Lowndes County, Georgia is gone, and the drill truck photographed recently at the Suwannee south bank HDD site looks like the same Southeast Directional Drilling truck with the Arizona address on its side.

Southeast Directional Drilling, 3117 North Cessna Ave., Casa Grande, AZ 85122, 520-423-2131, www.southeastdrilling.com,

Incidentally, unlike some other Sabal Trail contractors, Continue reading →

GA-EPD found Sabal Trail right of way violation 2016-12-14

Georgia EPD found Sabal Trail out of its right of way at Okapilco Creek in Brooks County, and an enforcement action is being prepared. This was while investigating the possible wetlands and water violations reported by WWALS. So reports do sometimes work, although sometimes for violations different than the ones you thought you were reporting.

Update 21 Dec 2016: Please report potential violations.

This afternoon GA-EPD called me to provide a preliminary report on what they found when they inspected the possible violations WWALS reported December 8th 2016. The call came from Tommy W. Fowler, Program Manager, Southwest District, Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD). These are my notes on what he said, in order from the WWALS complaint filing: Continue reading →

Sabal Trail at Okapilco Creek 2016-12-06

Update 2016-12-08: Complaint filed with GA-EPD, USACE, FERC: PDF.

Movie: Red pipe, Okapilco Creek, Little Creek, Coffee Road, w. of GA 333, 30.9182490, -83.5904850 We didn’t see any silt fences where Sabal Trail has red pipe laid out across Okapilco Creek and Little Creek, north of Coffee Road, west of GA 333 in Brooks County, Georgia, between Barwick and Barney.

Red pipe, Okapilco Creek Middle Bridge, Sabal Trail,
Red pipe, Okapilco Creek Middle Bridge, Sabal Trail, 30.9174160, -83.5892520

Continue reading →

Brooks County Commission Resolution to Support WLRWT 2016-11-07

Commissioners, county agent, and Sherry Davidson of SGRC Unanimously, they passed a resolution to support the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail: the Brooks County Commission at their regular meeting of Monday November 7th 2016 (PDF). Thanks to the Commissioners, especially Chairman Myra Exum and Vice-Chairman Joe Wingate, for their warm welcome to WWALS. Thanks to Commissioners and staff, especially County Administrator Justin DeVane, for some very useful suggestions, such as numbering river landings as well as naming them, in the same way that county roads have both names and numbers to make it easier for emergency services.

The picture is of county agent Stephanie Hollifield reminding the Commissioners that Brooks County farmer Randy Dowdy set a world record for soybean yield of Continue reading →

GWC Dirty Dozen and Sabal Trail pipeline drilling mud leak on WALB 2016-11-16

People and news media turned out from Florida and Georgia at the Withlacoochee River US 84 bridge in cross-state-line solidarity about the Sabal Trail pipeline and its recent drilling mud leak. They heard the Georgia Water Coalition announce that Sabal Trail is, for the third year running, on the Dirty Dozen 2016.

Ashlyn Becton, WALB, 16 November 2016, Environmentalist raise awareness about Sabal Trail Pipeline,

Folks from North Florida and South Georgia held a protest at the Withlacoochee River Wednesday and listened to a news conference announcing the Georgia Water Coalition’s Dirty Dozen.

The report highlights the worst offenses and greatest threats to Georgia’s bodies of water.

And the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is on the GWC Dirty Dozen 2016, as Chattahoochee, Flint, Withlacoochee Rivers and Floridan Aquifer: Gas pipeline company, federal agency run roughshod over state, local residents property rights, with this What Must Be Done: Continue reading →

WWALS: “It did happen”, Sabal Trail: “inadvertent”, WUSF, Tallahassee

Do you think Sabal Trail’s excuse that it was “inadvertent” is enough? Come on down to the US 84 bridge 9:30 this morning, hear more, and have your say.

Turbidity curtains with human for scale (Chris Mericle) Nick Evans, WUSF, 14 November 2016, Drilling Mud Leak In South Georgia Raises New Sabal Trail Pipeline Concerns,

Water activists are raising the alarm over a South Georgia drilling leak in the Withlacoochee River. Sabal Trail is drilling beneath the river to build a more than 500-mile natural gas pipeline stretching from Alabama to Florida.

WWALS Watershed Coalition works to protect Continue reading →