Tag Archives: Columbia County

Valdosta WWTP manned 24/7 with backup generators before Hurricane Irma 2017-09-09

Don’t spill, Valdosta. Don’t leak, Sabal Trail. Hurricane Irma is bad enough already.

Valdosta announced its WWTP would be “manned around the clock”, so I called down there before 8AM this Saturday morning, and somebody did answer immediately. I told him as Suwannee Riverkeeper I was concerned for people downstream who don’t want any spills during the upcoming rains, so I was glad to see it was true they were there. I asked him if they had backup generators. He said yes. Of course, that doesn’t handle every manhole cover. We shall see. Don’t spill, Valdosta! (Or Lowndes County, or Tifton, or anybody else.)

NOAA NHC Rain Prediction, Hurricane Irma, 9 Sep 2017
Currently expecting somewhere between 4 and 10 inches of rain on Valdosta. Map from National Hurricane Center, 2017-09-09 8AM.

City of Valdosta, PR, 8 September 2017, Valdosta-Lowndes County Hurricane Irma Update, Continue reading →

Water low but passable, White Springs to Swift Creek, Suwannee River 2017-05-20

Update 2017-05-17: OK, the water’s gotten too low at the original location, so we’re moving downstream to Woods Ferry Tract Launch to Suwannee Springs.

Hands Across the Sand on the Suwannee Saturday! The river is quite low (48.78 feet NAVD on the White Springs gage), but it looks doable from the put-in and take-out. A ranger at Stephen Foster State Park told me paddling from White Springs to Swift Creek would be doable, perhaps with a few dry spots. I’ll also call a local outfitter or two for their opinions.

White Springs down from ramp

White Springs down from ramp

Meanwhile, bring bug spray (gnats) and a rope (to pull your boat over sand bars), and we’re still on for 9AM Saturday 20 May 2017. See the outing announcement for more details.

Plus: that’s the day of Hands Across the Sand, “Say NO to dirty fuels and YES to clean energy”. WWALS has been saying that for years, so somewhere on the Suwannee we will stop and do Hands Across the Sand against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and for solar power.

White Springs low spot

Continue reading →

White Springs to Swift Creek, Suwannee River, 2017-05-20

Because SRWMD tells us Blue Sink Launch is closed, our May Suwannee River outing will take out slightly downstream at Swift Creek Lunch, which should be easy to recognize from the river because American Canoe Adventures has put up these nice triangular flags:

Flags by ACA
Photo: Jesse Wilkes, November 23, 2016

The put in at White Springs Wayside Park and everything else is the same; see the updated outing announcement for all the details.

We’re bringing bon-bons. See you there in May!

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

White Springs to Blue SInk Swift Creek Launch, Suwannee River, 2017-05-20

Update 2017-05-17: OK, the water’s gotten too low at the original location, so we’re moving downstream to Woods Ferry Tract Launch to Suwannee Springs.

Update 2017-05-15: The water’s low, but so far it’s a go, plus it’s Hands across the Sands on the Suwannee against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and for solar power.

Update 2017-04-06: SRWMD tells us Blue Sink Launch is closed, so we’ll be taking out nearby at Swift Creek Launch.

Join WWALS for a brief paddle 8 miles on the Suwannee River through White Springs down to Blue Sink Swift Creek Launch. This shouldn’t take more than 4 hours paddling or 5 hours including shuttle. With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.

Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. If you don’t have a boat, there are many outfitters, or let us know and many of us have spare boats.

When: 9AM Saturday 20 May 2017

Put In: Suwannee River Wayside Park Ramp, river mile 171.0
From White Springs, travel south on US 41 to the river; the ramp is on the south side in the town park.

GPS: 30.3255398,-82.7413685

Shuttle
This map drawn using landing directions from the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail map of Boat Ramps & Canoe Launches and SRWMD’s Blue Sink, Rocky Creek, Swift Creek.

Duration: 5 hours

Events: facebook, meetup.

Free: This outing is Free! And we recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Shuttle Distance: Continue reading →

Update: Fargo to Roline, Suwannee River, 2017-03-18

WWALS Outings Committee Chair Phil Hubbard wrote Tuesday on the facebook event:

Looking forward to the WWALS outing on the historic Suwannee River. Water level currently at Fargo is 93.34′ (2.34′) slightly increasing with the 0.6″ of rain in Fargo yesterday. White Springs is at 52.02′ and rising.

Weather forecast is clear skys and virtually no chance of rain. Temps with an over night low mid 40’s and forecast high of upper 70’s.

What an awesome way to welcome in the return of spring from its brief departure.

Follow the original event blog post for more details.

See you 7AM Saturday, March 18th, 2017, at the Suwannee River in Fargo, Georgia, to paddle into Florida to Roline Landing!

For more outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading →

Fargo to Roline, Suwannee River, 2017-03-18

Update 2017-03-17: Yes, there’s plenty of water and the weather forecast is fine.

A long downstream paddle on the historic Suwannee River from Georgia into Florida. Fargo Launch @ US 441, Suwannee River In the winter-spring rainy season the water should be high and fast.

Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. There is no good place to take out before the end point, so be prepared to paddle all day. With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.

When: 7AM Saturday, March 18th, 2017

Put In: Fargo Ramp

GPS: 30.68297, -82.56105

Take Out: Roline Launch

Duration: 10 hours

Event: facebook, meetup

Free: This outing is Free! And we recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Continue reading →

Lake City Sabal Trail pipe yard in cleared wetlands

Update 2016-08-10: Videos of all the speakers.

You are invited to come ask SRWMD why it hasn’t responded to WWALS’ request about the unregistered Sabal Trail Lake City apparently on fill in wetlands. Figure 12: Pipe Yard on top of former forested wetlands You can speak in person Tuesday morning, or write them a letter saying how Sabal Trail would affect you, no matter where you are elsewhere on the pipeline path, in the Floridan Aquifer, or for other reasons.

When: 9AM Tuesday August 9th 2016

Where: SRWMD District Headquarters,
9225 CR 49, Live Oak, FL 32060

Or write to: Noah Valenstein, Executive Director, SRWMD, NDV@srwmd.org.

Update 2016-08-07: You may also send a letter to all Board members of the SRWMD by writing to their senior Board assistant:
Lisa Cheshire, LMC@srwmd.org
Robin Lamm, Coordinator, rrl@srwmd.org

In the subject header to Lisa include the following info:
SRWMD Board Members:

Then cc here, too:
Noah Valenstein, NDV@srwmd.org

Sabal Trail is not on the agenda, but people can speak in Continue reading →

Confirmation of unregistered Sabal Trail Lake City Pipe Yard 2016-07-29

Caught red-handed with an unregistered pipe yard north of Lake City, Florida, Sabal Trail Lake City Pipe Yard Sabal Trail tried today to make excuses to FERC. Here’s the response WWALS filed with FERC today, 29 July 2016, as Accession Number 20160729-5198, “Evidence of unregistered Sabal Trail Lake City Pipe Yard and Request of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. for rescinsion of FERC approval of pre-construction activities under CP15-17-000.” (PDF)

-jsq

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Continue reading →

Two new reasons for a SEIS: WWALS to USACE, GA-EPD, and FERC 2016-07-08

LiDar Filed Friday as FERC accession number 20160708-5096, http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?document_id=14476452, “Two new reasons for a USACE Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and a halt to Sabal Trail permits; see also accession numbers 20160708-5089 and 20160708-5088, by WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. under CP15-17.” (PDF) Continue reading →

Unlisted Sabal Trail pipe yard n. of Lake City? WWALS to USACE 2016-07-05

Who other than Sabal Trail needs a yard full of 36-inch pipe? Pipe Yard Wetlands A pipe yard apparently built on top of jurisdictional wetlands, so WWALS has informed the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Here is PDF and below is text and images of the letter WWALS sent to the Corps today.

July 5, 2016

Continue reading →