Come hear how the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota are protecting their water from the same fossil industry and the same companies that want to drill the Sabal Trail pipeline under our Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers in south Georgia and north Florida.
When: 7PM Wednesday September 28th 2016
What: The Pipeline Controversy
Where: Cypress Room
University Center
Valdosta State University Continue reading
Update 2019-03-19: The google map now includes Florida Southeast Connection (FSC) and FPL’s Martin County to Riviera Beach (MR-RV) pipeline to the sea, which FPL in 2018 got FPSC and FERC to roll into FSC. See also Stop FERC Shirking LNG Oversight.
Update 2016-12-13: The google map now includes the Sabal Trail path digitized for all of Georgia and to the end of the line in Florida south of Orlando.
Update 2016-11-29: In the google map, extended the Sabal Trail alignment maps localized by LAKE for Mitchell, Colquitt, Brooks, and Lowndes Counties, Georgia, and Hamilton, Suwannee, and Gilchrist Counties, Florida to just north of Bell, FL, plus on the crowdsourcing map, WWALS aerials of Gilchrist County.
Update 2016-11-03: Added to the google map digitized path and maps for Gilchrist, Alachua, and part of Levy Counties, FL.
Update 2016-10-31: Added to the google map: Aerials: Suwannee, Ocholockonee, Withlacoochee, Santa Fe Rivers, Okapilco Creek, Sabal Trail Moultrie CY3-6 @ WWALS Southwings 2016-10-22.
Update 2016-10-30: The google map now has all Sabal Trail’s alignment maps from 7 April 2016 linked in for (part of Gilchrist 2016-11-29), Suwannee and Hamilton Counties, FL and Lowndes, Brooks, Colquitt, and Mitchell Counties, GA. Aerial pictures from the WWALS Southwings flight of October 22nd 2016 are also linked in, starting with US 84 HDD Withlacoochee River and US 129 HDD Santa Fe River.
Update 2016-09-14: All 527 alignment maps Sabal Trail filed with FERC in April 2016, in small, big, huge, and PDF formats, courtesy of Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
Update 2016-09-23: Added Depressions within 1 mile of Sabal Trail in Hamilton, Madison, and Suwannee Counties, Florida. The pipeline path doesn’t go through Madison County, but it comes closer than a mile, and not even two miles from Madison Blue Spring.
These maps show the path Sabal Trail is gouging its fracked methane pipeline through south Georgia and north Florida, with comparisons to some geological features, including Okapilco Creek, Withlacoochee River, Suwannee River, Suwannacoochee Spring, Falmouth Spring, the Cathedral Cave System, and numerous karstic features, some of them sinkholes.
This digitizaiton is thanks to Continue reading
Noon to 3PM today, WWALS will be on the VSU front lawn with
Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.),
celebrating Earth Day, recommending along with Waterkeeper Alliance: Keep it in the Ground, especially fracking for pipelines including Sabal Trail, and congratulating Lowndes County on progress on the new Naylor Boatramp and Valdosta on finally almost just about pretty soon finishing its fixes to stop spilling sewage into our rivers.
Tomorrow at 8AM, come paddle with WWALS from Hotchkiss Road in Lanier County to Mayday in Echols County, past the new park and boat ramp Lowndes County is building just north of US 84. Next month at Reed Bingham State Park between Adel and Moultrie, GA, it’s the BIG Little River Paddle Race, registration 8-9AM Saturday May 21, 2016. And in June come paddle on the Withlacoochee River from Florida Campsites Ramp to Suwannee River State Park, Saturday June 4, 2016. Before then we hope to invite everybody downstream from Valdosta’s sewage spills to attend the end-of-May signing ceremony for the new Valdosta force main and uphill Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant!
If you fall in on one of these outings, you could win Continue reading
So Lowndes County should have no problem asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to come investigate what Sabal Trail didn’t tell FERC.
And if the county is concerned about legal expenses, maybe it should pay attention
to the lawsuits happening right now in California about a natural gas leak
that went up into the air, closing schools, evacuating hundreds, and making many of them sick.
The VDT article today doesn’t mention writing a letter to the Corps was one of my requests to the county. It does quote the Chairman expresssing interest in details of eminent domain, in differences in regulation of oil and gas pipelines, and in environmental and safety issues of natural gas pipelines. Treating his statements as questions, I have provided some further information below on those points.
And he does say the county might have incurred legal expenses if it hadn’t accepted Sabal Trail’s money for the easement. He doesn’t mention how much money Lowndes County spent suing a local company on behalf of a trash collection company financed out of New York City, or how much money the county spent suing a local church about a minor tax matter. It seems when Lowndes County wants to do something, it doesn’t worry so much about legal expenses. And maybe the county should worry more about legal expenses if something does go wrong with that pipeline, especially considering what’s happening with the Porter Ranch leak in California.
Besides, writing a letter Continue reading
In today’s Sunday April 10th 2016 Valdosta Daily Times:
The Georgia House on March 22nd by an unprecedented 34 ayes to 128 nays rejected easements for Sabal Trail
to drill our Withlacoochee and other Georgia Rivers. This was a historic victory by the Georgia Water Coalition, including Georgia Sierra Club, WWALS, Flint Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, plus SpectraBusters, and thanks to all of you who called their state reps.
That same day, Continue reading
Following up on
the invitation I gave them in person last week,
I sent this to the Lowndes County Commissioners just now,
addressed to
all five voting Commissioners, the Chairman, and the County Clerk:
Subject: Workshop at VSU, Outings, Movie, and Hike to the Suwannee River
Dear Commissioners,
Thanks again for the continued work on the Alapaha Boat Ramp, which will contribute to the quality of life recommended in the Comprehensive Plan.
As I mentioned at your Regular Session last week, you are invited to several WWALS events coming up soon, especially this one, which requires no boats: Continue reading
With two dozen access points to these wild and scenic rivers that converge just outside Valdosta, an online map, and multiple outings coming up, the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail is coming along nicely, and its Committee is proud to announce a Workshop at VSU, 1:30 PM Saturday February 27th, 2016 at the University Center Theater at Valdosta State University.
What: Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Workshop
When: 1:30 PM-4:30PM
Saturday, February 27th, 2016
Where: UC Theater,
University Center
Valdosta State University
1215 N. Patterson St.,
Valdosta, GA 31698
“Parts of these rivers are really wild!” said Continue reading
April Huntley submitted a 90-second video about the
Alapaha River Water Trail,
and Gretchen Quarterman sent one in about the
BIG Little River Paddle Race on the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.
Come cheer for them and other local community entries, 7PM tonight, Bailey Auditorium, VSU, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
-jsq
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Per agreement just received from VSU, at least three local artists will have art for sale in a silent auction, in addition to on exhibit, at the February 27th Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Workshop! A portion of the proceeds will go to support WWALS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Painting by Julie Bowland
near the confluence of the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers,
2 July 2015.
The exhibit and auction will include drawings and oil paintings by Julie Bowland, photographs by Dominick Gheesling and photographs by Bryan Garris. Guests will have an opportunity to bid on the art, as well as other items, during the workshop, with the winning bids announced towards the end of the event.
Other artists are encouraged to participate, and if you’ve got Continue reading
Update 2015-02-13: Press release with revised agenda.
Update 2015-12-23: Now with silent art auction!
The visual beauty of the rivers in an art exhibit and silent auction,
the geology on display by Dennis Price,
and the remains of past people and cultures still visible along the river
by Tom Baird, plus the winners of the
logo contest for the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail presented by VSU art professor Julie Bowland,
all in a workshop about two of our biggest WWALS rivers,
Okapilco Creek, Piscola Creek, and other associated creeks, lakes, ponds, and swamps.
Logo contest deadline now extended to January 15th, 2016!
Facebook: event
Meetup: event
What: Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Workshop
When: 1:30 PM-4:30PM
Saturday, February 27th, 2016
Where: UC Theater
University Center
Valdosta State University
1215 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta, GA 31698