Sabal Trail’s pipe is still laid out north of the Suwannee County horizontal directional drilling (HDD) site on the Santa Fe River, but it won’t be for long unless something stops it.
Pictures by Beth Gammie and John S. Quarterman on Southwings flight for WWALS, 23 November 2016.
N. up Sabal Trail across Santa Fe River into Suwannee County, 29.8988570, -82.8495600, by John S. Quarterman for WWALS on Southwings flight 2016-11-23
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.
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
Update 2016-11-22:
Ashlyn Becton, WALB, 16 November 2016,
Environmentalist raise awareness about Sabal Trail Pipeline (WWALS blog post),
Update 2016-11-14: GWC Dirty Dozen Press Conference at US 84 Bridge with tour of Sabal Trail HDD 2016-11-16
Steve Patterson, Jacksonville.com, 14 November 2016, Gas pipeline project headed to Suwannee River leaks into Georgia waterway; sparks environmental worries
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hahira, GA, November 13th 2016 —
Apparently Sabal Trail continues to leak drilling mud into the Withlacoochee River,
three weeks after
it admitted to GA-EPD that its pilot hole under the river had leaked up into the riverbed.
WWALS members Deanna and Chris Mericle went to the US 84 bridge between Quitman and Valdosta, Georgia, and walked up the river to the site, about 2000 feet upstream. You can clearly see the water inside Sabal Trail’s turbidity curtains is not the same color as the river water.
“I am so angry because this is what we said would happen and we were assured the rivers wouldn’t be affected because they were drilling under them. The head woman at FDEP said exactly that! We told them it was likely because of our karst geology and we got patronized and patted on the head. You can guarantee they will downplay it and just drill another hole. I am pissed,” said WWALS member Deanna Mericle, who drafted the WWALS petition for last year’s four-month legal case and three-day hearing in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP. Continue reading
Update 2016-11-14: GWC Dirty Dozen Press Conference at US 84 Bridge with tour of Sabal Trail HDD 2016-11-16
Update 2016-11-13:Sabal Trail still leaking drilling mud into the Withlacoochee River at US 84 in GA 2016-11-12
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hahira, GA, November 11th 2016 —
Sabal Trail leaked drilling mud up from their HDD pilot hole into the Withlacoochee River.
They knew this before WWALS asked two weeks ago
what is that yellow thing in the river?
They did not tell WWALS or the public that this thing
they testified could not happen did happen.
The
evidence is in writing from Sabal Trail’s contractor
to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
This wasn’t even the actual horizontal directional drilling (HDD) borehole: it was just the smaller pilot hole. What will happen to the Withlacoochee River (or nearby water wells) with the main borehole? What will happen to the Ochlockonee River west of Moultrie, GA? What will happen to the Santa Fe River, where Sabal Trail is drilling now, or the Suwannee River, where it will drill soon, both Outstanding Waters of Florida, supposed to have extra measures of environmental protection? What about the Tallapoosa, Chattahoochee, or the other Withlacoochee (south) River?
“Why should we accept any risk to our waters, or eminent domain to take our lands, for an unnecessary pipeline, now that Continue reading
If drilling mud may be released, how can this also be?
“No wastewater has been or will be dumped into the Withlacoochee River.”
Sabal Trail seems to have contradicted itself.
And didn’t answer the permit questions from WWALS.
Nonetheless all their responses are marked “Resolution Date: 10/30/2016”.
Nope, not resolved, Sabal Trail. See new questions.
Sabal Trail also said (see the PDF) it was completing drilling under the Flint River, was drilling under the Ochlockonee and Withlacoochee Rivers in Georgia, had just started under the Santa Fe River, was doing clearing and pad preparation for the Chattahoochee and Suwannee Rivers, and hadn’t yet started anything at the Withlacoochee (south) River in Florida. Plus quite a few complaints and questions, including some from FERC, and some archaeological discoveries which Sabal Trail and FERC hid under “Privileged and Confidential information”.
The Sabal Trail responses labeled Continue reading
Sabal Trail plans to start drilling here in the next few days.
I count three houses within the blast radius just in this picture
at the Santa Fe River just east of US 129 in Suwannee and Gilchrist Counties, Florida.
See also
Jim Tatum’s pictures of this Santa Fe River Sabal Trail HDD location from this flight.
Continue reading
Update 2016-10-23: Aerial photography and videos: US 84 HDD Withlacoochee River Sabal Trail 2016-10-22: what is that yellow thing in the river, and is that round thing you’ve marked a sinkhole?
Where would you guess Southeast Directional Drilling is based?
Nope: Arizona.
And the TRW truck has a Texas license plate.
So much for local jobs where Sabal Trail is preparing to drill
under the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes and Brooks Counties, Georgia,
between Valdosta and Quitman.
Here is a playlist of WWALS videos, followed by a google map, and still pictures: Continue reading
Follow this link for videos, more pictures, and a google map.
Follow this link for videos, more pictures, and a google map.
Update 2016-10-10: Going beyond the ones named in FERC’s commence order, this blog post includes maps for ALL RIVER CROSSINGS IN ALL THREE STATES!
Update 2016-10-10: All 527 of Sabal Trail’s April 2016 alignment maps are now available in small, big, huge, and PDF formats, courtesy of Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE): follow this link to the LAKE website.
Nevermind that
historic 128 to 34 Georgia House vote against river-drilling easements.
The Georgia Attorney General’s office declined to defend lawsuits in
county Superior Courts (including Lowndes County, GA), and judges gave Sabal Trail the easements.
Then the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its permit.
So Thursday John Peconom of FERC told Sabal Trail to start drilling under
Georgia’s Chattahoochee,
Flint, Ochlockonee, and
Withlacoochee Rivers,
as well as
Hannahatchee Creek.
They avoided Okapilco Creek by Continue reading