Tag Archives: John S. Quarterman

WWALS files as intervenor to oppose the Sabal Trail Transmission gas pipeline

Approved by the WWALS Board 13 November 2013. PDF.

From:
WWALS Watershed Coalition
3338 Country Club Road #L336
Valdosta, GA 31605
www.wwals.net
wwalswatershed@gmail.com
18 October 2013

To:
Secretary Sarah McKinley
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street N.E
Washington, DC 20426

Re: Pre-filing Docket PF14-1 Sabal Trail Transmission

Cc:
Georgia Public Service Commission
Florida Public Service Commission

WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. opposes the proposed Sabal Trail Transmission gas pipeline that would cut a 100 foot wide gash across our Withlacoochee River and through many wetlands in south Georgia and north Florida, including recharge zones for the Floridan Aquifer that provides our drinking water.

Sabal’s parent company, Spectra Energy, has a safety record that gives no comfort Continue reading

Waycross Superfund site in Georgia’s Dirty Dozen

EPA will be in Waycross 24 November 2013 to meet about this contamination, which has also been shipped over into WWALS watersheds. -jsq

Satilla River: Toxic Legacy in Waycross Needs Further Investigations, Cleanups, in Georgia Water Coalition’s Dirty Dozen 2013,

Satilla River

Toxic legacy in Waycross Needs Further Investigations, Cleanups

Introduction:

Lurking within Mary Street Park, a tree-lined neighborhood park in Waycross, is a silent killer—toxic pollutants from a defunct industrial wastewater treatment facility known as Seven Out Tank. Opened in 2002, the industrial waste handler operated only two years before multiple environmental violations led to the facility’s closure. Now, after Continue reading

Aquifer storage meeting in Newton, GA 7 November 2013

It looks like SB 213 is being resurrected after falling in the Georgia House in March. This GEFA ASR meeting is in Newton, which is not far west of Tifton. When will they be coming for the waters of the Little River, too?

Jim West in the Albany Herald 29 March 2013, Flint River bill fails in the House, quoted Gordon Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper, and then referred to Georgia Water Coalition:

One aspect of the bill river advocates found objectionable was the concept of “stream flow augmentation,” including aquifer storage and recovery, or ASR, which Coalition officials define as “the injection of ground water into the aquifer, which would be extracted later and sent downstream.” According to the Coalition, the process could cause irreversible contamination of the aquifer.

GEFA News 30 October 2013, Aquifer Storage Project Public Meeting Scheduled, Continue reading

WWALS supports S.A.V.E.’s fossil fuel divestment request to VSU

Approved by the WWALS Board by email 17 October 2013.

From:
WWALS Watershed Coalition
3338 Country Club Road #L336
Valdosta, GA 31605
www.wwals.net
wwalswatershed@gmail.com
18 October 2013

To:
Mr. John Crawford
Vice President for Advancement
   and Trustee
jdcrawford@valdosta.edu
VSU Foundation
   and Board of Trustees
1500 N. Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA 31698

WWALS Watershed Coalition, a nonprofit group working for conservation of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, and Little River Systems, supports the fossil fuel divestment request of Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.).

In addition to the points made by S.A.V.E., WWALS would like to add that oil and gas leaks run downhill in our watersheds, fracking for natural gas pollutes groundwater, and fossil fuel energy plants use massive amounts of water that could go for agriculture or drinking. Divestment from fossil fuels by VSU by itself won’t stop leaks or end fracking or shut down coal plants. But it will send a clear signal that our regional state university is leading the shift from fossil fuels to renewable solar and wind power with efficiency and conservation.

Fracking may seem distant, but right now there is a proposed natural gas pipeline from Alabama to Florida that threatens Georgia’s environment and Georgians’ property rights. We don’t want an exploding pipeline like just happened in Oklahoma.

Perhaps like Harvard President Drew Faust some don’t want to get academic VSU involved in politics. But all our investments are political, and there’s nothing neutral about funding climate wreckage. As S.A.V.E. put it in their letter:

Continue reading

Now at VSU: Aquifers, sinkholes, and ground scans –Don Thieme @ WWALS

Update 2019-04-02: Videos.

Moved to VSU, University Center, Dogwood Room! Prof. Don Thieme of VSU will speak about underground water issues at the October WWALS board meeting in Wednesday October 9th at 7:30 PM in Valdosta. Join the facebook event or come as you are.

Here’s the letter Prof. Thieme and two other VSU professors wrote to the Air Force about sinkholes and subsidence on the proposed Moody Family Housing in Lowndes County, which also turns out to be in an aquifer recharge zone.

Here’s VSU’s campus map and here’s a google map: Continue reading

Aquifers, sinkholes, and ground scans –Don Thieme @ WWALS

Moved to VSU, University Center, Dogwood Room!
Prof. Don Thieme of VSU will speak about underground water issues at the October WWALS board meeting in Wednesday October 9th at 7:30 PM in Adel at the IHOP, 1200 W 4th Street. Valdosta.

Here’s the letter Prof. Thieme and two other VSU professors wrote to the Air Force about sinkholes and subsidence on the proposed Moody Family Housing in Lowndes County, which also turns out to be in an aquifer recharge zone.

It’s an open board meeting anyone can attend for the business part, as well. Here’s the agenda:

Agenda WWALS Board Meeting
7:30 pm October 9, 2013
IHOP, Adel GA
  1. Call to Order, Welcome and Introductions
  2. Speaker: Don Thieme, VSU geologist. Topic: Aquifers, sinkholes, and ground scans.
  3. Agenda Review: Additions and Changes
  4. Review and Approval of Minutes of September Board Meeting
  5. Future Meetings and Events
    1. Monthly outing (fourth Saturday): October 26, 2013 at Banks Lake near Lakeland.
    2. Monthly board meeting (second Wednesday): November 13 Continue reading

WWALS Outing: Rivers Alive Little River Clean Up 2013-09-28

8AM to 1PM this coming Saturday at Reed Bingham State Park, it’s also the September WWALS outing now: Rivers Alive Little River Clean Up. Bring your canoe or kayak or rent one there for half price to volunteers!

Explore Georgia wrote:

We will be removing trash from the Little River and Reed Bingham Lake. Experienced canoeists and kayakers have the opportunity to paddle down the little river while picking up garbage. Canoes and kayaks are available to volunteers for half off. Please register in advance to ensure your rental spot is available. Non-boaters can walk around and in the lake and river picking up garbage and debris. $5 parking. 229-896-3551.

WWALS will be participating in the boating part. You can let us know you’re coming by joining the WWALS facebook event. Or Continue reading

WWALS Brochure 2013-08-30

Update 2015-02-12: See newer version.

New WWALS brochure, with new board and recent events such as the Big LITTLE RIVER Paddle Race.

PDF | JPG page 1 | JPG page 2 | flickr (various sizes)

Page 1 Page 2
Brochure by Karan Rawlins for WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS).

-jsq

Aquifer at max pumping in central Florida

Remember, this is our aquifer, too. And watch out! They’d rather pipe somebody else’s river water than conserve in Central Florida.

Kevin Spear wrote for the Orlando Sentinel yesterday, Analysis: Floridan Aquifer can only handle 6% more pumping before serious environmental harm,

Just how much more water can Central Florida pump from the Floridan Aquifer without causing real harm to the region’s environment? After years of debate, study and anxiety, state authorities say they have finally — and officially — figured it out.

The answer: hardly any.

Using the most advanced databases and computing methodology yet developed for such a task, a consortium of state water managers and local utilities have calculated that the current amount of water pumped from the underground aquifer each day can be increased by only about 6 percent — which means the region is already exploiting the huge, life-sustaining aquifer for nearly every drop it can safely offer.

Beware! Continue reading

the single largest asset that you’ll ever own –Gordon Rogers

Albany TV covered yesterday’s WWALS Watershed Conference. First picture by Fox31, the rest by John S. Quarterman and Gretchen Quarterman. WWALS video will follow.

Franklin White wrote for Fox31online yesterday, The importance of Watershed conservation,

Gordon Rogers says, “it’s important to advocate for good management by our resource agencies within that framework of laws.”

Franklin White, Fox 31, and Gordon Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper at WWALS Water Conference

Gordon says it hits home for him because the Flint River where he works ranks second on the american rivers endangered rivers list, a reason he says water management is such an important issue to the region.

Hydrology

He says, “it belongs to all of us. it’s the single largest asset that you’ll ever own is your river and your creek and you’re aquifer.”

Environmental Lobbyist Neill Herring says the goal is to restore and preserve the habitat, water quality and flow of the Flint and other rivers.

Neill Herring

Herring says, “these natural resources particularly the water systems are their private property, they have a property interest in the water.”

And outside of the Flint, officials say there are four other major rivers to keep an eye on. those being Willacooche, Withlocooche, Alapha, and Little River systems.

Blackwater

“Cause it’s a rapidly moving political landscape. Operating wisely with this limited amount of water that you have,” says Gordon.

Permits

He says it’s important for local citizens to take ownership of the political process of their watershed. To learn more, visit the Watershed Coalitions website at WWALS.net.