These figures tell the story of springsheds in a coastal lowland karst plain such as much of the Suwannee River Basin. Maybe you already know all this, but if you don’t, these pictures may help make sense of Springsheds and Water Withdrawal Permits in the Suwannee River Basin.
A spring is fed from a ground-water basin.
Update 2024-02-29: Now with better picture format.
We found McIntyre Spring, and Arnold Springs, too, on the WWALS Withlacoochee River Outing from Nankin Boat Ramp to Madison Highway Boat Ramp, July 9th 2016. Swimming, snorkeling, karst, shoals, an abandoned railroad trestle, more shoals, State Line Shoals, old road bridge posts, dragonflies, and Halberdleaf rosemallow (Hibiscus laevis All.), unfortunately plus Chamber bitter.
![[McIntyre Spring and State Line Shoals 2016-07-09]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2016-07-09--nankin-ga-fl-line/igmany.jpg)
McIntyre Spring and State Line Shoals 2016-07-09
Update 2017-05-13: On 2016-07-09, the US 84 Quitman gage showed about 1.75 feet (85.26 NAVD), and the Pinetta gage showed about 6.57 (53.08 NAVD). That’s a foot lower than June 22, 2013, when we thought that was already as low as you’d want to paddle.
Here are a few videos, some pictures, and a google map showing where the pictures were taken.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/
Here is a
playlist of WWALS videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qyed6eWPp4xcYNjZI-NMW-j
Continue reading
Op-ed, Valdosta Daily Times, today, January 8th 2017:
Sabal Trail and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection assured us there would be no problems drilling a 36-inch natural gas pipeline through the fragile karst limestone under the Suwannee River in Florida, yet already Sabal Trail’s pilot hole under the Withlacoochee River in Georgia caused a frac-out of drilling mud into the river and a sinkhole.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should halt construction and do a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
When I happened to fly over the Withlacoochee River frac-out, I also saw Continue reading
Here’s a Christmas present for pipeline opponents and solar power proponents.
John S. Quarterman, Citrus County Chronicle, other voices, 25 December 2016,
Stop gas pipeline; invest in solar,
Sabal Trail and FDEP assured us there would be no problems drilling a 36-inch natural gas pipeline through the fragile karst limestone under the Suwannee River and the Withlacoochee (south) River in Florida, yet already Sabal Trail’s pilot hole under the Withlacoochee (north) River in Georgia caused a frac-out of drilling mud into the river and a sinkhole. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should halt construction and do a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
When I happened to fly over the Withlacoochee (north) River frac-out, I also saw Continue reading
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
A very scenic hike to some of the most unusual geological features in all of Florida: the Alapaha River Sink and the Dead River Sink.
We walked over beds of 50-million-year-old fossilized oysters,
above all our drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer.
See many pictures
and
a few videos of the sights,
and
a google map
of the sites.
Practicing Geologist Dennis Price led us by the scenic route on this hike, explaining the karst geology on display, which underlies all of north Florida and south Georgia, containing our drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer. Dennis and hike organizer Chris Mericle recommend making this very unusual area a state park.
The Alapaha River goes underground here unless it has a lot of water, which usually this time of year and right now it does not.
![[Don't fall into the Devil's Den, 30.5855189, -83.0528064]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2016-11-06--alapaha-sink/20161106_111756.jpg)
Don’t fall into the Devil’s Den, 30.5855189, -83.0528064
Update 2022-11-17: The Jennings Gauge read 61.70′ NAVD88.
Until recently nobody knew for sure Continue reading
Update 2016-10-24: Questions filed with FERC in Docket CP15-17 as Accession Number 20161024-5049 and emailed to USACE and GA-EPD (PDF).
What is
that yellow thing in the river, Sabal Trail?
Is that a sinkhole you’ve marked at the Lowndes County HDD site?
And
does blue pipe mean thinner for rural areas like
your executive from Houston told us in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP?
FERC gave you permission to 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
Update 2016-09-23: Not quite: Energy Transfer backed out of buying Williams Co..
DAPL and Sabal Trail: now part of the same pipeline companies.
The pipeline companies behind the Sabal Trail fracked methane boondoogle through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida are now owned by the companies behind the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) that wants to pump oil through North Dakota where the Standing Rock Sioux have attracted an encampment of thousands of people who have successfully and nonviolently stopped pipeline construction at least for the moment.
WWALS was one of 93 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide that co-signed a letter from Waterkeeper Alliance in support of the Standing Rock Sioux.
Opponents of these pipelines, including native Americans in Florida and Georgia as well as North Dakota, are no longer just fighting the same industry:
they’re fighting the same companies.
The pipeline companies behind DAPL are Continue reading
Hahira, GA, September 6th 2016 — Two Georgia brothers are stuck with paying almost ten times as much in Sabal Trail’s legal fees as they spent defending their property against that invading fracked methane pipeline, even though FPL apparently admitted this year that all three of its 2013 excuses for that pipeline are no longer valid. Two federal agencies and numerous state agencies issued permits based on those excuses. Sabal Trail used those permits to get eminent domain, including to drill under rivers in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama and through the fragile limestone containing our drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer. It is time for this unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous boondoggle to be shut down and its $3 billion in FPL ratepayer money to be used for solar power in the Sunshine State.
James Bell, one of the brothers stuck with having to pay Sabal Trail attorney fees, says:
"First and foremost, this is a multi-billion dollar company that is for profit. In my personal opinion I don’t see how a private for-profit company should be allowed eminent domain. I don’t understand that. That makes no sense to me. I might could understand it if it was for the greater good of the country but this is not. And it is certainly not the federal government or the state government building some road or highway."
Florida Power & Light claimed Continue reading