On the agenda for 6PM Monday 1 Feb 2016 in Live Oak:
9. Consider Agreement with Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC for temporary use of county owned property located on CR 252.
14. Discuss, scheduling a workshop to evaluate the proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline route near State Park on US 90 West. (Chairman Jason Bashaw)
17. Additional Agenda Items. The Chairman calls for Continue reading
Is less than 50 cents per person in Lowndes County enough to risk drinking water for all?
Noelani Mathews, 27 January 2016, Lowndes County Leaders Vote 4-1 for Sabal Trail,
A 4-1 vote Tuesday night has paved the way for the pipeline to run through part of Lowndes County, but some are upset about the Board’s decision.
“They’re suppose[d] to represent the people of the County, not the salesman for a pipeline company from Houston, Texas”, says John Quarterman, president of WWALS Watershed Coalition.
Continue reading
The Lowndes County Commission is voting tonight on an easement for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline through a mercury-contaminated closed landfill.
They only gave one day’s notice, and they didn’t mention the landfill.
Here is the letter (PDF) I just sent them asking them to reject that easement,
to support their own previous unanimous resolution against Sabal Trail,
and to contact state and federal elected and appointed officials and ask them
also to reject Sabal Trail.
You can write them, too, to commissioner@lowndescounty.com.
To: Lowndes County Board of County Commissioners, Continue reading
Update 2023-01-31: Fixed image links that broke when the reference documents vanished from the web.
Public Hearing about the $48 million Falling Creek Aquifer Recharge project and its 48-inch 11-mile pipeline, and several others also involving the upper Suwannee River, 9AM Tuesday, February 9th, 2016, at SRWMD headquarters in Live Oak. Wouldn’t limiting withdrawals make more sense? And why is this the only project listed that’s joint with the St Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), and why is drawdown from Jacksonville prominently featured in slides about why this project?
![[Project Location and Potential Pipeline Alignment]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2015-01-29--falling-creek-aquifer-recharge/50dcffe5ebd5ecaad9e46d02f682ec68.jpg)
Project Location and Potential Pipeline Alignment
On the SRWMD front page under CALENDAR, Continue reading
Update 2016-02-02: Dropoff locations and other updates.
It’s time to get local, state, and federal elected officials to put a stop
to the Sabal Trail boondoggle that risks our property rights, rivers, aquifer, and air.
You can sign a petition to Florida (or Georgia or Alabama) elected officials by
printing out the
PDF
for you and your neighbors.
See below for where to send them.
Or, to sign online, Gulf Restoration Network has put up a handy online form that will send your signature and personalized message directly to your members of Congress.
Here’s the text of the PDF: Continue reading
Apparently fracked methane is Sierra Club Georgia’s next fight now that Keystone XL is dead, since almost its entire January/February/March issue of Georgia Sierran is about opposing natural gas: PDF.
See for example “Why Natural Gas Is Not a Climate Solution”, by Joshua Hanthorn. And “LNG Puts Savannah at Risk”, by Karen Grainey and Stacey Kronquest. Karen is chair of the Coastal Group of Sierra Club Georgia. Pretty much everything in that article also applies to Jacksonville, and quite likely to Palm Beach and other locations in Florida very soon.
Mentioning WWALS is “Pipeline in Southwest Georgia and Central Florida Risks Drinking Water,” by Gordon Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper,
The Sabal Pipeline, a joint venture of Spectra Energy, Duke Energy, and NextEra Energy, poses threats to Georgia and Florida communities on multiple fronts. For southwest Georgia and north Florida residents it’s all risks and no rewards. However, so far federal and state authorities have thus far been unmoved by arguments against it.
During the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) public comment period, the agency received more than 1,000 written comments, mostly opposing the project, including resolutions against it from seven counties in Georgia and Florida, and three of the largest cities in its path (Albany, Moultrie and Valdosta).
The article talks about FERC’s FEIS, EPA, GA-EPD, and other matters, before turning to WWALS and Florida. 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!
Even the trend of sinking groundwater levels hasn’t changed a lot in the Georgia
parts of WWALS’ watersheds of the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and upper Suwannee Rivers.
Thanks to Tom Potter for the pointer, and we’re inviting someone to talk about this subject at the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Workshop at VSU February 27th, 2016.
WATER RESOURCES OF THE UPPER SUWANNEE RIVER WATERSHED, by Mary M. Davis1 and David W. Hicks2,
1 Ecologist, Continue reading
The Commissioners for the one county on every Sabal Trail fracked methane path ever proposed, Suwannee County, Florida, meet tonight at 6PM in Live Oak. I can’t go, so I sent them this letter (PDF). If you can go, please do, or you can send them a letter, too.
To: Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners,
Dear Commissioners,
Thanks again for your hospitality at your meeting of December 15th.
Solar and wind can make coal go away with no need for natural gas.
The FPL representative who spoke didn’t seem aware of what Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning said about solar power last June: “If somebody wants to buy distributed generation, I want to sell it to 'em." See Herman K. Trabish, UtilityDive, June 11, 2015, “Inside Georgia Power's move into the residential solar market: The utility says it will offer solar through an unregulated business, but installers fear possible anticompetitive impacts”:
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/inside-georgia-powers-move-into-the-residential-solar-market/400562/That meeting gave me deja vu about a few years ago when Georgia Power and Southern Company were claiming Continue reading
This is why WWALS recommends filing a float plan, or in this case, a hiking and camping plan.
WALB News Team, 17 January 2016, Campers rescued from rising floodwater, warning issued,
BERRIEN CO., GA (WALB) – The Berrien County Sheriff is sending a warning to residents to stay off the Alapaha River.
“Its not a good time to be camping out on the river,” said Sheriff Anthony Heath.
About 11 a.m. on Sunday, four Berrien County campers had to be rescued after they were surrounded by rising floodwaters. A father, his daughter, son, and son’s girlfriend hiked downstream and set up camp at the Alapaha River bridge near state Route 135, south of Willacoochee.
The VDT says they camped on Saturday, and were found the next day. Terry Richards, Valdosta Daily Times, 19 January 2016, page 8A, Stranded campers réscued, Continue reading