Interesting questions about Gum Springs,
seen in this picture only 3,000 feet across
Marion Oaks Golf Course from Sabal Trail:
Picture: Jim Tatum for WWALS on
Southwings flight 2017-02-07.
Follow this link for the interactive google map, or it’s also embedded below. Continue reading
Good questions by Janet Barrow. Who has answers?
Janet Barrow
March 13, 2017 at 4:55 pmLook at the first photo — “Sabal Trail north from I-75 to the Withlacoochee (south) River.” This shows the hydrostatic discharge point for Spread 5 (at least the site they reported that they will use) and the withdrawal point for Spread 6. Coordinates are: 28°52’47.99″N, 82°5’39.69″W
Thanks to Mark Skogman’s long lens on the Southwings flight for WWALS, we can zoom in on that spot.
Janet Barrow
Continue reading
March 13, 2017 at 5:07 pm
Update 2017-03-10: PDF of burning and water well drilling violation complaint sent to FERC, USACE, GA-EPD, and GFC.
Bringing materials from another site to burn is illegal in Georgia, even if they had a permit, which they didn’t, it couldn’t cover open burning of treated ties like Sabal Trail is doing at the Brooks County Industrial Park south of Quitman, Georgia. Georgia Forestry Commission is already on it, and I’m alerting FERC, USACE, GA-EPD, and Brooks County today. The entire Troy yard is right next to a wetland, with three drainage ditches crossing the site.
There’s nothing going on at the Withlacoochee River HDD site in Lowndes County, but they’re shuffling pipe on a Texas Troy truck between Gary Lane Knights Ferry Road, right past a Lowndes County School bus on McGoggle Road. Continue reading
Levy BOCC passed a resolution Tuesday much like the Suwannee BOCC resolution, but adding instructions to transmit it to a wide range of Florida and U.S. elected officials and agencies.
If you’re in Valdosta today, the City Council meets at 5:30 PM; you can join us in talking to them about this, or send them email.
Thanks to Jessica Berryhill, Administrative Assistant I, Board Administration, Levy Board of County Commissioners, for the PDF.
RESOLUTION 2017-008
A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LEVY COUNTY, FLORIDA REQUESTING THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.
WHEREAS, Levy County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered by the Historic Suwannee River on its western side; and
WHEREAS. the Historic Suwannee River is one of the most widely known and recognized river system in the world; and Continue reading
The VDT article never said “landfill” even though landfills were one of the main topics of the bills and of the discussion, including specifically the active landfill in Lowndes County, which has already received coal ash from Tennessee and Florida. Maybe you’d like to come mention that to Valdosta City Council Thursday evening.
Daniel DeMersseman, Valdosta Daily Times, 7 March 2017, Groups want coal ash regulation,
VALDOSTA — Georgia Interfaith Power & Light recently sponsored a presentation on the dangers of improperly stored coal ash.
Members of GIPL, No Ash at All, and Suwanee Riverkeeper joined together to discuss proper coal ash storage.
Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition, 2017-03-01.“Coal ash contains Continue reading
A rare agenda with nothing about water on it does have this, “6. Citizens to be Heard”, which people from anywhere can use to talk about water issues such as sewage and its effects on the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Suwannee Rivers all the way to the Gulf, coal ash from TVA and Florida, PCBs, and Superfund wastewater in the landfill in Lowndes County, which is a quarter mile upstream from the Withlacoochee River and in a recharge zone for the Floridan Aquifer.
When: 5:30 PM, Thursday, March 9, 2017
Where:
Council Chambers, City Hall, 216 E Central Avenue, Valdosta, GA 31601, 30.832961, -83.277471
Too far? Call them up or send them email.
Event: facebook
Photo: Michael Rivera
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
What: Continue reading
Apparently Madison County was the first in Florida to call for state help to resolve the Valdosta sewage situation, back on February 8, 2017.
Followed by
Hamilton
and
Suwannee Counties, both on February 21, 2017,
and the other three four downstream Florida counties seem to have it on
their agendas.
After all, people downstream have been complaining about this since at least 2013,
and the 2009 old Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) overflow was one of the reasons for the founding of WWALS in 2012.
In the BOCC packet for the Wednesday March 8, 2017 Regular Meeting of the Madison County, Florida Board of County Commissioners, and see also PDF of just those two pages.
RESOLUTION 2017-02-08
A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MADISON COUNTY, FLORIDA ASKING FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER AND THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.
WHEREAS, Madison County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered by the State of Georgia to the North and the Withlacoochee River and Historic Suwannee River to the East; and
WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River starts its journey in Valdosta, Continue reading
The coal ash bills didn’t even get out of the HNRE Committee, which instead appointed a study committee. You can ask your Georgia House members to get on that committee.
Peggy Riggins Leslie Webb Riggins of No Ash At All in Valdosta 2017-03-01; photo by John S. Quarterman for WWALS.
Georgia Water Coalition, Press Release, 2 March 2017, Toxic Ash Dumping to remain secret; Georgia House Committee fails to vote on bills requiring community notification
Last year, Jesup residents found out that a landfill near their homes and wells leaked toxic metals found in coal ash into the soil and groundwater. The landfill company is proposing to make the landfill bigger and accept even more of the toxic waste.
“It felt like a punch in the gut,” said Peggy Riggins, Jesup resident. “We found out that toxins found in coal ash were underneath the landfill in our county. The government and the landfill knew for years before we were ever told. This is unacceptable. Our communities deserve to know about proposals to bring in toxic coal waste before its too late and has caused a problem.”
Mary Landers, SavannahNow, 2 March 2017, Lawmakers avoid public notice on coal ash dumping, Continue reading
The Suwannee County BOCC resolution is even more explicit than the Hamilton County one.
Thanks to Eric Musgrove, Clerk, Suwannee BOCC, for the PDF.
RESOLUTION 2017-26
A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF SUWANNEE COUNTY, FLORIDA REQUESTING THE PROTECTION OF THE HISTORIC SUWANNEE RIVER IN NORTH FLORIDA.
WHEREAS, Suwannee County is located in North Central Florida and is bordered for 100 miles by the Historic Suwannee River on its north, west and south sides; and
WHEREAS. the Historic Suwannee River is one of the most widely known and recognized river system in the world; and
WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River (North) begins at its headwaters in South Georgia, and flows into the Historic Suwannee River at Suwannee County’s northwestern border area; and
WHEREAS, Suwannee County and each Continue reading
Hamilton County, Florida is not pleased with Valdosta’s sewage, and has asked the states of Georgia and Florida to step in.
Thanks to Kristy Morgan, Chief Deputy Clerk/Administrative Assistant, Hamilton County Clerk’s Office, for the PDF.
RESOLUTION 2017-01
A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDA DEMANDING PROTECTION OF THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER, THE ALAPAHOOCHEE RIVER, THE ALAPAHA RIVER AND THE SUWANNEE RIVER FROM THE ILLEGAL DISCHARGE OF RAW SEWAGE BY THE CITY OF VALDOSTA, GEORGIA
WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River forms the Western boundary of Hamilton County, Florida from the Florida/Georgia state line until its juncture with the Suwannee River; and
WHEREAS, the Withlacoochee River provides recreational and economic benefits to the citizens of Hamilton County and others; and
WHEREAS, citizens of Hamilton County depend on clean water from the Withlacoochee River watershed for activities of daily life as well as for agricultural, business, and recreational purposes; and
WHEREAS, the health and welfare of many Hamilton County citizens is directly harmed by any degradation of the quality of water in the Withlacoochee River and its watershed; and
WHEREAS, the City of Valdosta, Georgia over the past several years has Continue reading