Tag Archives: quality

Gov. Deal issues executive order to help pipeline company

The same Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal who has done nothing to protect Georgians from the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline yesterday issued an executive order to help out a pipeline company spilling gasoline in Alabama.

Tomorrow morning you can come help protect our Withlacoochee River from Sabal Trail 9AM Saturday Sept. 17th 2016 at the US84 bridge, halfway between Quitman and Valdosta, GA, off I-75 exit 16.


Photo: Colonial Pipeline

Dennis Pillion, al.com, 15 September 2015, Alabama, Georgia declare state of emergency after pipeline spill, Continue reading →

Successful Cleanup at Berrien Beach on the Alapaha River 2016-09-10

We collected many bags of trash and four mattresses (not pictured) Saturday in the Rivers-Alive Cleanup at Berrien Beach Launch on the Alapaha River. Special thanks to the three members of Valdosta State’s Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.) for joining in!

Group picture

Continue reading →

Cleanups at Berrien Beach on the Alapaha and on the Suwannee River 2016-09-10

This weekend, it’s Rivers-Alive Cleanup at Berrien Beach Launch on the Alapaha River, 4PM Saturday September 10th 2016; follow the link for details.

And a group out of Gainesville, Florida, Current Problems, has an annual Great Suwannee River Cleanup 2016:

It’s time to register for the Great Suwannee River Cleanup! This is number 7! You may schedule your cleanup for anytime in September, October, or November. The first week of December is okay, too. We hope river conditions will be good this year and encourage lots of you to join in. Our goal this year is to pass the 100,000 pound mark. We’re close enough we can do it!

-jsq

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Federal permits inflame opposition to Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline boondoggle WWALS PR 2016-08-16

PDF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hahira, Georgia, August 16th 2016 — There is no excuse for $3 billion down this rathole of a 20th century dying fossil fuel industry now that there are more solar power jobs than in all of oil and gas extraction. One federal permit Friday and another federal go-ahead impending for the Sabal Trail invasion of private property and wetlands in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama stiffens the resolve of the rapidly expanding opposition. WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) has revealed apparent wetlands violations and federal rule violations by Spectra Energy, the Houston, Texas pipeline company that wants to gouge under our Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers, risking our water supply for its profit. Sierra Club has vowed to use “all legal means necessary to stop this fracked gas pipeline.” Opposition across Georgia continues as dozens of new groups joined the fight a week ago in Gainesville, Florida. News Friday of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) wetlands permit has inflamed opposition across the country to this latest fossil fuel land and water grab.

Last month WWALS reported to USACE and to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that Sabal Trail already has Continue reading →

Florida Congress members ask EPA to stop ERC toxic water level hikes

One Senator and eight representatives want the EPA to fix what ERC broke last Tuesday. Letter Two of them are running against each other for Senate yet they signed this letter together: that’s how serious this situation is. Here’s PDF and the text is below.

Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20510

July 26, 2016

The Honorable Gina McCarthy
Administrator
US. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator McCarthy,

We’re writing to alert you to our serious concerns with a problematic public health proposal in Florida that will soon be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval.

Continue reading →

Stop Florida ERC from raising water toxin levels 2016-07-26

Update 2022-12-23: EPA gives Florida 12 months to fix its water quality standards 2022-12-05.

FDEP could have stuck with U.S. EPA’s recomendations for water quality, but instead did a complicated statistical analysis to excuse raising the amounts of benzene and other toxins in Florida’s waters. Drinking, fishing, swimming: all are affected. The decision may be made 9AM this Tuesday morning, July 26th 2016, by the Environmental Regulation Commission (ERC) in Tallahassee. Please call or write its members, your newspaper or TV stations, or come to the meeting early for the demonstration and then attend (see below for details).

The ERC has cancelled all its other monthly meetings so far this year, yet Continue reading →

Sabal Trail Georgia Section 401 Water Quality Permit

Received today from GA-EPD, although they issued it three weeks ago. Sabal-Trail-WQC-SAS16-Signed-Copy-0001 2013.0000000, 6.0000000 Basically, they believed Sabal Trail, with a few requirements, and issued the permit.

GA-EPD sent three documents, which are inline below with links to the PDF copies that were attached: Continue reading →

Pictures, Ribbon Cutting, Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plant 2016-07-12

The crowd was large, the speeches were brief, the food was good, and the tour later was, ah, redolant, but the new plant works better than the old, and, best of all, it’s out of the flood plain.

Sementha Mathews directs them all

Here are a few pictures of this morning’s ribbon cutting for what was billed as the new Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and Force Main, but they seem to have actually named the Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plant (WWPCP). The combination of WWPCP and Force Main so far has prevented any new wastewater spills, and long may it do so.

WWALS Videos will follow, including from a WWPCP tour by the plant operator.

Meanwhile, congratulations Continue reading →

Two new reasons for a SEIS: WWALS to USACE, GA-EPD, and FERC 2016-07-08

LiDar Filed Friday as FERC accession number 20160708-5096, http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?document_id=14476452, “Two new reasons for a USACE Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and a halt to Sabal Trail permits; see also accession numbers 20160708-5089 and 20160708-5088, by WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. under CP15-17.” (PDF) Continue reading →

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 2016-07-12

Here’s the invitation card for the Valdosta WWTP ribbon cutting Tuesday morning. Congratulations, Valdosta!

Invitation

VALDOSTA
A City Without Limits

The City of Valdosta, Georgia
Requests the Honor of your Presence
at the
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
for the
Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant Continue reading →