Tag Archives: quality

Withlacoochee River & Floridan Aquifer: Gas Pipeline Threatens Southwest Georgia Water, Way of Life, GWC Dirty Dozen

The Withlacoochee River and the Floridan Aquifer affected by the Sabal Trail pipeline is #9 in the Georgia Water Coalition’s Dirty Dozen 2014: A Call to Action, and here’s the press release,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 22, 2014 — Today, Georgia’s leading water coalition named its “Dirty Dozen” for 2014, highlighting 12 of the worst offenses to Georgia’s waters. The annual Dirty Dozen shines a spotlight on threats to Georgia’s water resources as well as the polluters and state policies or failures that ultimately harm—or could harm—Georgia property owners, downstream communities, fish and wildlife, hunters and anglers, and boaters and swimmers.

“The Dirty Dozen is not a list of the most polluted water bodies in Georgia, nor are they ranked in any particular order,” said Joe Cook, Advocacy & Communication Coordinator at the Coosa River Basin Initiative. “It’s a list of problems that exemplify the results of inadequate funding for Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD), a lack of political will to enforce existing environmental protections, and ultimately misguided water planning and spending priorities that flow from the very top of Georgia’s leadership.”

WWALS submitted #9 of the Dirty Dozen:

9. Withlacoochee River & Floridan Aquifer: Gas Pipeline Threatens Southwest Georgia Water, Way of Life

The Sabal Trail pipeline’s path across Continue reading

Sabal Trail Withlacoochee River Alternative and Jasper Open House 21 Oct 2014

Due to fine work by WWALS members Chris and Deanna Mericle in Hamilton County, Florida, 300x391 Withlacoochee River Crossing Route Alternative, Hamilton and Suwannee Counties, Florida (bare), in Sabal Trail Notice of EIS Intent, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 15 October 2014 Sabal Trail proposes to move its fracked methane pipeline off of the Withlacoochee River in Florida, and invites the public to an Open House in Jasper, FL Tuesday October 21st about that and other matters. We can ask them to move it off the Withlacoochee River in Georgia, too. And it’s still possible to file ecomments with FERC, and to contact your local, state, and national elected and appointed officials.

In FERC’s 15 October 2014 Sabal Trail Notice of EIS Intent and Route Alternatives, Continue reading

The Alapaha River, unspoiled, wild, and scenic –1979 Soil Survey

300x205 Alapaha, in oil Survey of Lowndes County, by USDA, for WWALS.net, 0 August 1979 The Alapaha River is the first illustration in the Soil Survey of Lowndes County of August 1979. This A+ gem of a blackwater river remains “unspoiled, wild, and scenic” and still “provides water sports and fishing for hundreds of people”. More people will know about it soon, due to the Alapaha River Water Trail. Come see an unuusal feature farther downstream: the Alapaha Sink, where the river goes underground. Come with WWALS to the Sink October 26th. Continue reading

Piscola Creek

300x388 Piscola Creek Watersheds, in Piscola Creek, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 2013 Running through Thomas and Brooks Counties, Georgia to the Withlacoochee River, Piscola Creek is on the USDA National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) as two of the three Georgia Priority Watersheds, all of which are in WWALS watersheds.

Upper Piscola Creek Watershed encompasses 25,936 acres of land in the southeast part of Thomas and western part of Brooks Counties in southwest Georgia. The land around the watershed is about 75 percent photo by Georgia NRCS crop, pasture, range and other associated agriculture use. About 20 percent of the watershed is forested. The other five percent is commercial or communities.

Middle Piscola Creek Watershed encompasses Continue reading

KLVB Lowndes/Valdosta Rivers Alive Cleanup 2014-10-04

300x413 Flyer, in Lowndes/Valdosta Rivers Alive Cleanup, by KLVB, for WWALS.net, 4 October 2014 WWALS encourages people to participate in Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB)‘s event:

Georgia’s Fifteenth Annual River Clean up

Saturday, October 4, 2014

8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Multiple Lowndes/Valdosta Cleanup Sites:

“Please call or emaiI to volunteer so that you can be assigned to ane of the sites“

For More Information Contact: Continue reading

Alapaha River Cleanup at US 82, 27 September 2014

300x229 Low water at US 82, in Alapaha River Cleanup @ US 82, by Bret Wagenhorst, for WWALS.net, 27 September 2014 Second WWALS outing this month, this time on land; facebook event.

If you enjoy paddling the Alapaha River, I hope you will consider coming out this Saturday to give back and help clean up along the river’s banks as part of a GA Rivers Alive cleanup. Starts at 0900 at the boat ramp at the Hwy 82 bridge just east of the town of Alapaha. I anticipate the cleanup will last about an hour. Bring work gloves and good cheer.

It is much easier to pick up trash along the banks Continue reading

Sabal Trail to move pipeline off Withlacoochee River in Florida?

300x388 Withlacoochee Alternative 1 (East), in Response to FERC directive of 26 August 2014, by Sabal Trail Transmission, for SpectraBusters.org, 15 September 2014 Will Sabal Trail actually move off the Withlacoochee River in Florida? That depends on how you interpret which version of what Sabal Trail has said about its seven (7) different proposed fracked methane pipeline routes through Suwannee County, Florida. And all but one of the five proposed Georgia routes still would cross the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County, Georgia. Beware that no matter what Sabal Trail says, FERC could pick any of these routes or some other. And no matter what FERC says, other agencies, including state and local, also have to approve permits and other evaluatios of any route, plus both Spectra Energy and Williams Company have recently “suspended” or cancelled pipelines as uneconomic. There is something you and your local elected bodies can do.

Amber Vann wrote for the Suwannee Democrat 19 September 2014, Gas pipeline concerns continue, Continue reading

FERC and Sabal Trail at the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, FL

Filed with FERC 16 September 2014 as Report of Christopher J Mericle , On site meeting with local property owners, FERC and Sabal Trail at the proposed Withlacoochee river crossing Hamilton Co. Florida under PF14-1. Chris and Deanna Mericle are our local hosts for the WWALS outing at that same affected location 10 AM this Sunday, September 21st 2014. -jsq

9-10-14

Local property owners met with FERC and Sabal Trail to voice concerns with the proposed Natural Gas pipeline route where it crosses the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, Florida. We had a great turnout of local support. Also in attendance, supporting our cause, was David Brown, Florida Certified Geologist, Jessica Norfleet, Constituent Advocate representing U.S. Congressman Ted Yoho, and Louie Goodin, Hamilton Co. Coordinator representing Hamilton Co. Board of Commissioners.

600x300 John Peconom (center) Talking with Deanna & Chris Mericle, David Brown, and FERC Geologist Tony (1 of 2), in FERC and Sabal Trail at the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, FL, by Chris Mericle, for WWALS.net, 16 September 2014 Attendees for FERC included John Peconom, Project manager, James Martin, Chief-Gas Branch3 and at least 4 other people.

Sabal had over 10 people attending from all areas of expertise including Andrea Glover, public relations, and Greg Jones, Geologist.

There was discussion of Continue reading

Letter to Lowndes County Commission about Sabal Trail

Here’s the cover letter I sent to the Lowndes County Commission about the action letter to county commissions, text of which was appended. They meet tonight at 5:30 PM. -jsq

From: “John S. Quarterman”
Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 21:07:54 -0400
cc: wwalswatershed@gmail.com
To: “Joyce E. Evans”, Richard Raines, Crawford Powell, Demarcus Marshall, Clay Griner
Subject: Resolutions other counties have passed against Spectra pipelines

Dear Lowndes County Commissioners,

With FERC’s recent instructions to Sabal Trail adding three more pipeline alternates that could go through Lowndes County, Lowndes has become even more of a key county regarding that pipeline. Please see the appended letter signed by many groups and individuals for resolutions and an ordinance that other counties have already passed.

Thanks,
John S. Quarterman, President, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. Continue reading

FL State Rep. Elizabeth Porter objects to FERC about Sabal Trail pipeline in karst limestone

Chris Mericle’s Florida state rep., Elizabeth Porter, who also attended the recent GA EPD briefing to SRWMD about Valdosta’s plans to fix its wastewater overflowes into the Withlacoochee River, just objected to FERC about Sabal Trail’s fracked methane pipeline (PDF). Chris and Deanna Mericle are our local hosts for the WWALS Withlacoochee and Suwannee River paddle past the pipeline 21 September 2014.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Representative Elizabeth Porter
District 10
Elizabeth.Porter@myfloridahouse.gov

Continue reading