Tag Archives: Suwannee Riverkeeper

GA-EPD Rule Public Hearing with written comment period 2018-05-22

Sending written comments makes more sense than four hours to Atlanta Tuesday, May 22, 2018, for this two-hour Public Hearing on water quality rules changes.


Reed Bingham State Park Lake, site of the 6th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, Saturday April 28, 2018.

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO GEORGIA’S RULES FOR WATER QUALITY CONTROL

CHAPTER 391-3-6

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:

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Canoeing from the Little to the Chee by Burt Kornegay 2018-03-24

Received April 6, 2018, posted with permission. -jsq

When I called the Canoe Outpost on the Suwannee River in Florida to ask if they would give me a shuttle up to the Little River at Reed Bingham State Park, in Georgia, the woman on the other end said, “You want to start up there?” I told her my plan was to canoe the Little River from where it left Reed Bingham down to its confluence with the Withlacoochee, then follow the Withlacoochee to the Suwannee. “I’ve worked here 27 years,” she exclaimed, “and this might be the first!”

Spotted, Arriving
Photo: Kathy Hubbard of Burt Kornegay arriving at Troupville Boat Ramp, March 24, 2018.

It turns out that, although many paddlers ply the Withlacoochee and the Suwannee with their blades, the adjective “little” in the name Little River means, in part, little paddled.

I’d had this trip in mind for years, and one reason lies in that Continue reading →

Video: Valdosta resolution for Alapaha River Water Trail 2018-04-05

Not bad for a spring break agenda: Valdosta also passed a resolution for the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT), introduced by City Manager Mark Barber, moved by Council Vivian Miller-Cody, seconded by Tim Carroll, and approved unanimously.

Movie: 4.c. ARWT Resolution (2.7M), 4. Resolutions

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Strom, Inc. LNG export from Sabal Trail, Crystal River, FL via German Glauben Besitz LLC to Latin America

On its website stromsolutions.com since 2014: “Strom, pronounced with a long O (Ström) is the German word for current…. Strom is a proud Florida based corporation that intends to be a strong corporate partner to the State of Florida.” So why German?

LNG World News, 19 May 2015, Strom files for non-FTA export authorization with DOE
Photo: LNG World News, 19 May 2015, Strom files for non-FTA export authorization with DOE.

Strom, Inc. CEO Michael Lokey

The CEO of Strom, Inc. listed on various filings with the Department of Energy (DoE) Office of Fossil Fuels (FE) is Michael Lokey, who his LinkedIn profile went to Clemson University and has been involved in various ventures in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida area Continue reading →

Valdosta passed resolution for Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail 2018-04-05

As scheduled, the resolution was introduced by Valdosta City Manager Mark Barber, moved by Council Vivian Miller-Cody, seconded by Tim Carroll, and approved unanimously. Mayor John Gayle then volunteered that despite the empty seats, which he attributed to spring break, they did have a quorum with four Council members and the Mayor.

Here’s the video, followed by the resolution: Continue reading →

Troupville Cleanup, Little River, 2018-04-21

By permission of the landowners, WWALS will be cleaning up the site of Troupville, the previous county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia. Its nineteenth-century residents picked up everything and moved it when Valdosta was founded, so there’s not much to see but beautiful riverfront, in Between the Rivers LLC, down to the confluence of the Little River with the Withlacoochee River. Unfortunately, there is trash, which we will clean up. We hope to have some history experts explaining what used to be there.

This cleanup is in conjunction with Keep Lowndes Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB) The Great American Cleanup, and is part of Waterkeeper® Alliance Cleanup Week.

When: 8:30 AM – Noon, Saturday, April 21, 2018

Gather at: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602: on GA 133 off I-75 exit 18.
Park here to walk to the cleanup site.
No boat required, but if you want to bring a boat, you can put in here and paddle back.

GPS: 30.85131, -83.34743

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.

Free: This outing is free to everyone. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook, meetup

Lowndes County parcel 0057 003, Between the Rivers LLC
Site of Troupville at the confluence of the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, Lowndes County parcel 0057 003, Between the Rivers LLC

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Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2018-05-31

Update 2018-04-16: Tickets now available!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, GA, April 5, 2018 — WWALS Watershed Coalition (Suwannee Riverkeeper) announces a Wild & Scenic Film Festival at Mathis Auditorium in Valdosta as a natural extension of WWALS’ work to inspire people to act for fishable, swimmable, drinkable waters.

WSFF WWALS Logo, Graphics When: 7PM, Thursday, May 31, 2018

Where: Mathis Auditorium,
2300 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31602

Event: facebook, meetup

WWALS WSFF Poster,
To print this poster, use the PDF.

Tickets: Available at the door, and pre-sale tickets will be available soon are available online and on paper now.

What: Wild & Scenic focuses on films which speak to Continue reading →

WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting 2018-04-15

Event: facebook, meetup.

Meeting Notice
WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting
2-4PM, Sunday, 15 April 2018
Home of board member Eileen Box:
8576 66th Street Live Oak, FL 32060
Bring your own snacks to share.

BIG Little River Paddle Race, Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, Alapaha Quest, festivals, water trails, water quality monitoring, pipelines, phosphate mines, and more.

All WWALS members, especially committee members, are invited to attend, as is the general public.

All WWALS Board Members are expected to attend in person or by telephone.
The more done on the board list, the less time we’ll have to spend on them in this meeting.

Board Members:

* Executive Committee

The agenda will follow closer to the date. If you’ve got something you want us to discuss or vote on, let us know. And come on down! The more the merrier.

Especially if you’re thinking of joining a committee or the board, come see what we do.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Sabal Trail blowdown with no notice 2018-04-03

Update 2018-04-05: Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson noted yesterday: “Correction it was a FGT blowdown. Easy to be confused as Sabal Trail is in the same corridor and working on their pipeline too. And remember that SONAT gas pipeline is also in this same corridor. That’ll really be something else if and when all 3 gas transmission pipelines are being worked on simultaneously. I think it is also very disconcerting that pipeline companies do not have to inform the NRC (National Response Center) or PHMSA (Pipeline Hazard and Materials Safety Agency) when they do work on these explosive infrastructure corridors.”

See Where pipelnes already cross rivers into Suwannee County, Florida.

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson reported on facebook yesterday:

Sabal Trail has been doing a blowdown operation on the pipeline corridor and the Santa Fe River. That was what sounded like a jet airplane in the river community on Monday April 2, 2018.

Valve, Sabal Trail
Photo: Jim Tatum.

That sounds much like the FGT pipeline noise last month in Suwannee County near the Suwannee River.

Also similar: Sabal Trail’s FERC-required Informational Postings contain no Critical nor non-Critical notices about whatever it is they are doing now.

Where are the state and federal agencies that permitted Sabal Trail? Why have they not required notices to neighbors, local Fire Rescue, and the public?

This month, Graphs

Meawhile, Sabal Trail gas is up and down yet again. How can this pipeline be needed when it’s shut down half the time? Is its main function really to scare the neighbors?

This month, Graphs

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Burt Kornegay on the Little River 2018-03-24

Update 2018-04-10: Canoeing from the Little to the Chee by Burt Kornegay 2018-03-24.

[Phil Hubbard interviews Burt Kornegay] Very experienced retired outfitter Burt Kornegay from western north Carolina paddled the Little River from just below its one dam to the Withlacoochee and on to the Suwannee a week ago, and liked it a lot.

If you want a really good four-day canoe trip, put in right near Reed Bingham State Park at the highway 37 bridge. There’s an excellent put in right there. And spend four days canoeing down this river. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

That’s from somebody who has led expeditions all over the U.S., from the Grand Canyon to the Smokey Mountains, interviewed Saturday a week ago at Troupville Boat Ramp.

A happy paddler, Arriving

[A happy paddler]
A happy paddler

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