I still see EPA’s new Clean Water Rule
as a good thing, since it protects drinking water,
paddling, and fishing, while opponents remain quite vague about
what might be wrong with it.
After last year’s comment period, U.S. EPA has posted a prepublication version of its final Clean Water Rule.
Katie Shepherd, L.A. Times, 27 May 2015, Under new EPA rule, Clean Water Act protections will cover all active tributaries, Continue reading
GDOT and the Army Corps want to widen U.S. 84 from Homerville to Waycross.
Since it appears that US 84 is already four lane from Thomasville through
Quitman and Valdosta to Homerville, and from Waycross onwards northeast,
this would be the remaining gap.
The public notice says little or nothing about why this road work might be needed.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public Notice, 28 April 2015, SAS-2014-00862 (SP-WMR), Widening and Reconstruction of U.S. Highway 84, with PDF. Since that notice says it expires in a month, there’s also a copy of the PDF on the WWALS website, including this location information: Continue reading
Spilling sewage into the Withlacoochee River apparently wasn’t enough
for Valdosta: in February it also spilled three times into the
Alapaha River watershed.
At least once this was due to rains directly on Valdosta,
for which
the
levee proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers on Sugar Creek
at the Withlacoochee River wouldn’t help.
It’s time for Valdosta to move along with fixing its wastewater problems.
More transparency from Valdosta would also help.
And I, for one, would like to see that promised Corps flooding study
of the entire Suwannee River Basin.
In three different reports in February, Valdosta mentioned sewage overflows into either Knights Creek or Dukes Bay Canal, without mentioning that those flow into Mud Swamp Creek, which joins with Grand Bay Creek to form the Alapahoochee River, which joins the Alapaha River, which flows into the Suwannee River. The Florida Department of Health apparently didn’t know that, since it didn’t mention the Alapaha River in its advisories for counties downstream. But Valdosta should know, according to its own SWMP Update Phase 1 Final Report, Section 2 Methodology, 2011-01-14, that about half of Valdosta is drained by Knights Creek and Dukes Bay Canal: Continue reading
Someone referred to the mid-February Old Statenville Road spill in asking:
What’s happening in your watershed? This is the most recent of several sewage overflow issues I’ve been reading about.
Brief answer: this flooding issue is one of many reasons WWALS Watershed Coalition was formed; we’ve been on it since then; the City of Valdosta is being fixed the immediate problem; however there’s a much bigger problem throughout the entire Suwannee River Basin that the Army Corps of Engineers is studying.
Long answer:
This has been going on for years, especially starting with the
700-year flood in 2009, which overflowed the City of Valdosta’s
Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and backed up sewage
out of manholes, in addition to rivers and streams running over
roads and bridges; see this
USGS two-pager on that.
Larry Hanson, Valdosta City Manager, presented to Continue reading
A surprising number of the Board’s nine goals for 2014 have been accomplished, and some new ones have already been added. What goals should WWALS have for 2015?
Goals accomplished include
becoming an
IRS 501(c)(3)
and raising money for and purchasing
insurance.
Some we’ve been doing right along:
cleanups, including Rivers Alive.
Some are so much the core of what WWALS does that we
didn’t even list them as goals, but we’ve been doing them anyway:
monthly outings
and
indoor events.
The later-added goal of the Alapaha River Water Trail is Continue reading
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes some new rules to
clarify Clean Water Act protection.
Some people and organizations have concerns about that,
and the EPA has now responded to those concerns.
Comment periods are still open for you to provide input directly to EPA
about the proposed rule.
Here’s the EPA’s Waters of the United States Proposed Rule. EPA says clarification of the Clean Water Act was requested by a broad range of state, tribal, and local government agencies and elected officials and NGOs, ranging from AASHTO to the National Association of State Foresters. One of the two examples EPA cites of state enforcement problems is on the Flint River in Georgia:
Recreation in Lake Blackshear, Georgia
Continue reading
Comment on facebook 10 May 2014 and he told me the same by telephone.
It is clear a full watershed wide study must be completed before any decisions can be made.
As established in this first study—The City of Valdosta is the recipient-not the origin- of the flood waters. While it confirms what we already knew, my job is to try and keep the ball rolling forward. Engage congressional leaders, secure funding and find long term, sustainable solutions that benefit all communities within the watershed basin. A levee by itself is not the answer.
–Tim Carroll
This was a comment on Videos: Flooding study by Army Corps of Engineers @ VCC 2014-05-06, which was about the initial study that was confined to Valdosta, and in which the Corps proposed a levee at the mouth of Sugar Creek, above the Withlacoochee River. To their credit, the Corps were clear that they also want a long-term watershed-wide study (they want to do the entire Suwannee River drainage area), and one of the main conclusions of the initial study was:
This report established that there could be Federal interest in pursuing future flood management risk studies undre other USACE authorities.
-jsq
Board meetings are open to the public.
Board members are listed in
www.wwals.net.
Draft Agenda
WWALS Board of Directors
7:00 PM Wednesday May 14 2014
at the Gaskins Forest Education Center,
3359 Moore Sawmill Rd,
Alapaha, GA 31622
Gate opens at 6PM.
- Call to Order, Welcome and Introductions
Speaker: Heather Brasell may say a few words about the Gaskins Forest Education Center.
- Agenda Review: Additions and Changes
- Review and Approval of Minutes
- Past Meetings and Events Continue reading
Related to the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail
and the
double USACE flooding study presentation tonight in Valdosta,
here are river level charts
upstream and down on the Little River,
Okapilco Creek, and the Withlacoochee River
related to a new USGS flood-tracking chart.
In the example charts on the right, you can see the Little River peaked days ago at Tifton and yesterday at Hahira.
The Withlacoochee River peaked yesterday at US 41. while downstream it’s going up at US 84, and barely starting up at Pinetta (click on the above chart example for the rest). Right now you can see all that in the charts below. If this works, you’ll see something different later, because you’ll see current charts whenever you refresh this page.
Update 2016-05-31: See sea level gage reports.
Update 2016-04-27: graphs from water.weather.gov and some WRWT Safe Water Levels.
Update 2014-11-04: Simplified gage formatting.
Update 2014-11-03: That works, and see also Alapaha River water levels.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Received today. -jsq
Good afternoon Mr. Quarterman,
As requested, the date for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Continue readingpresentation will be on May 6th to Mayor/Council at the work session which begins at 5:30 pm. The City will also have a meeting with the residents and businesses in the USACE project / study area that same night at 6:30 pm at the City Hall Annex – Multipurpose Room.
