Drilling down in Brooks County, under the Withlacoochee River,
the CSX Railroad,
and Old Quitman Highway, surfacing in Lowndes County, Sabal Trail has moved its proposed Withlacoochee HDD crossing upstream.
The actual river crossing appears to be at about
30.795273, -83.452722.
This is all according to Continue reading
Thirty-day comment periods closing 12 August 2015 to comment on
the US 84 widening project, say
two Public Advisories from GA-EPD Watershed Protection Branch.
One is in
the Satilla River watershed, about
“two existing open water ponds
(outflowing into jusrisdictional[sic] wetlands associated with Lees Branch)”:
those ponds are next to the groundwater-contaminating CSX railyard in Waycross.
One is in
the Upper Suwannee River watershed, about
“three existing open water ponds
(outflowing into jusrisdictional[sic] waters associated with Greasy Creek and the CSX railroad)”.
Maybe the
Southern Environmental Law Center letter
to GDOT and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got some results,
although these advisories are from a different state agency.
The Upper Suwannee one starts at Continue reading
This paragraph sums it up:
The project’s stated purpose in the EA is “economic development,” as part of the Governor’s Road Improvement Program created in the 1980s. See EA at 4. The NEPA regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) require agencies to examine the indirect impacts of projects — those growth-inducing impacts caused by a project, such as changes in land use and development patterns. 40 C.F.R. § 1508.8(b). Yet over and over, when purporting to examine the project’s potential for indirect impacts on various natural resources, the EA repeats, “The proposed project is not expected to precipitate substantial development along the corridor.”
Other questions include, why not use a narrower median? Why not leave trees on the median?
Below is the full text of the letter 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
Thanks to the Lowndes County Commission and staff, here’s a look
at what they’re planning for the new boat ramp and park on the
Alapaha River just north of US 84.
Below are videos of discussion about these plans
in several recent Commission meetings.
This boat ramp and park is already on the map for the
Alapaha River Water Trail,
and I have thanked the Commission for moving along to get it established;
see below. Continue reading
For fishing in Brooks County, GA, try
Bowen Mill Pond, west of Quitman.
Heading west on US 84, turn right on Barwick Road between the Harveys and the Rite Aid, or right on Shiver Road.
Then turn left on Dry Lake Road, and eventually turn left on Bowen Mill Pond road.
You’ll see the pond on your right after a while.
Or, if you don’t mind dirt roads, turn off of US 84 onto Few Lane, immediately left onto Hassell Road, and when it curves to the right you’ll see the pond on your left.
Or keep going on US 84 until you see the tiny concrete marker Continue reading