Tag Archives: US 84

Sabal Trail still leaking drilling mud into the Withlacoochee River at US 84 in GA 2016-11-12

Update 2016-11-22:

Update 2016-11-14: GWC Dirty Dozen Press Conference at US 84 Bridge with tour of Sabal Trail HDD 2016-11-16

Steve Patterson, Jacksonville.com, 14 November 2016, Gas pipeline project headed to Suwannee River leaks into Georgia waterway; sparks environmental worries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Turbidity curtains with human for scale (Chris Mericle) Hahira, GA, November 13th 2016 — Apparently Sabal Trail continues to leak drilling mud into the Withlacoochee River, three weeks after it admitted to GA-EPD that its pilot hole under the river had leaked up into the riverbed.

WWALS members Deanna and Chris Mericle went to the US 84 bridge between Quitman and Valdosta, Georgia, and walked up the river to the site, about 2000 feet upstream. You can clearly see the water inside Sabal Trail’s turbidity curtains is not the same color as the river water.

“I am so angry because this is what we said would happen and we were assured the rivers wouldn’t be affected because they were drilling under them. The head woman at FDEP said exactly that! We told them it was likely because of our karst geology and we got patronized and patted on the head. You can guarantee they will downplay it and just drill another hole. I am pissed,” said WWALS member Deanna Mericle, who drafted the WWALS petition for last year’s four-month legal case and three-day hearing in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP. Continue reading →

Sabal Trail preparing to drill under Withlacoochee River in Georgia 2016-10-05

Update 2016-10-23: Aerial photography and videos: US 84 HDD Withlacoochee River Sabal Trail 2016-10-22: what is that yellow thing in the river, and is that round thing you’ve marked a sinkhole?

Approved Access Road, CAUTION, No Trespassing, 30.7873010, -83.4457610 Where would you guess Southeast Directional Drilling is based? Nope: Arizona. And the TRW truck has a Texas license plate. So much for local jobs where Sabal Trail is preparing to drill under the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes and Brooks Counties, Georgia, between Valdosta and Quitman.

Here is a playlist of WWALS videos, followed by a google map, and still pictures: Continue reading →

Truck surveying at Withlacoochee River Lowndes County side

Follow this link for videos, more pictures, and a google map.

HDD equipment truck at Withlacoochee River Lowndes County Sabal Trail site

Follow this link for videos, more pictures, and a google map.

A wonderful Paddle on the Alapaha 2016-04-23

HWY 84 to Mayday.

What a great day for a paddle! The current was moving us along nicely, about 12 miles in just under 4 hours. It is a very beautiful stretch of river, very wild, many birds could be heard in the forest canopy.

cjm

This was the Hotchkiss Road to Mayday Outing.

More from Chris’s details in the Outings spreadsheet:

Hotchkiss road was washed out, put in at Naylor park property. Cut about .5 mile off of the trip.

Water level 85 on the Statenville gage. Was in the banks and moving quick. Would not recommend paddling at levels much higher than this.

Features: canopy over much of the river.

Flora: Tupelo, birch, oaks, pine, wild azalea. No invasive species seen.

Fauna: wood ducks, great egrets, kingfisher, heard- barred owls, hooded warblers, and many other birds.

Assessment: Very nice paddle. Very beautiful stretch of river

And a bit more from Chris:

Water level was high, much higher would not be recommended. Looking at the water level in comparison with the Safe Water Level criteria, Item 3 stood out. It became very apparent why it is important that you should be able to paddle against the current for a short distance. One of our paddlers needed a rescue and the only way to reach her was to paddle upstream.

-jsq

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

Flooding at Valdosta, 2016-04-04

Wondering why Valdosta is having an overflow problem? It was rain on Valdosta, and north of Valdosta.

US 84, Withlacoochee River

Not so much northwest on the Little River, nor even west on Okapilco Creek: Continue reading →

Alapaha River @ US 84 & CSX RR 2016-01-09

Chris Graham reported on facebook from the Alapaha River:

CSX Railroad bridge Here what the Alapaha River look like this afternoon near HWY 84 and CSX RR Track. Which it is high but it is going down tho.

The Alapaha was about 11.25 feet on the Statenville gauge at that time. Actually it kept going up. Today it’s at 13 feet.

We’ve been to that CSX railroad bridge before, Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River at US 84, 2015-08-28

Halfway between Quitman and Valdosta, the Withlacoochee River forms the border between Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Georgia.

Parking on the median on the east, Lowndes County, side, you can climb down the highway rocks and down a creek bed to the river. Continue reading →

Sabal Trail now aims to cross Withlacoochee River north of US 84

Drilling down in Brooks County, under the Withlacoochee River, 300x200 STA. 12189+00 TO STA. 12242+00, Withlacoochee River, US84, Brooks and Lowndes Counties, in Lowndes County, GA, by Sabal Trail Transmission, for WWALS.net, 14 August 2015 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 →