There’s good news in response to the weekly open records request from WWALS to Valdosta: all stations reporting are well within the Georgia state limit for bacterial levels. There’s also some puzzling news.
The puzzling news is that Continue reading
Join us as we camp two nights and paddle the Upper Suwannee River, between the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Fargo, Georgia, around Griffis Fish Camp, on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail.
When: 4:00 PM, Friday, February 15, 2019, Camping, Griffis Fish Camp
Put In:
Gather 8AM, launch 9AM, Saturday, February 16, 2019, Griffis Fish Camp to Fargo Boat Ramp
Gather 8AM, launch 9AM, Sunday, February 17, 2019, Suwannee River Sill to Griffis Camp
GPS: for Griffis Fish Camp: 30.782505, -82.4436
Take Out:
Friday camping,
Saturday take out at Fargo,
Sunday take out at Griffis Camp.
Bring: a tow rope and the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) per day for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
Recieved a few minutes ago via email as a PDF.
Madison, Fla. —The Florida Department of Health in Hamilton and Madison counties have lifted a health advisory issued on December 17, 2018. The city of Valdosta, Georgia reported a large spill of untreated sewage that overflowed into the Withlacoochee River. The advisory urged individuals not to come into contact with the Withlacoochee River along the Hamilton and Madison County borders.
Water samples taken by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Health indicate Continue reading
The irony: Valdosta’s warning sign is still up at Troupville Boat Ramp after its six spills weekend before last, yet Valdosta’s own weekly water quality testing stations almost all measured below the state limits for Fecal coliform and E. coli.
The exception was at Continue reading
Last time for 76 years, until 2094: full moon the day after the Winter Solstice; this was the monthly WWALS full moon paddle at Banks Lake.
![[Picture moon, 18:08:17, 31.0229025, -83.1065178]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2018-12-22--banks-lake-solstice-moon-paddle/20181222_180817.jpg)
Picture moon, 18:08:17, 31.0229025, -83.1065178
It was cold, but six of us got a paddle full of bats, moss, trees, sunset, full rising moon, and birds, including flocks of sand hill cranes. Continue reading
Not just Valdosta: Tifton spilled two places, and Quitman one, in the most recent rains. Those cities were not in the data available online from GA-EPD yesterday, but they are in the online data today.
But Valdosta spilled the most sewage and from the most locations: six places, not just the one Valdosta told the public. Plus we finally have a total for the previous WWTP spill, and all the others from the beginning of December, and those totals are not pretty.
Photo: Julie Bowland, of Valdosta sewage spill sign at Troupville Boat Ramp, 21 December 2018.
That Valdosta sewage spill sign is stuck loosely into a hole WWALS dug to plant our Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT) signs, which someone has yet again pulled up and thrown into the river, but I digress….
First let’s look at the city people in Florida ignore: Tifton, Georgia, the second largest city in the Suwannee River Basin (that’s right: in both Georgia and Florida). Tifton had Continue reading
Despite Bernard McNamee’s statement early in the meeting that his agenda was to listen, FERC didn’t seem to want to hear me mention Sabal Trail’s leaks or their lack of LNG oversight yesterday. More on that later. Meanwhile, here is the letter I sent FERC Wednesday 19 December 2018 via PDF as FERC Accession Number 201812195184, Sabal Trail Hildreth Compressor Station Leak 2018-09-29, Supplemental Information / Request of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. under CP15-17, et. al.
December 19, 2018
To: Chairman Neil Chatterjee and Commissioners
Cheryl A. LaFleur, Richard Glick, Kevin J. McIntyre, and Bernard L. McNamee
Cc: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE, Room 1A
Washington, DC 20426
Via email and e-filing
Re: Sabal Trail Hildreth Compressor Station Leak 2018-09-29
FERC Commissioners and Secretary,
Sabal Trail already leaked, despite years of safety assurances by Sabal Trail and FERC.
We only know about this leak at Continue reading
Update 2021-09-11:
New URL for GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report:
https://epd.georgia.gov/watershed-protection-branch/sewage-spills-report
Well, this is a welcome Christmas present, GA-EPD!
Online posting of the statewide Georgia spreadsheet of sewage spills:
https://epd.georgia.gov/sewage-spills-report
Sewage Spills Report
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) provides information on municipal and industrial sewage spills reported to EPD. The list covers the most recent 30-day period and is updated each business day.
Note: A “zero” in the quantity field indicates Continue reading
Sent today via email as PDF. -jsq
December 19 , 2018
To: Director James Urisko < James.Urisko@dot.gov >, 404-832-1150
Southern Region Office
PHMSA Office of Pipeline Safety
233 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 600
Atlanta, GA 30303
Cc: Community Liaisons:
James A. Kelly < James.Kelly@dot.gov >, 404-990-1848
Arthur Buff < Arthur.Buff@dot.gov >, 404-226-6153
Re: Sabal Trail Map and Hildreth Compressor Station Leak 2018-09-29
Dear Director Urisko,
On November 13, 2018, I sent you a list of sixteen questions about Sabal Trail’s leak at its Hildreth Compressor Station in Suwannee County, Florida, on September 29, 2018.
The only response I have received was Continue reading
Once again, Valdosta sewage spills prompt Florida Health Department warnings for the Withlacoochee River.
Map:
USGS Streamer.
There is nothing on the websites of the Health Departments of Hamilton or Madison Counties. I found this on the facebook page of the Madison County Florida Board of County Commissioners. It’s also on the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, “Posted on behalf of the Florida Dept of Health Hamilton”.
December 17, 2018
HEALTH OFFICIALS IN HAMILTON, MADISON COUNTY ADVISE OF POSSIBLE WASTEWATER CONTAMINATION IN THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER HEALTH
Possible Impacts from Valdosta, GA Wastewater Overflow Continue reading