DALTON, Ga. — Trillions of cubic feet of natural gas believed
to lie below the hills of northwest Georgia have remained virtually
untouched and unwanted — until now.
Shale gas drilling is slowing across the country, but a handful of
companies are poking around this corner of the state looking for the
next natural gas “play.” If they succeed, Georgia could join the
ranks of states reaping jobs, revenue and fears of environmental
damage from energy production, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has
learned….
In Alabama, the Conasauga shale field contains 625 trillion cubic
feet of gas, according to Bill Thomas, a geologist who taught at the
University of Kentucky and Georgia State. A similar amount could be
underground in Northwest Georgia, he added.
The sinkhole that formed under a man’s bed and pulled him in has
made a lot of news in Florida, plus another one a few miles away.
But the news seems to neglect why those sinkholes are forming.
Could it be the same reason sinkholes are forming in Lowndes County, Georgia?
And will the Lowndes County Commission do anything about that
before we see news about somebody here falling into a sinkhole?
Jeremy Bush just went to bed when he heard what sounded like a car
hitting the house. Then screams from his brother Jeffrey’s bedroom.
“Help me! Help me!”
Someone flipped the lights. Jeremy, 36, threw the door open,
revealing a sight that defied belief: The earth had opened beneath
his brother’s bedroom and was swallowing everything in it. The tip
of Jeffrey’s mattress was the only thing left, and it was sinking
into a churning sinkhole.
The Tampa Bay Times has a long series on what happened afterwards,
rescue workers who didn’t find him, the demolition of the house,
objects found, etc.
They never quite get around to saying why the sinkhole was there.
They first say
(Shelley Rossetter 2 March 2013),
The VDT had a small front page headline yesterday:
“Floridians warned about river contamination”.
That story was also heard in Florida, in
Madison, Gainesville, and elsewhere,
emphasizing something that Valdosta didn’t mention:
people live downstream of Valdosta’s wastewater spill,
all the way down the Withlacoochee and the Suwannee Rivers
to the Gulf of Mexico.
The story also made the AJC.
TALLAHASSEE- The Florida Department of Health (DOH) today issued a
caution to residents in the counties surrounding the Withlacoochee
and Suwannee rivers. The Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plant
in Valdosta, GA has overflowed into the Withlacoochee River, which
flows south, connecting with the Suwannee River.
After days of torrential rain, the same rain that caused the rivers
to flood, the sewage pump has been overwhelmed in the Meadow Brook
Subdivison just off Gornto Road.
“You know how bad it smells in a bathroom when someone goes in and
uses a public restroom. Multiple that ten times,” said Chad
Harrison, a local resident.
The whole area behind their houses is just covered in raw sewage.
Your boots sink down into it with every step. We’re talking
everything from human waste, to toilet paper, to hygiene products
and a whole other list of things that are just too graphic to
mention.
“Probably about 12 to 14 inches of raw sewage,” said Harrison. “It’s
just everywhere. It’s all up and down the creek. It’s all behind
everybody’s houses.”
There’s more in
the WCTV story,
such as that the city has included neighbors in meetings, but has not
yet changed anything.
The city’s PR about the flooding
says:
At approximately 1:30 p.m. today, March 3, the Withlacoochee
Wastewater Treatment Plant was brought online and returned to
normal operation, after a loss of function for only three days
compared to the nine days of complete loss of function experienced
in the flood of 2009. Today, the river receded to the point where
the temporary by-pass pumps could be connected to the existing
valves. The system was turned on, became fully operational and began
full treatment capabilities.
The installation of bypass pumps, pipes and valves to utilize in
the event of an emergency or act of God.
In 2009, the berm only protected the pump station, which did not
prevent flooding of the chemical building, the chlorine contact
building, the filters and the belt presses. The plant's
electrical system was destroyed in the flooded area and the filters
and belt presses were inoperable.
In this event, the electric system, chlorine cylinders, de-chlorination
system and all flooded areas were turned off to avoid the
damage that was experienced in 2009.
In this event, the biological, natural occurring bacteria that
are used in the treatment process were saved so that the system
could treat wastewater immediately when it was turned back on. In
2009, the natural occurring bacteria were washed out of the plant
as a result of the continuous pumping during the event.
In this event, the plant was fully operational in three days.
In 2009, the plant had a complete loss of function for nine days and
was not fully operational for over a month.
I know you are frustrated and pissed. My hope was with the info
below all could see the city has not just been idly sitting by. What
has been so frustrating for us is that our biggest problem is
outside of the city limits.
As discussed below, we are about 90% complete on the design for the
big force main project. Once completed it will eliminate the sewage
spills during high rain events in your neighborhood.
Just spoke with Larry Hanson and the WWTP is firing back up as we
speak. Soon you should start seeing the current spills end as the
system is brought fully back up and running.
Something I might add we could not have done so quickly had we not
taken the steps we did these past several days.
All, Gabe Fisher here—2420 Meadow Brook. I do not currently
have the time, nor mental capacity to fully think through this
issue, but I want you all to see what the sewer system is currently
doing to our backyards.
This video was taken today, in by backyard,
after the flood. It has been spilling at least at this same rate for
the last 7 days.
What the sewer system is currently doing to our backyards —Gabe Fisher
Video by Gabe Fisher, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 3 March 2013.
This contaminated water breached my crawlspace, around 24″ deep, and
must absolutely be dealt with ASAP. What is the city going to do for
me, and my neighbors who are in this same situation??
There is no other word for it—I am pissed. I have seen zero
results since the flood in 2009. Yes, maybe receiving 12″ inches of
rain is an act of God, but that does not account for all the man
made structures that force the flood waters higher at my location,
nor other obstacles it must overcome to quickly and efficiently
escape our area—such as the train trestle along Gornto. And it
absolutely does not account for the city’s poorly planned sewer
system..
This isn’t the first sewage spill since the flood of
2009—there have been countless others in my area. I have
photos and video evidence of at least 5 that would likely be
classified as ‘major’.
This cannot and will not be ‘swept under the rug’.. I am still
currently upside down on my property due to the flood of 2009 and
this current flood has only further degraded my property’s value.
Gabe
Looking at his address in the Lowndes County Tax Assessor’s maps,
and turning on Flood Map, Lakes and Rivers, and Aerial Photos,
you can see that his property and most of all his neighbors’
lots are in the flood plain:
Still more about the recent flooding and water issues in these
videos of the 7 March 2013 Valdosta City Council Regular Session,
by
City Manager
Larry Hanson,
Council
Robert Yost excoriated the VDT,
former City Engineer
Von Shipman defended the city.
Multiple citizens brought up issues of diversity
and
local government transparency.
