Sinkholes in
Seffner, Fort Myers,
Tallahassee,
and now even closer.
Follow the Withlacoochee River south to the Suwannee River,
and two counties south of us in Suwannee County, Florida,
they’ve got dozens of sinkholes,
one of them massive, with another one this month,
including apparently a cavern under some yards.
This is in the same Floridan Aquifer that underlies Lowndes County,
where we had
a road drop into a sinkhole three years ago
and sinkholes were discovered under a man’s garage and yard last year.
Mikell Cook says he and his neighbors have learned more about
Geology than they ever cared to since last summer when Tropical
Storm Debby swept through much of Florida leaving Live Oak and
surrounding areas peppered with sinkholes.
He and his neighbors live in the town of McAlpin, where
Even closer than
Tampa Bay
or
Fort Myers,
Tallahassee has sinkhole problems in our same Floridan Aquifer
just across the state line.
Will the Lowndes County Commission do anything about our sinkhole
problems before people start losing their insurance and get sucked
into holes in the ground?
Imagine living in a home you can’t insure, no one wants to buy and
it may not be safe.
A Tallahassee woman is currently facing that problem.
At first glance, her home in Tallahassee’s Mission Manor
neighborhood on the city’s northwest side doesn’t look much
different from any of the other homes in the neighborhood.
Then about two years ago, homeowner Vickie Gordon found a problem.
“I started noticing that the doors were getting stuck in the
bathroom, couldn’t open them,” said Gordon.
Then the issues became more noticeable.
Cracks started showing up all over the house.
After Gordon contacted her insurance company, investigators found
sinkhole activity at her home.
Men, women, children, babies in strollers, old folks with walkers,
dogs, and a large yellow chicken
in a time-lapse movie from the
wildlife camera Gretchen set up at the
Thirteenth Annual Azalea Festival yesterday,
plus other videos and stills, and WCTV.
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:
When officials act like they have something to hide, they often do….
Here’s George’s Open Records Request.
-jsq
February 7, 2013
George Boston Rhynes (229-251-8645)
5004 Oak Drive
Valdosta, Georgia 31605
TO: Valdosta-Lowndes County; South Georgia Regional Library
Director/Chair person along with Board Members Respectively, Georgia
News Media Outlets concerned about open government and the sunshine
brightness…
SUBJECT: An open records request on behalf of the general public
right to know…
Hearing a representative was in town, Gretchen took the LAKE video camera
down to the Chamber of Commerce.
Greg Gullberg of WCTV invited her to rebut Rep. Austin Scott (R GA-08)
in her role as Chair of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP).
After some back and forth,
the WCTV story
shows transparency winning, and Gretchen with the last word.
But their [sic] is one thing they both agree on.
“I quite honestly think both sides ought to put their budgets on
C-Span and maybe we ought to have those negotiations on C-Span,”
said Scott.
“So I’m all for having everything all out on the table for all
citizens to see,” said Quarterman.
Hardly-funded insurgents led by Haley Shank put a scare into turncoat south Georgia statehouse
incumbents.
What would happen with well-funded candidates?
Conversely, Jason Shaw (R-176) ran unopposed, perhaps because
he is the least offensive of the incumbents (he voted
against HB 1162
that put
the Atlanta-power-grab “charter school” amendment on the ballot,
although
he did vote for HB 797
that will funnel more of your local tax dollars to charter schools
imposed by Atlanta even if your school board doesn’t want them).
Other south Georgia statehouse incumbents, all Republicans, had
challengers, all Democrats.
All the challengers opposed Amendment 1.
Haley Shank did best, in District 173 against Darlene K. Taylor,
8,324 to 12,048 (40.86% to 59.14%).
Sinkholes in
Seffner, Fort Myers,
Tallahassee,
and now even closer.
Follow the Withlacoochee River south to the Suwannee River,
and two counties south of us in Suwannee County, Florida,
they’ve got dozens of sinkholes,
one of them massive, with another one this month,
including apparently a cavern under some yards.
This is in the same Floridan Aquifer that underlies Lowndes County,
where we had
a road drop into a sinkhole three years ago
and sinkholes were discovered under a man’s garage and yard last year.
