BAYOU GEORGE, Fl. – The environmental calamities continue in Florida’s Panhandle, where trees downed by Hurricane Michael in 2018 finally caught fire this month and burned across more than 34,000 acres before three separate blazes were contained.
Tag: Apalachicola
Posted inLatest News
Shoal bass caught in Chattahoochee River breaks 45-year state record
Another one for the records was caught in the Chattahoochee River near Columbus, an area known for big fish.
Posted inColumns
Tired of yard debris stacked on curbs? Consider repurposing it on site
Solutions to yard debris stacked along curbs in Atlanta include recycling much of the vegetation on site, and discarding only that which is inappropriate to store. Nature will benefit, according to advocates of natural cityscapes.
Posted inColumns
Endless water war: Army Corps still an issue in tri-state dispute
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was a factor but not a party in the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Georgia’s favor in the water war with Florida. The corps isn’t in the clear and the war isn’t thought to be over.
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Water wars: Metro Atlanta to fund $3.9 million for research to use in legal defenses
The big water war with Florida is over, but funding of a $3.9 million legal and research effort is moving forward to prepare for ongoing litigation over water use by metro Atlanta and Georgia.
Posted inColumns
Apalachicola region trying to recover after losing water war, oyster industry
PORT ST. JOE, Fl. – The jobs lost in the Apalachicola Bay’s shuttered oyster industry won’t be easy to replace. But green shoots are sprouting in the form of two new industries about 23 miles away.
Posted inColumns
Earth Day, BP gulf oil spill observed as new challenge emerges at Apalachicola Bay
Earth Day and the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This week’s recognition of these events occurs as polar opposite human interventions are unfolding around Florida’s Apalachicola Bay.
Posted inLatest News
In their own words: Supreme Court justices ponder Ga./Florida water war
For almost 66 minutes, U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday heard lawyers argue over Florida’s complaint that Georgia is to blame for the demise of the oyster fishery in Florida’s Apalachicola Bay.
Posted inColumns
Florida to close Apalachicola Bay to oystering; Supreme Court defers ruling on water war
Florida is poised to close Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting in a board vote slated for July 22. The move comes as the Supreme Court finished its year without ruling on the water war between Florida and Georgia.
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Sea level rise could erase gains Florida seeks in water war: New federal research
Sea level rise that a federal program predicts will inundate land far inland of Apalachicola Bay by 2060 could wipe away gains Florida hopes to gain in its water war with Georgia.
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Water war to end in 2020: Judge commends Georgia for conservation efforts
However the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case of the Georgia-Florida water war, Georgia’s basic framework for conserving water is already in place. The low-flow devices and practices put in place since 2002 were commended in a judge’s recommendation that the court dismiss Florida’s claim.
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Georgia prevails over Florida in advisory on water war; Florida’s Ag commissioner won’t back down
Georgia will not be required to release more water into Florida’s Apalachicola River if the U.S. Supreme Court abides by a report released Thursday by a special master appointed by the court to consider the case. Florida’s agriculture commissioner vowed to continue her state’s fight.
Posted inColumns
Gulf Coast oyster festival, resilience remain amid Hurricane Michael, water litigation
APALACHICOLA, FL. – The 55th Annual Florida Seafood Festival is still on for Friday and Saturday. Damage from deadly Hurricane Michael surrounding the town, and the never-ending litigation with Georgia over water flow to the bay, aren’t enough to stop a party that’s a way of life.
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Supeme Court sends Fla./Ga. water lawsuit back to special master for more consideration
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that the special master who considered the federal lawsuit Florida filed against Georgia over water flow from Georgia into Florida will gather additional information in the case before justices issue a final ruling. Justices determined the special master had applied too strict a standard with Florida’s claim that Georgia was hoarding water to the detriment of the Apalachicola River Basin.
Posted inColumns
Florida-Georgia before the Supreme Court: Three possible scenarios for outcome
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the water war litigation between Florida and Georgia is expected by June 30. The ruling is likely to follow one of three scenarios – including one the court followed last month in a water ruling that involves three western states.
Posted inColumns
Metro Atlanta’s drought: Far from Dust Bowl, but far from healthy
As the drought of 2016 extends into 2017, metro Atlanta remains under the same set of water restrictions that have been in place since November. Potential relief stems from forecasts of higher than average summer rainfall in north and central Georgia, as predicted by Accuweather forecasters.
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Man’s impact on Earth, Chattahoochee River waterways detailed in new report
For climate enthusiasts, a new federal report has it all – from discussion of climate change to rising sea levels, from job creation to the fate of a fish described as a living dinosaur.
Posted inLatest News
Fulton County plans to nearly triple capacity of its sewage plant in Woodstock
As lawyers argue in a Washington courtroom over the distribution of water between Florida and Georgia, Fulton County is preparing to nearly triple the amount of treated sewage it dumps into a river that flows into Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico.
Posted inColumns
Birds of a feather flock together in briefs filed in Florida/Georgia river basin lawsuit
APALACHICOLA, FL. – There are no surprises in the groupings of organizations that submitted “friend of the court” briefs in the federal lawsuit filed by Florida against Georgia to get more water out of the Chattahoochee River basin. The hearing began Monday.
Business interests stuck together. Environmental groups stuck together.
Posted inDavid Pendered
Snapshot of the case history
By David Pendered Florida filed a lawsuit against Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court after years of negotiations failed to resolve disputes over Georgia’s consumption of water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin. The hearing began Monday in a federal courthouse in Washington. Lawyers for both sides expect to take up to six weeks to present […]
