photos - Blue Mountain Beach access - 7/28/05

Well, it's official. The beaches are ruined forever. Brilliant work, Walton County! :pissed:

Wow. That is.. ugly.
From reading the decision to use the darker sand, it looks like they recommend covering it with three feet of white sand?
Will that really happen?

From Walton Sun:

As dump trucks continued to haul loads of dark sand to the beach at Blue Mountain, residents lined up on one side or the other.
?I am dismayed at the dark sand that is being dumped on the beach at the (County) Highway 83 Regional Beach Access in Blue Mountain Beach,? said Blue Mountain Beach resident Richard Fowlkes. ?Every tourist I have talked to feels the same. Most people that do not live on the beach question what is going on at our beaches. We are into our third day of constant dumping?
Fowlkes referred to a growing mountain of dark red sand that had been dumped at the access for projects to help beachfront homeowners shore up their property.
The sand does not come close to the color that was part of the white sand ordinance. Fowlkes was involved with the recent approval of that ordinance and said the ordinance is not bad, ?but the implementation of it is.?
?That sand does not comply with the color approved then,? he said.
Fowlkes said he is concerned about beachfront property owners, but putting darker sand on the beach will not only change the color of the sand, he said, but also the color of the water.
However, another Blue Mountain Beach resident, Lillian Torey expressed concern that stopping the projects would leave homeowners unprotected in the event of future storms.
Torey said she, her husband, Randy, and others in their community were working with the Department of Environmental Protection to get approval to shore up their property.
?I?m concerned about folks with homes on the beach that have already been damaged,? Torey said. ?There are four storms out there right now.?

I am completely horrified and stunned.

I thought the variance was an "Emergency Measure to be used cautiously to shore up critically endangered homes and help out devastated gulf front owners". Not a license "Indiscriminately to strew dark sand all over the place and allow people to tramp all over it so they can get easily to the beach".

Someone should be thrown out of office.

Seems like we have widespread panic and the county has thrown up its hands. It's almost as if they are furious and humiliated by the state DEP (who dares to use caution, conservation, and my OH MY GOD - SCIENCE!), so they are thumbing their collective noses and turning a blind eye to what's happening on the beaches.

There are all sorts of crazy retaining walls going up. They're supposed to be temporary but I'm sure will get covered up - until the next storm that is. Imagine 4,000,000 tons of lumber, steel curtains, and who knows what else covering SoWal beaches. :!: :!: :!:

Such a mess is being made that anyone opposed to dredging will have to give in just to cover the mess.

In reference to SoWal Beaches Forum - View Single Post - Dennis - official notices and info, which Munsell color chart are they referring to? The sand in the photo is startlingly dark. And I had no clue before reading this thread that the dark sand would change the color of the water, too. :bang:

http://www.sowal.com/photos-072805.html

I've never seen anything so horrible in SoWal. I'm speechless. :(

This is so sad :(

That dirt looks like South Alabama topsoil. What the hell are they thinking. I guess not only tourist remove their thinking caps. I wonder if people should build elsewhere?

In reference to http://www.sowal.com/bb/showpost.php?p=11054&postcount=55, which Munsell color chart are they referring to? The sand in the photo is startlingly dark. And I had no clue before reading this thread that the dark sand would change the color of the water, too.

Here is a graphic of Munsell scale values (hue and chroma are also important but aren't talked about much here):
http://www.sowal.com/bb/showpost.php?p=11057&postcount=56

Some background:

http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=684&highlight=munsell

http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=885&highlight=non-white

http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/pvg/munsell.htm

That dirt looks like South Alabama topsoil. What the hell are they thinking. I guess not only tourist remove their thinking caps. I wonder if people should build elsewhere?

The soil in the photos, deposited on Blue Mountain Beach, is coming from a 20 acre pit off Hwy 83, north of DeFuniak Springs.

When I first saw this, I was shocked. In an earlier post, I read that they got permission to use non white sand but that is ridiculous. Obviously, they went and bought the cheap stuff. Hopefully they are only planning to use this "dirt" to backfill and fortify the foundations of the homes and not spread it on the beach?

Are they spreading this stuff on the beach? If they get the addl $16M needed to complete restoration, I hope they plan on getting some of the white sand. State and Federal money are available and I hope they use it properly. Yuk.

Some background:

http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=684&highlight=munsell

http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=885&highlight=non-white

http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/globe/pvg/munsell.htm

Thanks. I googled Munsell, and the only links I found were those selling books of Munsell charts (there are different types, even a Munsell soil color table) for over $100 a pop.

Exactly - hue and chroma appear to be very important factors. The last link is very informative. Thanks again.

Okay, Kurt. Whom do we call, write, harass? Whose decision is this, exactly, so we can reinforce the idea that this is a hideous "solution"?

Okay, Kurt. Whom do we call, write, harass? Whose decision is this, exactly, so we can reinforce the idea that this is a hideous "solution"?

I have already emailed the county commisioners. I would like to email Brad Pickel as well if anyone has his address.

Makes no sense to me. Brown sand? Protecting what? Why? Building on sand should not be allowed anywhere, anytime!!!!

The sugar white sand of the Walton County beaches has distinguished the area from every other gulf community and should be cherished, not trashed! :pissed:

I have already emailed the county commisioners. I would like to email Brad Pickel as well if anyone has his address.

I just emailed too. Here is the list of commissioner addresses, for your convenience: prikenneth@co.walton.fl.us, brascott@co.walton.fl.us, meacindy@co.walton.fl.us, jonlarry@co.walton.fl.us, cucro@co.walton.fl.us

I attached a copy of Kurt's photo, because it's worth about a million words. Thanks Kurt.

Who is Brad Pickel?

I have already emailed the county commisioners. I would like to email Brad Pickel as well if anyone has his address.

Brad wanted white sand used. He was ignored. :confused: