Draper Lake outfall breach - story and photos

[NotDeadYet]

I've seen the lakes opened several times by people using their hands. I've also heard that it's illegal, but I can't find anything in Statute to back it up. Does anyone have specific Statute they can help point me to?

If you call the county environmental planner and ask, I am sure they will have it handy. I know the county itself has to have a permit from the DEP to open the lake outlets in an emergency, like after a hurricane. It's probably in Florida Statute 161 somewhere, that is the beach and shore preservation statute. There is a sign posted down at the Eastern Lake outlet, but I can't remember if the citation is on the sign.

 

[mikecat adjuster]

I had heard of this happening to Draper, which to me always looks low when I pass it on the road. But it definately made me wonder about eastern and western lakes where so many people play in the dune lake section.

I've seen eastern lake go up and down several times since I moved here and I assumed it had broken through a few times. On the 'Eastern Lake Trail' where there is a picnic table, I've seen the lake get really high, then the next day you can see the 'ditch' or 'channel' that winds into the lake.

So, how often does Eastern typically drain out?

 

[scooterbug44]

Where the hell were the parents in this situation?

First the kids were doing something obnoxious, then something illegal, then they were doing something so dangerous it required them being rescued! :angry:

 

[SoWalSally]

From Walton Sun - Draper Lake breach creates momentary panic for beach goers

“It looked like a very dangerous situation for anyone concerned,” said beachgoer and local resident Glenda Moore.
Moore was one of several witnesses to a breach of Draper Lake on July 17 that swept several children into the Gulf of Mexico.
“Just the power of the water – it’s something that concerns me because of the safety (and not enough warnings posted).”
According to Moore, several children had to be assisted to shore after the force of the coastal dune lake’s outflow swept them more than 150 yards from shore.
A kayaker was able to get to two boys before South Walton Fire District lifeguards could respond.
“A lifeguard had been summoned when it first broke through, but the water was so forceful he couldn’t do anything,” said Moore.
Coastal dune lakes are known for their outflows into the Gulf. When high water creates signifi cant pressure, the lakes can break through walls of sand and create a very wide river that connects the two bodies of water.
According to the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance Web site, Gulf water is fed into the sand and gravel aquifer filled lakes until the damming sands can no longer contain them. In one of the most majestic displays of nature, the lake water bursts through the dunes emptying into the Gulf.
But breaches aren’t always as signifi cant as this one, said SWFD Deputy Chief Sean Hughes.
“This is the fi rst time we’ve encountered a call for this,” he said. “I think it was more of a surprise than anything (for the kids washed out). It’s all well and good unless you’re standing in it.”

 

[30A Skunkape]

Class III rapids, one more reason we have the best beaches on Earth!

 

[Rather B Paddlin]

How low did the lake get? Any pictures of the outfall of lake this week?

 

[ljp]

"Any excavation seaward of the coastal​

construction control line (CCCL), to

include opening or alteration of coastal
dune lake outfalls, is PROHIBITED
without possession of a valid permit
pursuant to Chapter 161 of the
Florida Statutes.​

Violations are punishable by fines

and other administrative penalties."​

 

[scooterbug44]

Did they issue fines? Seems there were plenty of witnesses they could have asked to identify the culprints! ;-)

 

[GoodWitch58]

Where the hell were the parents in this situation?

First the kids were doing something obnoxious, then something illegal, then they were doing something so dangerous it required them being rescued! :angry:

they might have been with the other parents: sleeping, reading, oblivious...that's what I see on the beach when 4 year olds are in waves that are knocking them down. Makes me crazy!

 

[DavidD]

My wife and kids witnessed some men do this with little sand shovels at Deer Lake last summer. The men were unaware and suprised at how the little canal quickly opened itself up into a huge flooding break. Almost immediately sharks gathered in the surf to feed at the nutrient rich water.
I wish that everyone could be forced to learn about this phenomenon and the laws (and the flag system, and sand holes, and turtle nests, and lights on the beach, and everything that makes our ecosystem special).