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TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,798
212
Seagrove
<rant mode on>
Between the county and lakefront owners, they just can't resist the temptation to open a lake.

My view is that if you build a fixed dock on a lake, any lake, it's your own problem if it's underwater or high and dry. The water level in lakes, both natural and manmade, WILL fluctuate. IMHO it's not the county's job to fix it.
<rant mode off>
 

Will B

Moderator
Jan 5, 2006
4,530
1,279
Atlanta, GA
The house closest to 30A on Stallworth Lake on the west end has a dock. It was at least 6 inches under water for a couple years. Never looked like it kept them from using it!
 

Carol G

Beach Fanatic
Jan 15, 2007
1,933
220
Point Washington
I've lived on Camp Creek Lake for several years and have witnessed the outfall through many stages. The county is still working on restoring it to the way it was before the oil spill two years ago. At that time (before the spill) the outfall meandered parallel to the shore at the foot (feet? ;) of the dunes for almost a mile, almost to Deer Lake SP boundary - it looked more like a small river. After the spill, this outfall river was totally bermed manually, and the remaining water dried up. A new, man-made trench was dug straight to the gulf, about where the Watersound red pedestrian bridge crosses the lake. This trench was also bermed manually, with two giant drainage pipes put in so the lake would retain the most natural level as possible. This was all done to protect the lake from any potential oil damage. After a year of that, last summer they removed the second berm (with the pipes) and the man-made trench became the new outfall, which periodically opened on its own. The first berm, blocking the natural, river-like outfall, was not removed until this past April, and the trench outfall leading directly to the gulf was bermed. It has been fun watching that old outfall re-fill this summer, and return to how it used to be. However, because of its length, and probably due to vegetation and other factors, it has not opened to the gulf naturally, and the lake is very, very high, covering the docks all around the lake. This is also risky and potentially damaging, and I'm glad to hear they opened it. I'll be walking down there tomorrow to check it out.

I hope this all made sense, it's been a long process and it sounds kind of confusing... I'm not a fan of people interfering with the lakes either, and I hate seeing those big tractors on the beach, but in this case it was all done with the best of intentions, with preserving the lake's purity and pristine setting always being the top priority. Personally, I'm proud to live in a place that has made such an effort to protect this unique ecosystem. Please ask me if you have any questions, I'll do the best I can to answer!
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
Thanks Carol! TS Debby added a lot of sand in places, including at the outflows so the lakes are going to be higher for awhile.
 

Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,861
8,295
Eastern Lake
Quite right. Debbie deposited a lot at Eastern Lake, and lake level is again approaching record levels.
 

Joyce Owen

SoWal Staff
Oct 8, 2007
168
7
SoWal.com
Well, not quite as quick as the OP suggested, but this morning we could see the lake had broken out. It had approached the highest mark since it was blocked during the BP spill.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
07/12/05 - South Walton County, Florida on Scenic 30A
http://www.sowal.com/photo-archive/photos-071205-b.html
Aftermath of Hurricane Dennis Page 2 - note: these photos are of some of the the worst damage found, and are not “fair and balanced”.
050712-dennis-162.jpg
WaterSound Beach at Camp Creek Lake - now you know why the beaches are relatively free of debris. There are several “pockets” along the beaches that catch debris. After Hurricane Ivan, WaterSound also caught much debris behind the condos. This time it entered the lake.
050712-dennis-169.jpg
050712-dennis-181.jpg
050712-dennis-210.jpg
 
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Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,861
8,295
Eastern Lake
Hey, isn't that my beach walkover I see in there?!:cool:
 
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