Is this illegal?

[TreeFrog]

When the Eastern Lake outlet first opened after the summer rains, I believed the cause to be natural. The lake water level was high and very close to breaking through the low beach dune for a week or two before it actually opened.

It stopped flowing about a week or 10 days later, but it was still close to the beach. One day about 2 or 3 weeks ago, I found it open again. The new outlet looked a little suspicious, as it was just a straight cut through the low sand mound at the water level. The was even some sand piled up on the edges of the cut, as though left there by digging out a trench.

The lake flowed out slowly until the storm early this week. The waves and wind dumped a huge amount of sand in the outlet, closing it conclusively.

THIS MORNING

I was disappointed but not terribly surprised to see that someone has been trying to dig out a trench to start the lake flowing again. They made it about 1/4 of the way to the beach and then either gave up or left it to finish later. Sorry, I don't have photos - didn't have my camera with me on my walk.

Eastern Lake homeowner? Kids, innocent or vandal? Someone in an official position quietly "helping" a friend?

SO...

-Is it illegal?
-Who is the proper authority? Will they care?

 

[Beachmom]

I'm confused, do you want it open and flowing or not

 

[Kurt]

In the past it's usually people playing or homeowners' with docks underwater. If it's close enough to be dug by hand it's ignored.

 

[Mango]

I believe it is illegal. We encountered a similar situation near a beach walk where drainage was installed on wetlands that filled with water. It was so nice at night listening to all the frogs and seeing the fireflies. Now there is a for sale sign :shock: on the land and it all dry.
A neighbor who lives in the area fulltime told me that permission was granted by a former Commissioner, but technically it was not legal. They told me that now it is a State issue I believe with the DEP. I am not a lawyer and do not know all the regulations, just stating what I heard.

 

[shakennotstirred]

I was staying in Gulf Trace years ago & some tourist on the beach was attempting to redirect one of the outflows. Some official looking person came & made him stop & threatened to haul him off to jail.

 

[TreeFrog]

I'm confused, do you want it open and flowing or not

My personal opinion is that it should be open if it wants to be, closed if it wants to be. I'd suspect these lakes worked just fine for hundreds of years before we all showed up.

I imagine my opinion doesn't match that of homeowners who built their docks too close to the lake's high-water level.

 

[TreeFrog]

In the past it's usually people playing or homeowners' with docks underwater. If it's close enough to be dug by hand it's ignored.

Would you call 50 yards close? That's about how far the hand-dug trench will have to go to connect to the gulf.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Would you call 50 yards close? That's about how far the hand-dug trench will have to go to connect to the gulf.

As I previously mentioned, it doesn't require payment of $150,000 to open up any of the Lakes around here.

 

[Beachmom]

My personal opinion is that it should be open if it wants to be, closed if it wants to be. I'd suspect these lakes worked just fine for hundreds of years before we all showed up.

I imagine my opinion doesn't match that of homeowners who built their docks too close to the lake's high-water level.

OK, I was just currious, we don't live on Eastern Lake, but very close. I love to see it flowing, but it seems to me that no matter what "we" do, nature will do what it wants to.

 

[Smiling JOe]

OK, I was just currious, we don't live on Eastern Lake, but very close. I love to see it flowing, but it seems to me that no matter what "we" do, nature will do what it wants to.

True, but often times, nature takes years to change what man changes in a matter of minutes.