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PC

Beach Lover
Aug 15, 2005
113
10
TN
Looks like they just opened up draper lake and it has spreaded west towards eastern lake, what a nice tea colored tinge the ocean has now and on our last day at the beach to, figures :bang::bang::bang::bang:

Dunelaker, we must have saw each other yesterday at eastern lake.
 

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,644
1,773
Draper Lake isn't like to be opened by the County, Eastern Lake would be much further east of it. Deer Lake would be closest to Eastern Lake and it is slightly west of Deer Lake, but the County doesn't have a permit to open it, so if it opened, it was probably just due to nature.
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,862
9,670
Deer Lake does a pretty good job on it's own since it's outflow area hasn't been tampered with.
 

TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,793
214
Seagrove
Deer Lake does a pretty good job on it's own since it's outflow area hasn't been tampered with.


Eastern will open on its own, too. I agree with DuneLaker, wish they would just let it do that.

Does anybody really know if the county actually monitors the lake level and opens it on their own decision?

I've always assumed they opened it when someone called because their dock was underwater. Wrong reason, but permissible in the current system, it seems.

<rant mode on>
Am I the only person who thinks it shows a lack of common sense to build a non-floating dock on a lake that can be expected to fluctuate in level? And a second offense for the county to cater to the previously-mentioned owner?
<rant mode off>
 

lauraisren

Beach Crab
Nov 5, 2008
1
0
Looks like they just opened up draper lake and it has spreaded west towards eastern lake, what a nice tea colored tinge the ocean has now and on our last day at the beach to, figures

the color is from tannins, totally natural, just like a black water river
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,862
9,670
TreeFrog I totally agree with you.

From what I understand the county only opens it when the lake hits the trigger point and someone calls.

What still kills me is the constant talk of a budget crisis, but the county will drop everything and send out a whole crew to open the lake because someones dock and/or petunias are threatened by (gasp) water.
 

DuneLaker

Beach Fanatic
Mar 1, 2008
2,643
521
Eastern Lake Est., SoWal, FL
Merry Christmas! Over the past several months the county has opened and opened and opened Eastern Lake. In the last weeks the result was in a strong bend to the East with almost cliff like sand walls. Last night, Mother Nature came in, filled it all in and pushed sand and moved the opening back west. Nice walk on beach this morning. Waves are still pounding. Even with low tide some wash over into lake. Down side is with rain and wave action, some will be calling for another forced opening. The trigger point really needs to be reviewed and raised, much less followed. The whole process needs to be reviewed, imho. Another odd thing in lake this morning. There was a floating island of fragmata (sp). It was up by the outfall around 8 a.m. and had moved well into the lake by 8:30a.m. Not sure where it came from or where it will end up.
 

TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,793
214
Seagrove
Merry Christmas! Over the past several months the county has opened and opened and opened Eastern Lake. In the last weeks the result was in a strong bend to the East with almost cliff like sand walls. Last night, Mother Nature came in, filled it all in and pushed sand and moved the opening back west. Nice walk on beach this morning. Waves are still pounding. Even with low tide some wash over into lake. Down side is with rain and wave action, some will be calling for another forced opening. The trigger point really needs to be reviewed and raised, much less followed. The whole process needs to be reviewed, imho. Another odd thing in lake this morning. There was a floating island of fragmata (sp). It was up by the outfall around 8 a.m. and had moved well into the lake by 8:30a.m. Not sure where it came from or where it will end up.


Absolutely and completely agreed. They dig it out entirely too often, basically every time it rains.

I often wonder if it wouldn't stay open longer and drain better if it had the natural, winding opening of the other lakes. The straight opening that the county dredges just fills in the next time we have waves at high tide. Maybe we should look into a project to define and cut a more natural opening. And then, just leave it alone for a while and see how it works.
 
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30A Television

Beach Lover
Jun 17, 2008
178
42
www.30atelevision.com
Maybe just leave it alone altogether. Whatever natural activity originated long before BCC.... entirely too often natural occurances are interfrerred with in the name of saving something or altering to mans wishes. The more we mess with nature the less it becomes...... nature
 

TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,793
214
Seagrove
Maybe just leave it alone altogether. Whatever natural activity originated long before BCC.... entirely too often natural occurances are interfrerred with in the name of saving something or altering to mans wishes. The more we mess with nature the less it becomes...... nature

That's basically what I'm proposing. But, we already know from experience that the current straight opening will fill and stay blocked for a long time. Leading to yet another call to the county.

Does anyone have any old photos from when Eastern Lake still had its natural outlet?
 
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