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

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

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.

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!

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.

Include a link to this page when you write so that your recipient has a reference: http://www.sowal.com/photos-072805.html

As always, Kurt has a link for contacts:
http://www.sowal.com/links.html

County Administrator - Ronnie Bell, Administrator, belronnie@co.walton.fl.us

Planning & Development - Pat Blackshear, Director, blapat@co.walton.fl.us

County Commissioners:

? Dist. 1 -Scott Brannon, (850) 622-3081, brascott@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 2 - Kenneth Pridgen, (850) 834-6328, prikenneth@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 3 - Larry Jones (850) 892-8474, jonlarry@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 4 - Ro Cuchens, (850) 835-4834 cucro@co.walton.fl.us

? Dist. 5 - Cindy Meadows, (850) 622-3059 meacindy@co.walton.fl.us


________________________________________

A better strategy might be to send your message to:

Governor Jeb Bush
Phone: 850/488/7146
Fax: 850-487-0801
jeb.bush@myflorida.com

Colleen Castille
Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection
850-245-2118
Colleen.Castille@dep.state.fl.us

Dick Fancher
DEP Northwest Regulatory District Director
850-595-8300
Dick.Fancher@dep.state.fl.us

Michael Barnett
DEP Beaches and Coastal Systems Bureau Chief
850-488-7808
Michael.Barnett@dep.state.fl.us


ALSO FWS:

Lorna Patrick
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
850-769-0552 ext.229
lorna_patrick@fws.gov

Robbin Trindell, Ph.D.
Biological Administrator, Bureau Of Protected Species Management
850-922-4330
robbin.trindell@fwc.state.fl.us

Dean Gallagher
Environmental Specialist, Bureau Of Protected Species Management
850-922-4330
dean.gallagher@fwc.state.fl.us

Awesome, Sally. Thanks. :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: More letters going out shortly.

See this link http://southwaltoncc.org/dennis.pdf. This is the press release or info letter from July 21st. It spells out the plan for restoration, what they have approved (diff colors of sand), and the guidelines of use of the non white sand. I suggest that we use these guidelines and the exact words that are in this 7/21 communication to insure that what is happening on the beach is what has been set in these guidelines. This is critical in communicating with the County folks.

Also, see the brown sand thread at on this board at http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=885&highlight=sand.

I hope these links work or maybe Kurt can help if they don't.

Brad Pickel, Director of Beach Management at the TDC, can be emailed at <bpickel@beachesofsouthwalton.com>.

A little history on this dark sand that is coming from a pit in the northern part of the county. Most residents along Blue Mountain Beach are doing their best to bring in sand that complies with the intent of the new lowered white sand standards the county commission adopted. I applaud that effort. Residents need to be able to protect their property as soon as possible. We have been told there is no shortage of sand that is a 6.2 or better on the Munsell Scale. That is why the number was chosen by the county commissioners.

Walton County Commissioner Ro Cuchens was key in lowering our standards from 8.0 to 6.2. Cuchen?s dock and piling company applied for and received a blanket permit from the county to build seawalls from the highway 83 beach access to the east. He asked the other commissioners if anyone objected to his doing this work. It appears the other commissioners did not object. It is this commissioner who is responsible for bringing in this cheaper dark sand from the north part of the county to Blue Mountain Beach.

Still one might wonder how the sand got approved by the county. After all it is supposed to be inspected to be sure it complies. The situation was reported to the Walton County Code Enforcement office and initally and unofficially they said there was no way this sand could be approved. But soon Commissioner Cuchens was on the scene. Later the county engineer, Greg Graham reported that the sand sample that had been tested for compliance and tested at a 6.2. When asked how this was possible he said the sand was washed several times and then cooked in a microwave oven. After processing the sand in this manner he deemed it acceptable. Perhaps the "processed" sand is acceptable but what they are putting on the beach is not.

Most of this sand should eventually go behind the seawalls Commissioner Cuchens is building. Some may go in front of the walls and be covered by white sand. Much of it may end up on "Brown Mountain Beach"!

In addition, any heavy machinery you see left on the beach that has been there through the night is in defiance of DEP regulations. Commissioner Cuchens has knowingly violated this regulation as well.

I believe this work could have been done in a manner that complies with the Code. Do we have a commissioner with a conflict of interest?

Your question of...."Do we have a commissioner with a conflict of interest?" and the answer is obvious. I knew when I started thinking about this that someone involved in the county or board was making money on this. This does not appear to be 6.2 sand (baked and dried in the microwave).

Shameful but unfortunaltely not suprising.

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.

Have you not seen what happens to sand at the beach? During these major storms, backfill quickly falls down and becomes sandbars, then retuns to the top layer of the beach. It matters not where the dark stuff is dumped along the beach, or if it is only the bottom layer, because soon enough it will all be washed out, mixed in, and washed back to become our beach. Poop on the people who made this terrible decision. I am sure that Gulf-front owners may have a very different position, but that is just my thought.