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Developments Threaten Dune Lakes
10/26/09 - 04:29 PM
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Walton County’s dune lakes are a rare resource for the county.  But, some fear that without the right attention, they could turn from a thriving habitat to a stagnant cesspool.  Walton county is taking steps to keep that from happening.

The county is hosting a tour of Walton County’s dune lakes on Wednesday of this week.  Commissioners along with state and national legislators will tour the lakes for the county to bring more awareness to their importance and to hopefully receive some state money in the future.

A ride over one of Walton County’s dune lakes, like this one, Western Lake, provides a lovely view. But the lakes provide more than just a pretty pictures, says Bill McKee, Walton County’s Environmental Manager: “The coastal dune lakes only occur in a few places around the world and Walton County is one of the places where they do occur.”

Richard Bryan is a member of the Coastal Advisory Board.  He believes that “…They’re a valuable resource for Walton County.  Dune lakes typically form right behind the shoreline.  This mixture of fresh and salt water makes the wildlife rather diverse.  McKee says that “You have red fish and flounder as well as bass and bream. You might have speckled trout and mullet.  It’s a unique…you’ve got crabs in here…so you have a fresh water and salt water mix.”

The biggest threat to these unique ecosystems is change in water quality.  Runoff from homes and developments can cause a bacteria buildup, which would ruin the lakes.

Bryan says that if the bacteria gets too invasive, “The bottoms would turn to muck, you would lose your flora, and eventually the state of Florida, I do believe, would say ‘no, you cannot open up to the Gulf of Mexico.’”

New developments like Watercolor here in Walton County have to stay at least a hundred feet from the shore of the lake to keep the natural vegetation buffer in place.

Walton County hopes that the tour on Wednesday will bring attention to the lakes so lawmakers will be able to put a face to a name, so to speak, when enacting legislation that could affect dune lakes.

Bryan hopes that legislators will pay attention during the tour:  “We just wanted them to know how important these lakes are, and how delicate they are, and how rare they are.”

According to the coastal advisory board, the possibility of offshore drilling, which will be discussed in the future, would disturb ecosystems like the dune lakes. If this is an issue that concerns you get in touch with your lawmakers and voice your opinion.