Proposed Reservoir Faces Early Opposition From Riverkeeper
By Nate Kelly, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Aug. 2–A proposed dam on the Little Choctawhatchee River in Alabama may increase the water quality in the bay, since Dothan’s waste and effl uent streams would no longer be channeled into the river, according to Dr. Jeffrey Wilcox, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish Taxa Coordinator.
“The water quality will be improved greatly,” said Barbara Gibson, executive director of Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority.
However, a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must fi rst be conducted before any conclusive effects can be determined.
The Northwest Florida Water Management District is not too concerned at this point about the proposal.
“I would be quite surprised for a (reservoir) lake of any size to be permitted at this day and age,” said Lance Laird, who heads the district’s bureau of surface water regulation.
A needs assessment study conducted by the Corp sconcluded to meet the water demands of southeastern Alabama for the next 50 years, a surface reservoir must be built to reduce pumping from the aquifer, which is currently the sole source of drinking water, according to Gibson.
“We’ve got good aquifers but we are draining it more quickly than it can be replaced,” said Gibson. The water level of the Nanafalia Aquifer has a recorded drop of 240 feet since it was fi rst measured in the 1970′s.
“We are only doing this at the request from our communities,” she said. The areas requesting the reservoir are Houston, Coffee and Dale counties, while Geneva County wants to be included as they look to the future, according to Gibson.
Michael Muller of the Choctawhatchee River Keepers in Alabama opposes the project for a number of reasons.
“First, we don’t think it’s needed; second, they have other alternatives; and third, the expense, the $150 million estimate was done before gas prices doubled,” said Muller.
“The underlying reason is it’s not sustainable, you dam a river and you kill it.”
Muller was also concerned that allowing one dam could open the door for more. Building a dam eliminates a community’s incentive to conserve water, he said.
“We need to work on the demand side not just the supply side,” said Muller. “It’s not sustainable water management.”
The reservoir project has been in the works since 1997 and a preliminary design has been completed. The proposed size of the reservoir is 1,464 acres, according to Gibson.
“With the drought conditions like they have been, it would take three years to fill the reservoir,” Muller said.
“We all feel this project is a detriment to the river and a step back environmentally. Surface water capture is a bad idea all the way around and considered bad science,” said Meg Nelson, chair of the Walton County Coastal Dune Lakes Advisory Board. “This feels like an opportunity to create instant water front property for a bunch of Dothan developers.”
“There are naturally environmental concerns,” said Gibson. “Wetland impacts must be mitigated and all of the concerns have to be addressed.”
Currently, the project is in the beginning of the permit process, which could take two to three years, with the construction phase taking at least three years. The project is expected to cost $148 million and require federal funding, according to Gibson.
“The best case is six years for total completion but realistically between eight and nine years,” Gibson said.
—–
To see more of The Walton Sun or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.waltonsun.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.