User talk:TulitaO

Good morning.

Today is the 'first day of the rest of our lives' here in the Sand Hills of Florida's Panhandle. We are north of Panama City, FL, and south of Chipley, FL. Many of us live on small acre or less plots of property. Some of us are farmers, some of us work in the five county area of Bay, Holmes, Jackson, Walton and Washington counties. And, some of us are retirees who have decided not to live in an urban area. We have chosen to make our homes in places we consider among the most beautiful in our state. We who do not have to get up and go to work by 0 dark 30 awaken to the chirps of birds and the rays of the sun shining upon the pine trees that grace our area. Those of us who do get up early are blessed with the view of the stars as they join us in their courses in the heavens.

We who live in the southern part of Washington County are blessed to live near lakes. That was, indeed, the situation ten years ago. There have been years of drought that have brought our lakes lower. There has been a large state prison facility built that has many wells that have, no doubt, also impacted the lakes' water levels. A sand mining operation near Crystal Lake has added its own challenges to the water quality and availability of our area.

Today we come to defend the Sand Hills lakes, those which will be greatly impacted by the proposed wells Bay County is wanting to drill in the northern part of Bay County. As I have mentioned, the lakes of this area have been assaulted by drought and the additional pressure of prison wells and mining operations. As the proposed wells will remove additional water needed to maintain the lakes and the ecology of the Sand Hills, we come as a group asking the Court to defeat this proposed well field. Today you will hear people give you reasons for and against the proposed well field. I cannot give you the reassurance that either side, despite the lawyers, hydrologists and other experts, are going to be correct in their assumptions and prognostications. I will, however, give you the little I can relate.

As I said earlier, most of us have chosen to live in this area between the Choctawhatchee River and the Econfina Creek because we have found it beautiful. We have invited guests and other visitors to come enjoy our area. They have come and participated in the peaceful beauty of this delightful area. We have built our homes around the lakes with as little environmental impact as possible, unwilling to blight the area but rather to live in peace and harmony with one another. We have hoped to leave these homes to our heirs, knowing how they, too, love and value this small part of the Panhandle. As we face growing concerns about water availability and quality, we know, too, that as the water is removed, we become vulnerable to several possibilities. One is the occurrence of shifting ground, including sinkholes. Many of the Sand Hills lakes are considered 'sink hole' lakes with vulnerable bottoms. Withdrawal of high volumes of water will increase the chance that the bottoms of these lakes will collapse. This is not to scare you but to advise you of the potential for permanent damage to the ecosystem and environment. The second possibility is the drop in the water table to the point that many of us will have to have our wells re-drilled.

As I understand the current writing for the drilling permit sought by the Northwest Florida Water Management District, if a homeowner's or property owner's well goes out, the NWFMD will choose whomever it wishes to determine why and if the water level has had an impact on the well. While this seems good to them, it reminds me of the fox who was left in charge of the henhouse. There is no accountability in that plan. It has been suggested that the District should maintain an escrow account available for the drilling of new wells as they are needed if and when the water table drops below the levels currently available to the wells. I would suggest that if the permitting is allowed, the escrow amount be at least $10,000,000, and that home and property owners be the majority representation on whatever board is selected to oversee the use of the monies.

I find it more than ironic that the agency whose reason for being is the protection of our limited water supplies is seeking to drill these wells in the first place. Perhaps more ironic is that it has used a whopping $1.2 million dollars of taxpayer dollars to defend itself against the taxpayers who fund the agency.

In conclusion, it is my deepest hope that the Court will find for the Sand Hills Lakes, the creatures, woodlands and lakes which have no voice and for those of us who have tried to speak in their and our behalf. Thank you. TulitaO (talk) 14:37, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

Falling into Place
A new day dawns, cold in the Florida Panhandle. Just the other day I was watching the news and saw our Governor Rick Scott back in the Panama City area giving kudos to the St. Joe Company. Being a somewhat analytic sort, I started putting two and two together. Here we have a Bay County Commission supporting the move to install 10 wells into northern Bay County land owned, it is rumored, by St. Joe Company, Northwest Florida Water Management District's financial support of the installation and the governor coming over from Tallahassee to give a few 'atta boys' to St. Joe for their development efforts. If you live in Washington County, Florida, as I do, look for your lakes to drop farther. Looks like a done deal to me for the wells to be installed.

Now, on a more positive note, we cannot discount the possibility of a miracle. We could have this whole matter wind up before a judge who is an environmentally friendly soul who has concerns for this special, ecologically bio-diverse region of our state. I don't know who that would be at this moment, but I won't discount the possibility. Miracles DO happen.

It all boils down to our having a consumer mentality. Many people who should be standing for conservation of our natural resources are enjoying using the resources and, apparently, deciding that when the resources are used up, they'll move to another area and play/develop/use the resources in their new area. This is disturbing. We don't conserve, fix or repair much anymore, and, sadly, when the area is depleted of the resources that made it so inviting to begin with, it appears to be fine with many of us. These thoughts are addressed to those who live on the lakes in Bay and Washington Counties, FL, and seem to have no interest in preserving their water. These thoughts are also addressed to those commissioners, company, legal and governmental officials who think it is "progress" and "development" when a company or governmental agency makes a grab for water resources, regardless of what it does to the homeowners around the area who depend on artesian and surfacial water sources to fill their wells. Let's pray for that miracle!

TulitaO (talk) 12:38, 12 November 2011 (UTC)