Alan Osborne
Beach Lover
According to County Attorney Lynn Hoshihara, Walton County will issue building permits for homes to be built in the interior of Driftwood Estates, an development that has been on hold for over 5 years over storm water run off issues and flooding.
A year and a half ago, Special Magistrate Carlos Alvarez and the Florida Depapartment of community affairs gave the following findings and recommendations to the county.
"The greater weight of the evidence suggests that Driftwood’s stormwater treatment system is not meeting the 3 year, 24 hour, 6.7 inch retention standard. The only evidence that the drainage system works is from the County’s powerpoint that used the wrong standard as the benchmark. However, the county readily admits that stormwater eventually drains to the Bay and this is evident to anyone visiting the site, a clear violation of the retention standard. Further, Allan Brown of the County Public Works Department admitted to numerous problems with the exterior system and also claimed that the ground water level is too high to eliminate the standing water problem. The evidence presented by the Petitioners and mentioned earlier also inevitably leads to the conclusion that the there clearly is a problem with Driftwood’s drainage system. Therefore, despite the County’s assertion, it is clear that the retention standard incorporated into the governing Development Order is not being met. "
They went on to recommend the following
" In order to fix this obvious violation of the Development Order, and thus comply with Chapter 380, the Department first suggests that the County hire an independent stormwater engineer to run a model based on the full basin and assuming both the as-built conditions and the full buildout of the interior lots to accurately determine the deficiencies of the system. The model should assess whether a swale system can be achieved given the hydrogeologic characteristics and the applicable retention standard. Once the deficiencies have been identified, a plan should be developed and implemented which will bring the stormwater drainage system into compliance with the Development Order."
And as recent as April 2, 2010 the BCC was sent the following letter stating
"A great deal of evidence was presented to Special Magistrate Alvarez regarding the stormwater drainage and flooding issues in Driftwood Estates. The controlling standard, as documented in the Sandestin Application for Development Approval (ADA), is retention of 6.7inches of rainfall during a 3 year, 24 hour storm event. The ADA also prohibits untreated runoff from reaching any of the public waters surrounding Sandestin, including the Choctawhatchee Bay. The evidence presented at the Special Magistrate Hearing makes clear that violations of theADA standard are occurring."
A year and a half ago, Special Magistrate Carlos Alvarez and the Florida Depapartment of community affairs gave the following findings and recommendations to the county.
"The greater weight of the evidence suggests that Driftwood’s stormwater treatment system is not meeting the 3 year, 24 hour, 6.7 inch retention standard. The only evidence that the drainage system works is from the County’s powerpoint that used the wrong standard as the benchmark. However, the county readily admits that stormwater eventually drains to the Bay and this is evident to anyone visiting the site, a clear violation of the retention standard. Further, Allan Brown of the County Public Works Department admitted to numerous problems with the exterior system and also claimed that the ground water level is too high to eliminate the standing water problem. The evidence presented by the Petitioners and mentioned earlier also inevitably leads to the conclusion that the there clearly is a problem with Driftwood’s drainage system. Therefore, despite the County’s assertion, it is clear that the retention standard incorporated into the governing Development Order is not being met. "
They went on to recommend the following
" In order to fix this obvious violation of the Development Order, and thus comply with Chapter 380, the Department first suggests that the County hire an independent stormwater engineer to run a model based on the full basin and assuming both the as-built conditions and the full buildout of the interior lots to accurately determine the deficiencies of the system. The model should assess whether a swale system can be achieved given the hydrogeologic characteristics and the applicable retention standard. Once the deficiencies have been identified, a plan should be developed and implemented which will bring the stormwater drainage system into compliance with the Development Order."
And as recent as April 2, 2010 the BCC was sent the following letter stating
"A great deal of evidence was presented to Special Magistrate Alvarez regarding the stormwater drainage and flooding issues in Driftwood Estates. The controlling standard, as documented in the Sandestin Application for Development Approval (ADA), is retention of 6.7inches of rainfall during a 3 year, 24 hour storm event. The ADA also prohibits untreated runoff from reaching any of the public waters surrounding Sandestin, including the Choctawhatchee Bay. The evidence presented at the Special Magistrate Hearing makes clear that violations of theADA standard are occurring."
On March 1, 2010 under sworn Deposition at the Defuniak Springs Courthouse the designing engineer of Driftwood Estates admitted that the retention ponds in Driftwood could only retain one inch of runoff before direct discharge into the bay! This is 5.7 inches of rain short of the requirement or post development runoff exceeding predevelopment runoff by 85%.
Flash forward one year and the Scott administration replaces everyone involved at the DCA who was enforcing the runoff violation. Walton County thru Attorney Hoshihara approaches the DCA and tell's the new administration they are fixing everything and are in compliance. There has not been a single shovel of dirt changed in Driftwood since the recommendations were issued, yet the BCC is going to look the other way and allow building with the preceeding information in their possession. Not a single look by an independent engineer for retention compliance. The end result will be the direct runoff from 760 homes being discharged directly into the bay full of road runoff and fertilizer. One 36" pipe and two 24" pipes will dump the water instead of retaining it in ponds as required by the developmental order.(The BP spill pipe was only 21" in diameter) The County in consideration for a 160,000 dollar settlement by the developer will assume all responsibility by written agreement for drainage and roads in the 3 mile loop development.
If you don't want to see permanent runoff sent to our pristine bay, please show up at the South Walton annex Tuesday, June 14 at the BCC meeting at 4 PM and be heard.
If you think the county commissioners are negligently taking on enviormental and fiscal liabilty and creating unneeded and unnecessary risk, come to the meeting and be heard. All supporting documents will be presented to the board at the meeting. Say NO to non-compliant developers! Say NO to the dumping of untreated runoff! How was the drainage fixed with not a shovel turned? POLITRICKS! We don't need this in Walton County.
Flash forward one year and the Scott administration replaces everyone involved at the DCA who was enforcing the runoff violation. Walton County thru Attorney Hoshihara approaches the DCA and tell's the new administration they are fixing everything and are in compliance. There has not been a single shovel of dirt changed in Driftwood since the recommendations were issued, yet the BCC is going to look the other way and allow building with the preceeding information in their possession. Not a single look by an independent engineer for retention compliance. The end result will be the direct runoff from 760 homes being discharged directly into the bay full of road runoff and fertilizer. One 36" pipe and two 24" pipes will dump the water instead of retaining it in ponds as required by the developmental order.(The BP spill pipe was only 21" in diameter) The County in consideration for a 160,000 dollar settlement by the developer will assume all responsibility by written agreement for drainage and roads in the 3 mile loop development.
If you don't want to see permanent runoff sent to our pristine bay, please show up at the South Walton annex Tuesday, June 14 at the BCC meeting at 4 PM and be heard.
If you think the county commissioners are negligently taking on enviormental and fiscal liabilty and creating unneeded and unnecessary risk, come to the meeting and be heard. All supporting documents will be presented to the board at the meeting. Say NO to non-compliant developers! Say NO to the dumping of untreated runoff! How was the drainage fixed with not a shovel turned? POLITRICKS! We don't need this in Walton County.
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