Eastern Lake outlet opened today

[TreeFrog]

After all the rain we've had recently, it was really close yesterday. I went back down there this morning about 6:30 and it appeared to have just opened, as it was flowing vigorously. The pelicans were working the outlet, eating the small fish getting washed out.

Opinion follows...

I'm far from educated on natural sciences, but it seems to me that we don't need to to manage the outflow from these lakes, as some have suggested. They did just fine before we got here and, to my uneducated eye, they appear to still do just fine. I live near Eastern Lake and I've seen it open and close many times, all by itself.

 

[Smiling JOe]

:clap_1: Ditto (for the letting nature do its thing).

If the County would just make everyone get off the septic systems around the lakes, all would be good, except those homeowners who built permanantly fixed docks which are now under water. I guess they never heard of rain and rising water levels.

 

[rapunzel]

I rushed back to post the good news, looks like someone beat me to it. I sat and watched it this morning for about two hours. It was like watching geology on fast forward. The outflow is so vigorous it formed canyons, islands, shoals, and changed course three times.

It was like watching a demonstration of McPhee's The Control of Nature, and for those who want to control the dune lakes, I suggest they read that book.

 

[30A Skunkape]

I rushed back to post the good news, looks like someone beat me to it. I sat and watched it this morning for about two hours. It was like watching geology on fast forward. The outflow is so vigorous it formed canyons, islands, shoals, and changed course three times.

It was like watching a demonstration of McPhee's The Control of Nature, and for those who want to control the dune lakes, I suggest they read that book.

:clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

More crabs!

 

[rapunzel]

The best part was the crabs. The outlet had formed a sort of rapids, and the crabs would get caught up in it and get swept through a gauntlet of seagulls, and if they were lucky get swept out into the gulf. Huge crabs were coming by about every 30 seconds.

 

[30A Skunkape]

The best part was the crabs. The outlet had formed a sort of rapids, and the crabs would get caught up in it and get swept through a gauntlet of seagulls, and if they were lucky get swept out into the gulf. Huge crabs were coming by about every 30 seconds.

Watch out for quicksand Rapunz.:shock:

 

[Beachmom]

:clap_1: Yeah!! Kids had a great time watching the crabs last night- until someone came along with a net and a plastic bag . I'm glad it finally opened back up, it's a special place!

 

[TreeFrog]

It was like watching geology on fast forward. The outflow is so vigorous it formed canyons, islands, shoals, and changed course three times.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I just went for another look.

The changes since this morning are dramatic.

The outlet has cut off an S-bend and moved about 20 yards west. It's gotten probably 2 feet deeper, much wider (now about 15-20 yards), and even faster. So much sand has washed out that there is now a "delta" extending 20 yards out from the line of the beach.

The level of the water line back at the lake suggests the lake has gone down 3-5 inches. That's a lot of water, when you take the whole lake into account. Looks to me like it will keep flowing for days, not hours.

The pelicans are gone, but the gulls are working it hard. I watched one big crab, caught in the flow, travel from the lake to 2/3 of the way out in only about 5 minutes.

 

[rapunzel]

:clap_1: Ditto (for the letting nature do its thing).

If the County would just make everyone get off the septic systems around the lakes, all would be good, except those homeowners who built permanantly fixed docks which are now under water. I guess they never heard of rain and rising water levels.

SJ -- Does the county require any sort of monitoring/maintenance for the septic systems? I'd be willing to bet one nearby (within 50 feet of the bay) hasn't been pumped in 10 years. I didn't realize they'd have ever allowed septic tanks near the dune lakes.

 

[Beemn]

It took the county two years to get the gulf trace septic tanks off of the beach after they were exposed. The down side of the dune lakes draining is the increase in pollution of the near shore waters. It is not just septic tanks...its the non point source pollution. That is runoff of the roads, leaching of nutrients from lawns and landscaping, and all the other activities of people that pollute and find its way into our rivers and lakes. When the lakes drain in warm weather, the increase in algae follows!