County has shown little concern for water supply

After reading the article concerning the Bay County Commission’s response to the litigation over the proposed "back-up" wells in northern Bay County ("Bay defends plan for wells," news, Dec. 22), I feel that I must comment.

First, it is not just Washington County and the Knight Trust that vigorously oppose this proposal. If the commission was listening, it would realize that virtually all Sand Hills residents are also opposed to the drilling, for many reasons. Earlier public hearings were juggled and canceled when it became obvious that residents were upset about the proposed drilling. Comments by the commission’s resident environmental expert, Mike Thomas, demonstrate his total ignorance on the subject.

I use such terms as "ignorance" in response to the commission’s statement that it has heard enough "nonsense" over the matter. George Gainer’s comment about the "normal" fluctuation of water levels in the area also shows that he isn’t very familiar with recent changes. Ask any long-time resident of the Sand Hills and he will tell you that lakes have been down to levels never seen before in anyone’s memory.

County Manager Ed Smith said we should let the "science play out and prove itself." And what if it doesn’t? Plus, we all know that in any environmental matter, it is always possible to pay an "expert" to come up with the "facts" that you want to hear. By attacking the integrity of the Knight Trust, Smith distracts the attention from his own discrepancies — a typical tactic when you can’t defend your own policies.

The Deer Point reservoir and watershed are critical to our future and to our survival. We must do everything we can to protect this treasure. Creating the dam was highly controversial but has been recognized as one of the most important things this county has ever done. Unfortunately, it didn’t go far enough.

Our county "leaders" are touting how important the Deer Point water supply is, but where is the concern over the preponderance of septic tanks surrounding Deer Point? Why don’t we have a county sewer system to serve that area? And what of the concern with overdevelopment around the lake with the subsequent runoff of pesticides, fertilizer, etc., into the drinking water? If our leaders want to protect this valuable water supply, why don’t they start with addressing these issues first?

In addition, Sand Hills residents in both Bay and Washington counties have been long concerned with the numerous "sand pits" that have been pumping sand and water out in huge amounts. Little or no attention has been paid to the damage that these pits create. These proposed wells would be totally unnecessary if we took the necessary steps to protect what we have. Even as "back-ups," one report stated that they would draw 5 million gallons per day — not an insignificant amount.

The Northwest Florida Water Management District has done much in recent years to help preserve the area’s watershed, but I am deeply disturbed by its support of this project. It is in direct contradiction to its purpose and I fail to see how it could be a party to this abomination.

Once again, we’ll have to see whether our County Commission truly has the citizens’ interests at heart.

DON TAYLOR

Panama City