WHEREAS Eastern Lake is a unique coastal dune lake prized and enjoyed by residents and tourists for generations; AND WHEREAS Eastern Lake has been effectively closed to inflow of water from the Gulf of Mexico since June, 2005 and is losing its unique coastal dune lake characteristic; grasses, algae, and other vegetation are growing throughout the lake, creating a hazard to boaters and an aesthetic calamity to residents in the lake community; alligators are becoming prevalent and in the interest of public safety, a nine foot alligator was removed recently from an area of the lake used by tourists, as well as residents; AND WHEREAS the closing of Eastern Lake resulted in abnormally high water levels and damages to residential properties, and greatly increases the potential for future residential flood damages; AND WHEREAS Walton County attempted to relieve the existing flooding and future flood potential and restore the lake by salt water inflow, those efforts were only marginally successful, leaving the lake in its present condition; AND WHEREAS Walton County has taken further steps to help restoration of Eastern Lake by retaining Preble-Rish, an engineering firm, to develop a plan that, if implemented, would restore the lake to its dune lake status; AND WHEREAS Preble-Rish and lake community residents have determined that the lake outflow channel meanders from time to time across its natural outfall corridor; AND WHEREAS the historically accurate outfall corridor of Eastern Lake encompasses parts of Lot 25 owned by Mr. William Head and parts of Lot 13 owned by Mr. Worth Williams, and negotiations to secure adequate outfall corridor area under reasonable conditions are likely to fail, leaving Eastern Lake landlocked indefinitely; AND WHEREAS Walton County owns Lot 12 on the southern boundary of Eastern Lake and has the use of a 33 foot

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