Walton County commissioners approve letter asking Army Corps to reconsider dredge-spoil site

Walton County commissioners voted to authorize the chair to sign a letter, pending county‑attorney review, asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider the proposed placement of dredged material near Tucker Bayou.

Residents of the affected neighborhood told commissioners the Corps intends to place spoil on land near Peach Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway, adjacent to a densely populated area. Todd Reeves and Charles Whitley asked the commission for a letter of support as they seek a meeting with Col. Kelsey Shaw of the Corps’ Mobile district.

The action matters, residents said, because the proposed spoil site would require thousands of truck trips along narrow local roads, and because they fear sediment could migrate back to Tucker Bayou through existing drainage pipes. Reeves told the commission the Corps had selected “the only place that there’s a neighborhood” for spoil placement and urged county backing for the neighborhood’s appeal.

County Administrator Brian Kellenberger advised commissioners the group had provided a draft letter and that the chair’s signature should be conditioned on review by the county attorney. Commissioners moved and seconded the request and approved the chair’s signature pending that legal review. The motion passed on voice vote.

Commissioners directed staff to accept the residents’ draft, route it to the county attorney, and return the final letter for the chair’s signature and transmittal to the Corps.

Residents said they were willing to contribute toward alternate-site costs and asked the Corps to consider sites less than half a mile from the currently proposed area. Commissioners did not identify specific additional county funding for mitigation; the approved action was limited to a letter of support and legal review.