Melinda Gates, Walton County environmental manager, introduced a final public presentation on Jan. 30, 2025, of an 18‑month Choctawhatchee River and Bay watershed assessment and master plan developed by Jacobs Engineering in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District.

Jacobs technical director Marcel Dule summarized the study’s key finding: "The big takeaway is there's a lot of growth, a lot of potential for development, and if we don't be proactive, then, you know, this can get away from us." The team reported that, based on their field sampling and modeling, there is currently no total maximum daily load (TMDL) established inside the county portion of the watershed, but they identified approximately 19 water‑body segments inside Walton County with water‑quality values exceeding standards in places.

Why it matters: commissioners and residents heard that Walton County controls much of the shoreline within its borders and that local actions can reduce bacteria, nutrients and sediment that reach the bay. The presentation tied the master plan to implementation funding the county has available and to opportunities for future Corps or interstate work.

Major findings and recommendations

- Bacteria: Consultants found elevated bacterial hits in some segments and recommended prioritizing the connection of neighborhoods on septic systems to sewer where feasible, or installation of advanced septic systems where gravity sewer is not practical. The report noted the team did not perform DNA source tracking and therefore could not identify human versus animal bacterial sources.

- Nutrients and sediment: The study flagged areas with low dissolved oxygen and erosion hot spots, and recommended vegetative best management practices (BMPs), low‑impact development (LID) measures in commercial and urban corridors, constructed wetlands and living shorelines along the coast to reduce nutrient loading and stabilize shorelines.

- Roads: The team identified clusters of unpaved roads where sediment runoff is likely to be high and recommended a targeted paving program to achieve economies of scale and reduce sediment inputs to waterways.

- Modeling and Adaptive Management: Jacobs presented nested hydrologic and bay models and recommended further calibration, use of the models to estimate load reductions from projects, and adaptive management to evaluate implemented projects’ performance.

Funding and next steps

Gates told commissioners that Walton County has used RESTORE Act funds for parts of the project: "It was the pot 3 consortium funds... It was $12,500,000. We contributed around 6,650,000 towards this particular project so we can prioritize projects for the rest of that funding implementation of projects." The county and Corps presenters said the report is a public document and can support grant applications.

Army Corps representatives urged intergovernmental coordination. Tommy Harrington, program manager for the Corps, said, "we do need a letter from a non federal sponsor to initiate any new studies," and later reiterated he would increase outreach to Alabama jurisdictions in the shared watershed.

Public comment and county concerns

Residents who spoke at the meeting described local conditions and urged faster action. Bruce Paladini, a Freeport resident, asked about the status of sewer extension funds and said his neighborhood remains on septic systems. Daniel Baker, another Freeport resident, described localized pollution he has observed in canals and called for follow‑up on prior sampling. Members of local volunteer groups asked whether universities or volunteer monitoring and buoys might be used to expand data collection.

Corps role and interstate scope

Doug Chapman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thanked county staff and consultants and said the Corps’ role is to provide funding and technical assistance: "we really don't do anything except find a funding mechanism for this." Commissioners pressed for broader watershed work because much of the watershed lies in Alabama; both Corps staff and county members said broader, watershed‑wide studies would require coordination and formal requests from non‑federal sponsors in the other jurisdictions.

Board direction and meeting close

Commissioners agreed to work with staff and Melinda Gates on a letter and outreach to seek broader watershed coordination and to pursue funded projects that implement the consultant recommendations. The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn.

Ending: The master plan gives Walton County a prioritized menu of projects—sewer connections, unpaved‑road paving, vegetative BMPs and living shorelines—designed to reduce bacteria, nutrients and sediment. County staff and the Corps identified additional data collection and interstate coordination as next steps before broader regulatory steps such as establishing TMDLs could proceed.