CRESTVIEW — Future water supply, which has been discussed in Okaloosa County since the 1990s, is becoming more of a reality with the recent purchase of land surrounding the Shoal River.
The county purchased 302 acres from Haiseal Timber for $632,500 and 339 acres from Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation for $747,500.
Funds from a $500,000 Defense Infrastructure Grant went toward the purchase.
The remaining funding came from money that the Water and Sewer department set aside for a water tower near Bob Sikes Airport. "We ended up getting a grant for the water tower project from Florida Water Management, allowing those funds to go toward the land purchase," a county spokesperson said.
The land will provide a future water source for citizens and will protect area military missions, according to the spokesperson.
Efforts toward cultivating a future water supply have included forming the Citizens Committee for Future Water Supply.
In 1998, Okaloosa received a 20-year Consumptive Use Permit from the Northwest Florida Water Management District, and the county has constructed three Floridian aquifer wells in the mid-county service area north of Eglin.
The county also purchased property in 2014 and 2007, using Enterprise Florida grants and REPI Grants from the federal government.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa secures property for future water supply