pollutants that have contaminated oyster beds and caused a closure of shell 

 fishing. Areas affected have been Blackwater Bay, East Bay River, Escambia 

 Bay, and Pensacola Bay in Santa Rosa County; Rocky Bayou in Okaloosa County; 

 Pensacola Bay, Perdido Bay, and Escambia Bay in Escambia County; East Bay, 

 North Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and West Bay in Bay County; and St. Joseph Bay in 

 Gulf County. In addition, the threat of saltwater intrusion because of aqui- 

 fer drawdowns has become a serious problem in some places, such as Fort Walton 

 Beach (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1978). 



New development and growth in Northwest Florida will continue to add 

 stress to an already damaged natural environment unless effective land and 

 water management practices are adopted and practiced. Residential and indus- 

 trial expansion will be difficult to contend with, but if large scale offshore 

 oil and gas recovery becomes a reality, early and adequate planning will be 

 required to safeguard the environment. 



The following section describes industrial development from a historical 

 perspective, general site characteristics, projected trends, and potential 

 onshore development of OCS-related facilities. 



Major public land holdings 



Figure 5. Major public land holdings 

 Corps of Engineers 1978). 



and wetlands in Northwest Florida (U.S. Army 



70 



