Douglas Edward Barr

Douglas Edward Barr, 72, passed away in Tallahassee, Florida on July 23rd 2024. He was adopted to parents Harvey and Francis Barr in Ottawa, Illinois, however he called Tallahassee, Florida his home. He was always a hard worker, but a caring and loving husband and father. He graduated top his class with his B.S. from Bradley University in Geology as well as M.S. from Texas Christian University with a specialty in ground water. Douglas was the Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) an agency of the state of Florida operating under the provisions of Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, entitled "Water Resources". The NWFWMD is one of five water management districts in the State of Florida which have the primary legislative authority and responsibilities for managing and protecting the water resources of the state. As Executive Director, Mr. Barr was responsible for the implementation of water resource regulatory programs (consumptive Uses of Water, Well Construction, Stormwater Treatment and wetland protection), acquisition and management of lands purchased by the District for water resources protection and preservation, construction of stormwater treatment facilities and other capital projects for improving water quality and water supply development. Mr. Barr has 35 years of experience as a water manager and hydrologist in northwest Florida. In 1977, Mr. Barr was hired by the District as a Hydrogeologist specifically to work on ground water modeling projects. His early technical work, therefore, focused on development and application of numerical ground water models for siting and design of wellfields, analysis of local and regional impacts of coastal ground water withdrawals, and subsurface salinity transport. Other technical work focused on well hydraulics, the hydrology of ground and surface water resources of northwest Florida and writing computer codes for analyzing complex ground water problems. In 1983 he became the Director of the District's primary technical division responsible for surface water and ground water projects and data collection activities. Beginning in 1989 he simultaneously served as the District's first Deputy Executive Director while continuing to supervise the District's technical activities and projects. Mr. Barr was appointed as Executive Director by the Governing Board of the District in early 1992 and is the longest serving Executive Director of a water management district, past or present. In addition, he has received seven gubernatorial appointments including four appointments as Florida's technical expert for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River interstate water dispute. Following his appointment as Executive Director, Mr. Barr continued to perform technical work and serve as the District's principal expert in hydrology and the water resources of northwest Florida. Currently, Mr. Barr provides technical services to local governments and utilities and the private sector clients in the areas of ground water hydrology and modeling, water supply development, well hydraulics, computational hydrology, and Consumptive Use Permitting. Positions Held 1992 -- 2012 Executive Director, Northwest Florida Water Management District. 1991-1992 -- Acting Executive Director, Northwest Florida Water Management District 1989-1992 -- Deputy Executive Director and Director- Resource Management Division. Northwest Florida Water Management District 1989 - 1990 - Acting Executive Director. Northwest Florida Water Management District 1983 - 1989 - Director - Water Resources Division. Northwest Florida Water Management District 1980 - 1983 -- Senior Hydrogeologist. Northwest Florida Water Management District 1979 -1980 -- Ground Water Hydrologist, Dames and Moore, Chicago, Ill. 1978 - 1979 -- Associate Hydrogeologist. Northwest Florida Water Management District 1977 -1978 -- Assistant Hydrogeologist. Northwest Florida Water Management District Licensure Licensed Professional Geologist, State of Florida, License #0000121 Florida Courts - Qualified Expert in the Following Areas Ground Water Hydrology (including wellfield siting) Ground Water Modeling Hydrogeology Consumptive Water Use Permitting (Florida) U.S. District and Court of Appeal - Expert Opinions in the Following Areas Hydrology Hydrologic Modeling Federal Reservoir Operations Publications Barr, D. E., 1990, Analysis of the Western Sub-Regional Water Supply System for the Walton/Okaloosa/Santa Rosa Regional Utility Authority, Regional Utility Authority Technical Report Maristany, A.E., Esry, D.H., and Barr, D.E., 1988, Harbor Restoration through Improved circulation, Proceedings of the National Conference of the Hydraulic Division, American Society of Civil Engineers. Barr, D.E., 1988, Regional Water Supply Plan for the Coastal Areas of Walton, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa Counties, Northwest Florida Water Management District Technical File Report 88-01. Maristany, E.E., Esry, D.H., and Barr, D.E., 1987, Water Resources Restoration of Old Pass Lagoon, Destin Florida, Northwest Florida Water Management District Technical File Report 87-01. Barr, D.E., and Bowman, E., 1985, Results of Ground Water Nutrient Monitoring at Wastewater Percolation Ponds in Destin, Florida, Northwest Florida Water Management District Technical File Report 85-01. Barr, D.E., Hayes, L. R., and Kwader, T., 1984, Hydrology of the southern Parts of Okaloosa and Walton Counties, with Special Emphasis on the Upper Limestone of the Florida Aquifer. U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigation Report 84-4305. Barr, D.E., Wilkins, K.T, and Barton, D.L., 1983, Evaluation of Minimum Sewage Treatment Plant Set-Back Lines on Selected Coastal Soils in West Florida, Northwest Florida Water Management District, Water Resources Special Report 83-09. Barr, D.E., 1983, Ground Water Conditions in the Vicinity of Choctawhatchee Bay, Northwest Florida, Northwest Florida Water Management District Water Resources Special Report 83-10. Pratt, T.R., and Barr, D.E., 1982, Availability and Quality of Water from the Sand-And-Gravel Aquifer in Southern Santa Rosa County, Florida, Northwest Florida Water Management District Water Resources Special Report 82-01 Hayes, LR., and Barr, D.E., 1982, Hydrology of the Sand-And-Gravel Aquifer, Southern Okaloosa and Walton Counties, Northwest Florida, U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigation Report 82- 4110. Barr, D.E., and Pratt, T.R., 1981, Aquifer Characteristics and Water Supply Potential of the Sand-And Gravel Aquifer, Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, Northwest Florida Water Management District Technical File Report 81-05. Barr, D.E., and Wagner, J.R., 1981, Reconnaissance of the Ground Water Resources of Southwestern Bay County, Northwest Florida Water Management District Technical File Report 81-01. Stidham, J.A., Barr, D.E., 1981, Florida's Ground Water: An Endangered Resource Worth Saving, The Situation in Northwest Florida Water, Journal, Florida Engineering Society, pp. 15-16. Barr, D.E., and Pratt, T.R., 1981, Results of Aquifer Test and Estimated Drawdown in the Floridan Aquifer, Northern Gulf County, Northwest Florida Water Management District Water Resources Special Report 85-01. Barr, D.E., Maristany, A.E., and Kwader, T., 1981, Water Resources of Southern Okaloosa and Walton Counties, Northwest Florida, Northwest Florida Water Management District Water Resources Assessment 81-01. Wagner, J.R., Lewis, C. Hayes, LR., and Barr, D.E., 1980, Hydrologic Data for Okaloosa, Walton and Southeastern Santa Rosa Counties, Northwest Florida, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80- 741. Barr, D.E., and Hayes, LR., 1978, Aquifer Characteristics and Digital Numerical Model of the Florida Aquifer in Southern Okaloosa County, Northwest Florida, Fourteenth American Water Resources Association National Conference, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 17th-30th (inclusive), Florida Water Resources Annual Conference, 1992-2006, Keynote panel on Water Management in Florida. 2007 ASCE/EWRI World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, Executive Panel on Water Management in Florida. 2007 ASCE/EWRI World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, Executive Panel on Water Resources Restoration in Florida. Recent Technical Work - Federal District Court & D.C. Court of Appeal 1. Alteration of low flow frequency and duration of Apalachicola River based on the COE Interim Operations for federal reservoirs in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (2007). Prepared for United States District Court, Middle District of Florida IN RE Tri-State Water Rights Litigation (Case No. 3:07-md-00001-PAM-JRL). Order in Favor of Florida and Alabama vs. Georgia and U.S. Corps of Engineers. 2. HEC-5 Analysis of the feasibility of Apalachicola River minimum flow in excess of 5,000 cfs (2007). Prepared for United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, IN RE Tri-State Water Rights Litigation, Case No. 3:07- MD-1-PAM. 3. Composite balancing of federal reservoirs and violations of minimum flow requirements for the Apalachicola River, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (2007). Prepared to demonstrate violation by COE of Revised Interim Operating Procedures for releases from Lake Seminole to Apalachicola River (2007). 4. Mass balance analysis of minimum flows and reservoir storage credits impacting inflow to Apalachicola River. This demonstrated violation by the COE of the Revised Interim Operating Procedures for releases from Lake Seminole to Apalachicola River (2008). 5. Hydropower generation losses from Buford Dam resulting from increased municipal and industrial withdrawals from Lake Lanier (2008). Prepared for United States District Court, Middle District of Florida IN RE Tri-State Water Rights Litigation (Case No. 3:07-md-00001-PAM-JRL). Order in Favor of Florida and Alabama vs. Georgia and U.S. Corps of Engineers. Appealed to D.C Court of Appeal (D.C. Circuit) and upheld. 6. Analysis of Apalachicola River flow versus floodplain wetland inundation-(2009). Prepared for United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, IN RE Tri-State Water Rights Litigation, Case Number - 3:07 MD-1-PAM. 7. Critical yield analysis of Lake Lanier, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (prepared for Phase II trial). Base flow analysis of the lower Flint River, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. Phase II litigation (2010). Gubernatorial and Governing Board Appointments 1989 -Appointed Deputy Executive Director by the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 1992 - Appointed Executive Director by the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 1992 -Appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to serve as the State of Florida's Technical Coordination Committee Member and Alternate Executive Coordination Committee Member, Apalachicola Chattahoochee- Flint River Basin Comprehensive Study. 1998 -Appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles as State of Florida Alternate ACF River Basin Commissioner. 1998 - Appointed by Governor Buddy McKay as State of Florida Alternate ACF River Basin Commissioner. 1999 - Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as State of Florida Alternate ACF River Basin Commissioner and member of ACF Water Allocation Formula Committee. 1999 -Advisory Council, Florida A&M University Center for Water Quality. 2000 - Reappointed Executive Director by the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2000 -Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2001- Confirmed by Florida Senate as Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2003 - Reappointed Executive Director by the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2003 - Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as the Executive Director of the Northwest Floridan Water Management District. 2003 - Confirmed by Florida Senate as Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2004 - Appointed by Commissioner Charles Bronson, Florida Department of Agriculture, Florida Agricultural Water Policy Committee. 2007 - Reappointed Executive Director by the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2008 -Appointed by Governor Charlie Crist as Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District 2008 - Confirmed by Florida Senate as Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. 2011- Reappointed Executive Director by the Governing Board of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. Congressional Testimony 1997 - U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, Committee on the Judiciary, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Compact Education B.S. Bradley University, Geology M.S. Texas Christian University, specialty in ground water (Thesis Topic: Lower Rio Grande Valley Alluvial Aquifer) Douglas is survived by his wife Pamela Barr, and son Bryan Barr. Also, in remembrance of his late daughter Michelle Barr, and late parent Harvey and Francis Barr. A private service will be scheduled at a later date. Todd Wahlquist is assisting the Barr family with their arrangements (850-385-2193, www.bevisfh,com).

Tributes

Douglas Edward Barr

July 17, 1952 - July 23, 2024