The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for Citrus County lakes.
A public workshop will be held to discuss proposed levels for Fort Cooper Lake and the Floral City, Hernando and Inverness pools of Tsala Apopka Lake in Citrus County. The meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Citrus County Auditorium, 3610 South Florida Avenue (U.S. Highway 41), Inverness. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.
A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving a balance between meeting human water needs and those of Florida’s natural systems. Minimum lake levels are used as guidelines in District permitting programs, for development of water resource projects and as information for development bordering lakes.
These meetings will afford an important opportunity for local governments, citizens and others to be part of the development of minimum levels for area lakes.
Public comment gathered at the meeting will be summarized and presented to the Governing Board when staff presents the recommended MFL at the District’s Oct. 24 Governing Board meeting. At that time, the Governing Board may choose to adopt the MFL into District rules. Governing Board meetings are open to the public where comments are permitted on meeting agenda items.
Written comments are also welcome and can be submitted via mail or email to Doug Leeper, senior environmental scientist, no later than Oct. 23. The addresses are 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899 or Doug.Leeper@watermatters.org.
Draft reports containing information on the development of MFL for the lakes are available under the Minimum Flows and Levels heading on the Documents and Publications page of the District’s web site, WaterMatters.org. For more information, please contact Doug Leeper at (352) 796-7211, ext. 4272, or 1-800-423-1476, ext 4272.