The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for Crooked Lake in Polk County.
Two public workshops will be held Monday, Nov. 5, at Weber International University in the Rex Yentes Conference Center, 1201 North Scenic Highway, Babson Park, FL 33827. The workshops will be held at 2:30 and 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 workshops will allow local governments, citizens and others to be part of the development of minimum levels for area lakes.
Public comment gathered at the workshops will be summarized and presented to the Governing Board upon request, when staff presents the recommended MFL at the District’s Dec. 18 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 and comments are permitted.
Written comments are also welcome and can be submitted via mail or email to Doug Leeper, senior environmental scientist, no later than Dec. 17. The addresses are 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899 or Doug.Leeper@WaterMatters.org.
A draft report containing information on the development of the MFL for Crooked Lake is available under the Proposed Minimum and Guidance Levels heading on the Documents & 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.