The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed "minimum flows and levels(Minimum Flows and Levels)":/mfl (MFLs) for the Homosassa River and associated springs at a public workshop on Thursday, Jan. 6. The workshop will be held from 6 to approximately 8:45 p.m. at Citrus County's Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path in Lecanto.
The District has already held one public workshop on the Homosassa River MFLs. This second meeting was scheduled to give the public additional time to review the proposed MFLs.
The state Legislature requires the District to set MFLs for priority water bodies within the District. A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment.
During the workshop, District staff will review the regulatory framework and the technical basis for the proposed MFLs. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for local governments, citizens and others to be part of the development of minimum flows and levels for the river system.
Public comment gathered at the workshop will be summarized and presented to the Governing Board when staff submits a final report and proposed rule amendments associated with the MFLs in the coming months. Following consideration of the report, public comments and results from an independent peer review, the Governing Board may choose to adopt the MFLs into District rules. Governing Board meetings are open to the public where brief oral comments are permitted on meeting agenda items.
Written comments are also welcome and can be submitted via mail or email to Doug Leeper, chief environmental scientist, no later than Jan. 20. The addresses are 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899 or Doug.Leeper@watermatters.org.
A draft report containing information on the development of MFLs for the Homosassa River is available on the District's web site. To locate the report, visit "WaterMatters.org/projects/mfl/":/projects/mfl/ and click on the "MFL documents and reports" link. For more information, please contact Doug Leeper at 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4272.
The District has already held one public workshop on the Homosassa River MFLs. This second meeting was scheduled to give the public additional time to review the proposed MFLs.
The state Legislature requires the District to set MFLs for priority water bodies within the District. A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment.
During the workshop, District staff will review the regulatory framework and the technical basis for the proposed MFLs. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for local governments, citizens and others to be part of the development of minimum flows and levels for the river system.
Public comment gathered at the workshop will be summarized and presented to the Governing Board when staff submits a final report and proposed rule amendments associated with the MFLs in the coming months. Following consideration of the report, public comments and results from an independent peer review, the Governing Board may choose to adopt the MFLs into District rules. Governing Board meetings are open to the public where brief oral comments are permitted on meeting agenda items.
Written comments are also welcome and can be submitted via mail or email to Doug Leeper, chief environmental scientist, no later than Jan. 20. The addresses are 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899 or Doug.Leeper@watermatters.org.
A draft report containing information on the development of MFLs for the Homosassa River is available on the District's web site. To locate the report, visit "WaterMatters.org/projects/mfl/":/projects/mfl/ and click on the "MFL documents and reports" link. For more information, please contact Doug Leeper at 1-800-423-1476, ext. 4272.