LIVE OAK, FLA., May 9, 2017 – Members of the public are invited to learn more about an emergency rule proposed to protect the health and sustainability of four Outstanding Florida Springs (OFS) in the area. The Suwannee River Water Management District (District) will hold two workshops on May 24, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the District headquarters, located at 9225 County Road 49, Live Oak, FL 32060.
Falmouth Spring, Lafayette Blue Spring, Peacock Springs, and Troy Spring will each receive a proposed minimum flow or minimum water level (MFL) under the emergency rule. The public workshops are meant to provide background information on the data used to develop the emergency rule language for the MFLs and give an opportunity for public input prior to the MFLs being adopted.
Florida statutes designate all first-magnitude springs and several second-magnitude springs within Florida as OFS. The District is home to fourteen OFS within its boundaries. These four are the only remaining OFS to require MFLs.
MFLs are used to determine the amount of water that can be safely withdrawn from a specific water body without harming the sustainability of biological and ecological health. Florida statutes allow MFLs to be set under emergency rule using the best available data when technical work is not yet complete. This allows a level of protection to be set on the water body while the scientific evaluation is completed.
The District has set MFLs on 27 priority water bodies, including 19 springs or spring groups and 8 rivers. The District has 46 remaining priority water bodies with MFLs to be set.
For more information regarding these workshops, contact Carlos Herd, director of the District’s water supply division, by calling 386.362.1001. To view the current schedule of MFLs, visit
www.mysuwanneeriver.com and search “Minimum Flows and Levels.”
The mission of the Suwannee River Water Management District is to protect and manage water resources using science-based solutions to support natural systems and the needs of the public. The District holds true to the belief of water for nature, water for people. Headquartered in Live Oak, Florida, the District serves 15 surrounding north-central Florida counties.
For more information about the District, visit
www.mysuwanneeriver.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter, search @SRWMD.