JJ. MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS: FLORIDA’S NEXT GREAT REGULATORY CHALLENGE
To prevent significant harm to the water resource, the water management districts must adopt minimum flows and levels for waterbodies and groundwater according to an annual priority list. If the waterbody does not meet, or is projected not to meet, the adopted minimum flow or level, the district must adopt a recovery or prevention strategy. Going through this process, the water management districts have found that many waterbodies are below their established minimum flow or level and thus require a recovery or prevention strategy. Some districts are re-evaluating their minimum flows and levels to see if they were set correctly. Minimum flows and levels and their associated prevention or recovery strategies can affect water users by causing cutbacks on existing sources, forcing development of alternative water supplies, and forcing participation in aquifer or surface water body recharge projects, in each case creating general uncertainty. This course focuses on the process by which minimum flows or levels are developed and adopted, while also identifying where minimum flows or levels are already in place or are scheduled for adoption in the future, how water users are impacted, and what you can do to protect your water uses.
