Board approves rulemaking kickoff for Lake Butler minimum flows and levels

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PALATKA, Fla., June 9, 2020 — The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board on Tuesday authorized staff to begin rulemaking to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for Lake Butler, in Volusia County. A Notice of Rule Development was approved on the consent agenda.

Lake Butler is currently meeting its minimum levels but, without projects, will not meet them within the next 20 years. Through implementation of projects identified in the existing 2013 Volusia Prevention/Recovery Strategy, Lake Butler MFLs will be achieved through the 2040 planning horizon.

If requested in writing, a rule development workshop will be held by webinar at 4 p.m., June 24. If a workshop is requested, details will be available no later than June 17 on the district’s website at www.sjrwmd.com/permitting/rule-development.

Establishing MFLs is an important component of the district’s work of planning for adequate water supplies for today and for future generations while also protecting the district’s water resources.

MFLs define the limit at which further water withdrawals would be significantly harmful to the water resources of the area. MFLs are used as a basis for setting limits on groundwater and surface water withdrawals in the consumptive use permitting process and for reviewing proposed surface water management systems in the environmental resource permitting process. In addition, MFLs are used, along with other information and data, in the district’s water supply planning process.

The district’s Governing Board annually approves an MFL Priority Water Body List and Schedule, which identifies priority systems for establishing MFLs in the following four years. Lake Butler is on the District’s MFL Priority List and scheduled for adoption in 2020.

Visit www.sjrwmd.com/minimumflowsandlevels/ for information about MFLs. To learn more about MFLs, visit the district’s current StreamLines article at www.sjrwmd.com/streamlines/finding-a-balance-in-floridas-waters/.