Board adopts 2020 Minimum Flows and Levels priority list and schedule

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Annually updated list protects water bodies from harm

PALATKA, Fla., Oct. 13, 2020 — The St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted the 2020 Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) priority list, which lays out the agency’s plan for completing and re-evaluating MFLs through 2024.

Establishing minimum flows and levels (MFLs) is an important goal in the District’s work of planning for adequate water supplies for today and for future generations while also protecting the District’s water resources. The District sets MFLs for lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands and springs, updating the list annually.

MFLs define the limits at which further water withdrawals would be significantly harmful to the water resources or ecology of an area. Establishing MFLs is a requirement of the state Legislature and is required by the state Comprehensive Plan, the water resources implementation rule (formerly state water policy), and a 1996 governor’s executive order for priority water bodies.

The District has established MFLs on 131 water bodies (104 lakes, 14 springs, 6 rivers, and 7 wetlands). A total of 30 MFLs have been re-evaluated.

To view the 2020 Minimum Flows and Levels priority list and schedule, go to this page.

Read an in-depth article about the District’s MFL program in our online magazine, StreamLines.