DRAFT South Florida Water Management District: Minimum Flows and Levels for Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, and the Biscayne Aquifer

This report documents the methods and technical criteria used by staff of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to develop proposed Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) for Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, and the coastal Biscayne aquifer. The "Everglades" includes the Water Conservation Areas, the Holeyland and Rotenberger Wildlife Management Areas, and the freshwater regions of Everglades National Park. Section 373.042 ( 1), F.S., defines the minimum level as the " .. .level of ground water within an aquifer and the level of surface water at which further withdrawals would be significantly harmful to the water resources of the area ... " Water resource functions protected under Chapter 373 are broad and include flood control, water quality protection, water supply and storage, fish and wildlife protection, navigation, and recreation. Passage of additional MFL legislation in 1997 added the requirements to consider changes and structural alterations, allow exclusions, and require development of a recovery strategy for water bodies that are not expected to meet the proposed criteria (Section 373.0421, F.S.). During development of MFL criteria for Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, and the Biscayne aquifer a number of structural changes or alterations were considered, along with the constraints such changes have placed on regional hydrology.