MFL UPDATES FOR WEKIVA RIVER BASIN

Representatives of FOWR met with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) on October 3, 2023 to review their draft report on modifying the Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs) for the Wekiva River Basin.   MFLs define the limits (in terms of water flow and level) at which further water withdrawals would significantly harm water resources or wetland ecology. The current MFLs for the Wekiva River Basin were set in 1992.

 In setting the updated MFLs, the SJRWMD must address ten criteria, including recreation on and in water, fish and wildlife habitat and fish passage, aesthetic and scenic attributes, transfer of detrital material, water quality, and sediment loads.  The SJRWMD performed extensive field surveys, hydrologic modeling, and groundwater modeling to develop the proposed MFLs.  The results were summarized in a draft report provided to FOWR before the meeting.

The good news is that the proposed MFLs are somewhat higher than the current MFLs for five of the six springs with current MFLs.  The bad news is that the proposed MFLs for all springs are less than the estimated flows and levels if there were no groundwater pumping.  As an example, the proposed average minimum flow (AMF) in Wekiwa Springs is about 4 percent higher than the current MFL, but the proposed AMF is about 6.7 percent less than it would be under the estimated “No Pumping” conditions.  For Rock Springs, the proposed AMF is about 5 percent more than the current MFL, however, the proposed AMF is 11 percent less than it would be under the estimated “No Pumping” conditions.

The draft report determined that to meet the proposed MFLs, groundwater pumping should not exceed the average pumping during years 2014 –2018.  This means that groundwater pumping within the Wekiva Basin must be reduced to the quantities pumped during that time.   To achieve the necessary reductions in groundwater pumping, the SJRWMD will develop a Recovery Plan, which must be reviewed with stakeholders before the rule is adopted.  Proposed MFLs may not be adopted until 2025 or 2026.

FOWR will continue following development of the MFLs and will work with our other partners, including the Florida Springs Council and the St. Johns Riverkeepers, to review and evaluate the proposed Recovery Plan.