The purpose of this rulemaking is to remove minimum and guidance levels for Pasco Lake, located in Pasco County, from the rule. The effect of the rule is to support the District’s water supply planning, water use permitting, ....

 

WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS

Southwest Florida Water Management District

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

40D-8.624Guidance and Minimum Levels for Lakes

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose of this rulemaking is to remove minimum and guidance levels for Pasco Lake, located in Pasco County, from the rule. The effect of the rule is to support the District’s water supply planning, water use permitting, and environmental resource permitting programs.

SUMMARY: Section 373.042, F.S., requires the District to establish minimum flows and levels for lakes, wetlands, rivers and aquifers within the District’s boundaries. Section 373.0421(3), F.S., further requires the District to periodically reevaluate and revise adopted minimum flows and levels. The establishment and periodic evaluation of minimum levels is required to ensure that the minimum hydrologic requirements of the water resources and ecology of the area are maintained. This rulemaking is necessary to remove the previously established minimum levels for a lake previously listed in the rule.

SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS AND LEGISLATIVE RATIFICATION:

The Agency has determined that this will not have an adverse impact on small business or likely increase directly or indirectly regulatory costs in excess of $200,000 in the aggregate within one year after the implementation of the rule. A SERC has not been prepared by the Agency.

The Agency has determined that the proposed rule is not expected to require legislative ratification based on the statement of estimated regulatory costs or if no SERC is required, the information expressly relied upon and described herein: The District conducted an economic review of the revisions to the rule and determined that the impact or regulatory cost, if any, of the revisions will not exceed any one of the economic analysis criteria in a SERC as set forth in Section 120.541(2)(a), F.S. The removal of this lake from the rule is unlikely to constitute an additional significant regulatory constraint on groundwater or surface water withdrawals in the area due to existing resource conditions and regulatory constraints in the basin.

Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 373.044, 373.113, 373.171, FS.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 373.036, 373.042, 373.0421, 373.086, 373.709, FS.

IF REQUESTED WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS NOTICE, A HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED AND ANNOUNCED IN THE FAR.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Mark Hurst, Senior Environmental Scientist, SWFWMD, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604, [phone], ext. 4271.

 

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

 

40D-8.624 Guidance and Minimum Levels for Lakes.

(1) through (11) No change.

(12) Levels for lakes established during or after August 7, 2000, are set forth in the following table. After the High Minimum Lake Level and Minimum Lake Level elevation for each lake is a designation indicating the Method used, as described in subsection 40D-8.624(8), F.A.C., to establish the level. Compliance with the High Minimum and Minimum Lake Levels is determined pursuant to paragraphs (6)(b) and (7)(b) above. Guidance Levels established prior to August 7, 2000, are set forth in Table 8-3 in subsection 40D-8.624(13), F.A.C., below.

Table 8-2 Minimum and Guidance Levels Established During or After August 7, 2000. Levels are elevations, in feet above the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
Location by County and Basin	Name of Lake and Section, Township and Range Information	High Guidance Level	High Minimum Lake Level	Minimum Lake Level	Low Guidance Level
(a) through (p) No change.
(q) In Pasco County Within the Coastal Rivers Basin	Big Fish, Lake S-21, T-24, R-19E through Moon, Lake S-28, T-25, R-17E No change.
	Pasco Lake S-22, T-24S, R-18E	66.1'	65.3' (CAT 3)	61.8' (CAT 3)	59.7'
	Pierce Lake S-9, T-25S, R-18E through Unnamed Lake No. 22 S-27, T-24S, R-18E No change.
(r) through (dd), No change.

 

(13) No change.

Rulemaking Authority 373.044, 373.113, 373.171 FS. Law Implemented 373.036, 373.042, 373.0421, 373.086, 373.709 FS. History–New 6-7-78, Amended 1-22-79, 4-27-80, 10-21-80, 12-22-80, 3-23-81, 4-14-81, 6-4-81, 10-15-81, 11-23-81, 1-5-82, 3-11-82, 5-10-82, 7-4-82, 9-2-82, 11-8-82, 1-10-83, 4-3-83, 7-5-83, 9-5-83, 10-16-83, 12-12-83, 5-8-84, 7-8-84, 12-16-84, 2-7-85, 5-13-85, 6-26-85, 11-3-85, 3-5-86, 6-16-86, Formerly 16J-8.678, Amended 9-7-86, 2-12-87, 9-2-87, 2-18-88, 6-27-88, 2-22-89, 3-23-89, 9-26-89, 7-26-90, 10-30-90, 3-3-91, 9-30-91, 10-7-91, 7-26-92, 3-1-93, 5-11-94, 6-6-96, 2-23-97, 8-7-00, 1-8-04, 12-21-04 (13), 12-21-04 (13), 6-5-05, 5-2-06, 1-1-07, 2-12-07, 1-10-08, 2-18-08, 4-7-08, 5-20-08, 5-10-09, 4-13-11, 3-12-12, 11-25-12, 2-21-13 (12)(f), 2-21-13 (12)-(13), 9-3-13, 1-7-15, 7-1-15, 9-21-15, 11-30-16, 12-28-16, 2-12-17 (12)(s), 2-12-17 (12)(z), 2-12-17 (12)(z), 2-19-17 (12)(l), 2-19-17 (12)(q), 3-2-17 (12)(l), 3-2-17 (12)(z), 3-22-17, 4-2-17 (12)(q), 4-2-17 (12)(z), 4-20-17 (12)(i), 4-20-17 (12)(i), 2-5-18, 3-20-18, 5-30-18, 1-23-19, 2-11-19, 3-20-19, 4-28-19, 7-17-19, 5-27-20, 8-9-20, ___.

 

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Southwest Florida Water Management District

NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: December 15, 2020

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAR: February 1, 2021