SWFWMD Looks For Public Input On Minimum Lake Levels

SEBRING - So just how little water could remain in lakes Anoka and Placid without disrupting the lakes' environment? How low can Lake Verona go without making Donaldson Park any less enjoyable?

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, which monitors those lakes as well as lakes Tulane, Denton and Angelo, wants to get public input Tuesday evening on that and other questions as the district determines new rules on the lakes' minimum water levels.

Those levels are set by SWFWMD to determine the point where further drops in the lake level -- from natural causes or from people drawing water out -- could affect the surrounding environment as well as the lake's recreational use.

As Chief Environmental Scientist Douglas Leeper wrote in a letter from SWFWMD's Resource Conservation and Development Department, the minimum levels "protect lakes from impacts associated with ground water and surface water withdrawals."

Some residents and businesses by nearby Lake Istokpoga, managed by South Florida Water Management District, already know what could happen when water levels drop below the lake's set minimum level when their water permits were stopped last month.

The workshop will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Highlands County Agri-Civic Center.

SWFWMD's review of the minimum levels comes at a time where much of Florida came out of an "average" rain season following a drought that left water levels well below where it should be for the beginning of the dry season.

Leeper's letter did not specifically indicate that the reviews of the minimum lake levels were a direct response to those conditions. Leeper could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Meanwhile, SWFWMD's also considering tighter water restrictions for property owners. This will be determined next Monday at their meeting in Tampa.