photo of torn paper revealing the word rules

Rulemaking and Regulatory Meetings

Rulemaking to Protect Water Made Available by the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Project

The District is proposing to amend consumptive use permitting criteria to protect water made available by the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Project (LRWRP), a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The proposed rule development involves amending the existing Lower East Coast Regional Water Availability criteria to expand the definition of North Palm Beach County/Loxahatchee River Watershed Waterbodies to include the project components identified in the LRWRP.

The rulemaking effort will also adopt rules to protect the groundwater associated with the project’s aquifer storage and recovery wells that will be located at the C-18W Reservoir site. The need for rulemaking is twofold: 1) the Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River MFL [Rule 40E-8.421, Florida Administrative Code] identifies the Lower East Coast Regional Water Availability criteria as part of the MFL recovery strategy; and 2) the LRWRP is a CERP effort that requires project water be protected. This water resource protection is a prerequisite for the District signing a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the US Army Corps of Engineers for the LRWRP by September 2022. The existing Lower East Coast Regional Water Availability restricted allocation area boundary includes most, but not all, the areas in the LRWRP.

Technical Document, Rule, Applicant’s Handbook and Other Materials

Links to drafts of the supporting Technical Document, applicable rules, pertinent parts of the Applicant’s Handbook, and any other incorporated materials are provided below.

Stakeholder comments received are posted to the SFWMD web conferencing board at sfwmd.websitetoolbox.com in the Rulemaking to Protect Water Made Available by the Loxahatchee River Watershed Restoration Project forum.

For more information about this rulemaking effort, please contact: Sky Notestein, Principal Scientist, South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33401; telephone: (561) 682-2750; email: snotestein@sfwmd.gov

Quarterly Regulatory Meetings

Changes in the Permit Review Process

A 2009 amendment to Chapter 373 of the Florida Statutes delegates to executive directors at the state's five water management districts the authority to approve permit applications related to water resources and the environment. To ensure continuing public involvement, the South Florida Water Management District is strengthening its commitment to transparency and open government by increasing public access to its permitting process via Regulatory Meetings held for the public.

If you wish to participate in Public Meetings to discuss Regulatory Matters but cannot attend them in West Palm Beach, you can interact and provide comments during video-conferences at these service centers.

Fort Myers Service Center
2301 McGregor Boulevard
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Okeechobee Service Center
316 NW 5th Street
Okeechobee, FL 34972
Orlando Service Center
1707 Orlando Central Parkway, Suite 200
Orlando, FL 32809

Meetings will also be webcast. You may also send comments to the District about applications for Consumptive Use Permits and Environmental Resource Permits through ePermitting.

Written comments can be mailed to:
South Florida Water Management District
Regulation - MSC 9610
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

2021 REGULATORY PUBLIC MEETING DATES

No meetings are currently scheduled.

Contact:
Lisandra Jones
ljones@sfwmd.gov
(561) 682-6948