SFWMD Public Meeting Set on Scientists' Review of Caloosahatchee Water Flow

The South Florida Water Management District has scheduled a one-day public meeting and independent scientific peer review workshop as part of the District's reevaluation of the minimum flow level (MFL) criteria for the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary.

The meeting is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 in the 1st floor conference center at  SFWMD's Fort Myers Service Center, 2301 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. 

The MFL is a threshold, established through scientific study, below which negative impacts to the estuary's ecology may occur. While flows to the estuary are typically maintained above the minimum to protect the ecology of the river and the estuary, during drought conditions water may not be available to meet the MFL. 

SFWMD is currently constructing the $600 million C-43 West Basin Reservoir to help consistently meet the minimum flows for the estuary in the future. 
      
An independent panel of scientists from around the nation has reviewed SFWMD's scientific research and modeling used to re-evaluate the MFL and will be present to offer their insight at the workshop. 

Information gained through the workshop will be considered prior to any changes to the MFL being proposed for action by SFWMD's Governing Board at a future meeting. This meeting is a continuation of the Governing Board's practice of seeking public input and following sound and independent science in its decision-making process, the District claims in a written statement.

The Peer Review Panel members include --

• Edward J. Buskey, Ph.D. (Peer Review chairman) - University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute
• Jennifer Beseres Pollack, Ph.D. - Texas A & M University,  Corpus Christi
• Wu-Seng Lung, Ph.D., P.E. - University of Virginia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• James L. Pinckney, Ph.D. - University of South Carolina, Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences
• Jian Shen, Ph.D. - College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Learn more about SFWMD's re-evaluation of the MFL for the Caloosahatchee Estuary by clicking here.