Lake Prevatt Minimum Levels

Lake Prevatt is located approximately 2 miles northeast of Apopka within Wekiwa Springs State Park in Orange County, Florida. The 99-acre lake receives water from direct precipitation, surface runoff, and base flow from the surrounding area and loses water primarily through evaporation, an outflow to Carpenter Creek, and seepage to the Upper Floridan Aquifer. Lake Prevatt provides a regionally important recreation resource with hiking trails and youth camping cabins within the park boundary, as well as access for canoeing and kayaking from an additional youth camp on the western edge of the lake. The area surrounding Lake Prevatt within park boundaries is also prime habitat for native plant communities and wetlands that provide habitat for numerous wading birds and other fish and wildlife.

The District’s MFLs approach involves two separate but interrelated components: 1) MFLs Determination; and 2) MFLs Assessment. The first involves determining a minimum hydrologic regime necessary to protect relevant water resource values. The second involves comparing this MFLs condition to a current-pumping condition to determine the current status of the MFLs. The overall process involves an analysis of ecological, recreational, and hydrological information, all of which undergo independent scientific peer review. Field work and surface water modeling for Lake Prevatt are ongoing. The Lake Prevatt MFLs determination is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.

MFLs Peer Review Approach in the CFWI

The District typically engages in voluntary peer review of all MFLs on its Priority List. Because Lake Prevatt (Orange County) is within the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) area, the District will follow the CFWI MFLs peer review process. This includes stakeholder input in the selection of MFLs report and model peer reviewers as well as stakeholder involvement in public workshops for the review of the models, hydrological analyses, and environmental analyses that are used to determine and evaluate proposed MFLs within the CFWI.

As with other CFWI MFLs, the Lake Prevatt MFLs peer review is divided into two phases. First, the surface water model, including calibration and long-term simulations, will be reviewed by independent technical experts in the field of hydrologic modeling. The second phase of the peer review process will involve an evaluation of recommended minimum lake levels, including the environmental criteria used for MFLs determination and the hydrologic analyses used for MFLs assessment. One or more firms will be selected for review of the MFLs determination and assessment.