greatly among cross-sections, as was true for the Alafia and Myakka rivers. The percentage, by

which reducing flow would result in 15% fewer days of the target flow being reached, is also

presented. Flow reduction resulting in 15% fewer days ranged from 5% for lowest bank

elevation to inundate both sides of the river floodplain to 10% for the mean elevation of mucky

soils. This analysis was completed for each of the two benchmark periods and results were

similar to both the Alafia River and Myakka River (Kelly et al. 2005c).

 In establishing minimum flows for the high flow season on the Alafia, middle Peace, and

Myakka rivers, Kelly et al. (2005a, b, c) did not select a single floodplain feature to protect.

Rather, they noted that higher flows might require a slightly more restrictive standard than some

of the indicators associated with low flows and that higher flows seem to consistently tend

towards a reduction between 5% and 10% (Tables 3-2 to 3-4). To further investigate limiting

factors associated with the river floodplains, plots of percent-of-flow reductions that would result

in 15% losses in the number of days for which corresponding river flows were reached were

produced for each river (Figure 3-2). The plots indicate that up to an 8%reduction in the flows

necessary to inundate floodplain features of the Alafia and middle Peace rivers, including those

features not identified, would result in no more than a 15% reduction in the number of days the

features are inundated. Similarly, it was determined that a 7% reduction in flow in the Myakka

River, during the high-season flows, would not reduce the number of days of floodplain-river

connection by more than 15%. This measure of temporal loss of habitat is central to the

approach taken by the District in establishing MFLs to protect the river-floodplain connection

during the high flow part of the year.

 In examining all three rivers it is evident that as flows increase, the percentage by which

the flow can be reduced, without lowering the number of days that flow is reached, is reduced. It