CHAPTER 5
 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE WORK

 Summary

 This dissertation reviewed the water management policies in Florida, which eventually led

to a legislative mandate for MFL (minimum flows and levels) development. The Hyve water

management districts, tasked with MFL development, have responded using a variety of

methods. These methods include utilization of multi-parameter approaches, including both

hydrologic and biological components, as well as recognition of public water supply needs. As

of the publication of the 2005 MFL priority list, minimum flows or levels had been established

for 242 water bodies in four of the Hyve water management districts. The fifth had an established

priority list identifying water bodies within its boundaries for which MFLs were in the process of

being established.

 The development of the minimum flow standards used to protect riverine ecosystems from

reductions in the highest part of the flow regime was the focus of this dissertation, because it is

the least understood. Water managers frequently utilize methods described in the literature for

the protection of in-channel flows. These included the use of physical habitat simulation

analysis, Eish passage, and lowest wetted perimeter inflection point in determining appropriate

flow standards. River/floodplain interaction is less well understood in terms of establishing flow

requirements for protection of the riverine floodplain ecosystem.

 Two methods of measuring habitat loss in floodplain wetlands were evaluated. The use of

a temporal measure of habitat loss as a criterion to develop minimum flows for protection of

riverine floodplains was examined for three rivers in Florida. The appropriateness of the

temporal measure was compared to a spatial measure of habitat loss, and an alternative method