Florida Water Geek

Florida Senate Bill 64 and You What is Senate Bill 64? Florida Senate Bill 64 (SB64) was passed in 2021, and relates to reclaimed water. This law basically requires wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) or water reclamation facilities (WRFs) to eliminate "nonbeneficial surface water discharges." Most WWTPs and WRFs currently discharge at least some of their effluent to surface waters - rivers and lakes. (About two-thirds of all combined discharges are non-beneficial).  While this treated effluent may not be "beneficial," it must meet antidegradation law. The effluent discharged cannot degrade the water quality of the receiving stream. Samples are collected upstream and downstream regularly to ensure no degradation occurs.  In addition WRFs must meet strict permit limits on removal of contaminants. SB64 will require these discharges from WRFs to be eliminated by January 1, 2032.  The way to eliminate a surface water discharge is to either inject the effluent deep int...

  Water Utilities Need Multiple Permits Water utilities need several different permits from various regulatory agencies . These permits outline specific requirements that the utility must follow to be in compliance with rules.  Obtaining permits can be time consuming and expensive, and many of them need to be renewed after a certain time period. Here are some examples of the different types of water-related permits. Construction Permits If you've ever built a house or even a fence, you usually have to get a permit from the local building or planning department. It's the same for construction of water plants, pipelines, pumping stations and other utility work--only more complicated. For instance, before constructing a pipeline project, the utility must get permits from:   the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).  the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) if the pipe will be in an FDOT right-of-way.  the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) if th...

What are the rules and regulations related to water? Water regulations affect nearly everyone in Florida - utilities, farmers, developers, commercial businesses, industries, homeowners, boaters, commercial fishermen, hotels, restaurants and more.   Multiple agencies are involved at the federal, state, and local levels. I'm mostly discussing how they affect water utilities below, but we'll talk about how they affect all others in separate posts. Complying with regulations takes a huge amount of time and money for water utilities. Many require extensive permitting, reporting, and staying current with rules that change every year.  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)  The over-arching regulatory agency for water is the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency .  The two major federal laws affecting water include:  The  Clean Water Act , which covers wastewater, stormwater, and waters of the U.S. The  Safe Drinking Water Act  which covers drinking...