Senate Bill 1424c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1424

    By the Committee on Natural Resources and Senator Latvala





    312-1790A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to sewage treatment facility

  3         discharges; prohibiting new discharges, or

  4         increased pollutant loadings from existing

  5         sewage treatment facilities into coastal waters

  6         within Pasco County or waters tributary

  7         thereto; requiring elimination of existing

  8         discharges into coastal waters within Pasco

  9         County or waters tributary thereto; authorizing

10         the Department of Environmental Protection to

11         grant exceptions under certain circumstances;

12         providing an effective date.

13

14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

15

16         Section 1.  Elimination of sewage treatment facility

17  discharges into coastal waters within Pasco County.--

18         (1)  No new discharges, or increased pollutant loadings

19  from existing sewage treatment facilities, into the coastal

20  waters of the state within Pasco County, which include, but

21  are not limited to, Anclote Anchorage, Sandy Bay, Cross Bayou,

22  Millers Bayou, Boggy Bay, Hope Bayou, Lighter Bayou, or

23  Fillman Bayou, or into waters tributary thereto, are permitted

24  except as provided in subsection (3).

25         (2)  All existing sewage treatment facility discharges

26  into the coastal waters of the state within Pasco County must

27  be eliminated before July 1, 2004, except as provided in

28  subsection (3).

29         (3)  The Department of Environmental Protection may

30  grant an exception to subsection (1) or subsection (2) only in

31  the following circumstances:

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 1424
    312-1790A-99




  1         (a)  If the applicant conclusively demonstrates that no

  2  other practical alternative exists, the discharge will receive

  3  advanced waste treatment as defined in section 403.086(4),

  4  Florida Statutes, or a higher level of treatment, and the

  5  applicant conclusively demonstrates that the proposed

  6  discharge will not result in degradation of the receiving

  7  water body; or

  8         (b)  If the applicant's discharge is a limited wet

  9  weather surface water discharge serving as a backup to a reuse

10  system, subject to the requirements of department rules.

11         Section 2.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2003.

12

13          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
14                             SB 1424

15

16  The committee substitute deletes everything after the enacting
    clause. The bill now prohibits any new discharges, or
17  increased pollutant loadings from existing sewage treatment
    facilities, into the coastal waters of the state within Pasco
18  County, or waters tributary to the coastal waters of Pasco
    County. The bill also requires that all existing sewage
19  treatment facility discharges into the coastal waters of the
    state within Pasco County be eliminated before July 1, 2004.
20  However, the DEP may grant an exception to the above
    prohibitions in the following circumstances:
21
    -     If the applicant conclusively demonstrates that no other
22        practical alternative exists, the discharge will receive
          advanced waste treatment as defined in s. 403.086(4),
23        F.S., or a higher level of treatment, and the applicant
          conclusively demonstrates that the proposed discharge
24        will not result in degradation of the receiving water
          body, or
25
    -     If the applicant's discharge is a limited wet weather
26        surface water discharge serving as a backup to a reuse
          system, subject to the requirements of department rules.
27
    The act takes effect January 1, 2003.
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