Senate Bill sb0444c1

    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 444

    By the Committee on Environmental Preservation and
    Conservation; and Senators Bennett and Haridopolos




    592-2304-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act creating a study of releases from

  3         gambling vessels; requiring the Department of

  4         Environmental Protection to conduct a study of

  5         wastewater generated and discharged by gambling

  6         vessels; requiring monthly reports with certain

  7         requirements; requiring discharge data with

  8         certain conditions; providing for a final

  9         report to the Legislature by February 1, 2009;

10         providing an effective date.

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

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14         Section 1.  The Department of Environmental Protection

15  shall conduct a study of the wastewater, including sewage,

16  blackwater, graywater, and oily bilge water, generated and

17  discharged by gambling vessels to determine the potential for

18  water quality impacts on coastal waters. For the purposes of

19  this study the term "gambling vessels" means a boat, ship,

20  casino boat, watercraft, or barge that is kept, operated, or

21  maintained for the purpose of gambling and that carries or

22  operates gambling devices for the use of its passengers or

23  otherwise provides facilities for the purpose of gambling,

24  whether within or without the jurisdiction of this state and

25  whether the sailing, voyaging, or cruising, or any segment of

26  the sailing, voyaging, or cruising, begins and ends within

27  this state. The term "gambling vessel" does not include a

28  cruise ship as defined in 50 33 C.F.R. s. 101.105. The

29  department shall consider existing studies, research,

30  manufacturer specifications, and other available information

31  on the characteristics of wastewater generated by gambling

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 444
    592-2304-07




 1  ships and similar vessels; the types and documented

 2  effectiveness of wastewater treatment processes or devices

 3  used by such vessels, including standard or typical marine

 4  sanitation devices; and credible water quality impacts on

 5  coastal waters attributed to such vessels. The owners of

 6  gambling vessels shall provide to the department no later than

 7  September 1, 2007, for each vessel owned, the maximum and

 8  average numbers of passengers and number of crewpersons for

 9  each vessel; the average or typical time duration and number

10  of nautical miles of each voyage; the typical route of each

11  voyage; the average number of voyages in each month of the

12  year for each vessel; the number and type of wastewater

13  treatment devices on each vessel; holding tank volumes; and

14  the wastewater management, treatment, and discharge practices

15  employed on each vessel. Each owner of a gambling vessel shall

16  provide to the department, beginning September 1, 2007,

17  monthly reports, on a form prescribed by the department and

18  due the 15th day of each month for the preceding month, the

19  following information for each discharge of wastewater: date

20  and time of discharge; volume of discharge; location of

21  discharge; vessel speed at the time of discharge; and based on

22  sampling, the characteristics of the wastewater discharged,

23  including concentrations of nitrogen species, phosphorus,

24  pathogens, total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand,

25  and chlorine. Whenever a vessel has its wastewater pumped out

26  at a port or other land-based pump-out facility rather than

27  discharging it, the vessel owner shall report to the

28  department the date, time, location, and volume of each

29  instance of pump-out in its monthly report. The department may

30  require electronic submittal of the monthly reports. The

31  department shall provide a report to the Governor, the

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 444
    592-2304-07




 1  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of

 2  Representatives on its findings by February 1, 2009.

 3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

 4  

 5          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 6                         Senate Bill 444

 7                                 

 8  The committee substitute provides that the Department of
    Environmental Protection shall conduct a study of the
 9  wastewater including sewage, blackwater, graywater, and oily
    bilge water generated and discharged by gambling vessels to
10  determine the potential for water quality impacts on coastal
    waters. Specifies what the department must consider in the
11  study. The report is to be provided to the Governor, the
    President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
12  Representatives by February 1, 2009.

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