| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to reuse of reclaimed water; amending s. |
| 3 | 373.250, F.S.; providing requirements for water management |
| 4 | districts in evaluating applications for the consumptive |
| 5 | use of water in mandatory reuse zones; providing |
| 6 | applicability; providing an effective date. |
| 7 |
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| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Section 1. Subsections (4), (5), and (6) of section |
| 11 | 373.250, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5), |
| 12 | (6), and (7), respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to |
| 13 | that section to read: |
| 14 | 373.250 Reuse of reclaimed water.- |
| 15 | (4)(a) In evaluating an application for the consumptive |
| 16 | use of water, a water management district shall recognize a |
| 17 | mandatory reuse zone created by a local government or special |
| 18 | district pursuant to applicable law that requires persons |
| 19 | specified by the local government or special district to connect |
| 20 | to a reclaimed water system for irrigation and other nonpotable |
| 21 | uses, as follows: |
| 22 | 1. If reclaimed water is available and technically and |
| 23 | environmentally feasible for the proposed use, the water |
| 24 | management district shall presume that reclaimed water is |
| 25 | economically feasible in a mandatory reuse zone, and the |
| 26 | applicant shall bear the burden of overcoming the presumption. |
| 27 | 2. Any applicant in a mandatory reuse zone seeking |
| 28 | authorization for a nonpotable use shall consider the |
| 29 | feasibility of using available reclaimed water. This requirement |
| 30 | applies to all regulated water uses, regardless of the type of |
| 31 | permit or authorization, excluding exemptions from permitting. |
| 32 | 3. In a mandatory reuse zone, the use of reclaimed water |
| 33 | shall be prioritized over other water sources for nonpotable |
| 34 | uses and shall be required if determined to be technically, |
| 35 | environmentally, and economically feasible. |
| 36 | (b) This subsection does not limit the authority of a |
| 37 | reuse utility, local government, or special district to restrict |
| 38 | the use of potable water, supplied by the potable water |
| 39 | distribution system serving its customers, for the purposes of |
| 40 | irrigation or other nonpotable uses that may be met by reclaimed |
| 41 | water. |
| 42 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |