Florida Senate - 2018                              CS for SB 992
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Book
       
       
       
       
       
       576-04126-18                                           2018992c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the C-51 reservoir project;
    3         amending s. 373.4598, F.S.; revising requirements
    4         relating to the operation of water storage and use for
    5         Phase I and Phase II of the C-51 reservoir project if
    6         state funds are appropriated for such phases;
    7         authorizing the South Florida Water Management
    8         District to enter into certain capacity allocation
    9         agreements and to request a waiver for repayment of
   10         certain loans; authorizing the Department of
   11         Environmental Protection to waive such loan repayment
   12         under certain conditions; specifying that the district
   13         is not responsible for repayment of such waived loans;
   14         providing an effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
   19  373.4598, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (f) is
   20  added to that subsection, to read:
   21         373.4598 Water storage reservoirs.—
   22         (9) C-51 RESERVOIR PROJECT.—
   23         (d) If state funds are appropriated for Phase I or Phase II
   24  of the C-51 reservoir project:
   25         1. The district, to the extent practicable, must shall
   26  operate either Phase I or Phase II of the reservoir project to
   27  maximize the reduction of high-volume Lake Okeechobee regulatory
   28  releases to the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries, in
   29  addition to maximizing the reduction of harmful discharges
   30  providing relief to the Lake Worth Lagoon. However, the
   31  operation of Phase I of the C-51 reservoir project must be in
   32  accordance with any operation and maintenance agreement adopted
   33  by the district;
   34         2. Water made available by Phase I or Phase II of the
   35  reservoir must shall be used for natural systems in addition to
   36  any permitted allocated amounts for water supply; and
   37         3. Any Water received from Lake Okeechobee may only not be
   38  available to support consumptive use permits if such use is in
   39  accordance with district rules.
   40         (f) The district may enter into a capacity allocation
   41  agreement with a water supply entity for a pro rata share of
   42  unreserved capacity in the water storage facility and may
   43  request the department to waive repayment of all or a portion of
   44  the loan issued pursuant to s. 373.475. The department may
   45  authorize such waiver if, in its determination, it has received
   46  reasonable value for such waiver. The district is not
   47  responsible for repaying any portion of a loan issued pursuant
   48  to s. 373.475 which is waived pursuant to this paragraph.
   49         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.