FWEA Focus—Ronald R. Cavalieri

President, FWEA

By the year 2040, Florida will need an additional 1 billion gallons per day of potable water supply to meet the projected demands. The rich quality of life that we enjoy here, and across the United States, is dependent on ensuring that sufficient clean water is available for all reasonable and beneficial uses within our community, while protecting natural systems and the environment.

Water is the life of a community. The development of an integrated (One Water) management approach is critical to meet projected water needs, as well as to support Florida’s future economic success.

According to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR), Florida’s population is expected to grow from its current 21.6 million (Bulletin 190, June 2021) to 26.4 million by 2040. Florida represents about 6.5 percent of the U.S. population (estimated at 331.4 million in 2020) and is ranked third behind California and Texas. According to the U.S. Census, Florida’s population grew by 14.9 percent from 18.8 million in 2010 to its current population.

The population growth affects the demands for education, healthcare, housing, recreation, and transportation, with impacts to the environment and potable water supply.

The Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) projects that the state’s potable water demand will increase by more than 15 percent between 2020 and 2040, reaching 7.4 billion gallons daily. The increased demand is having a significant impact on the state’s water utilities to supply the projected demands and has brought about both new legislation and innovative water supply approaches.

According to the regional water supply plans and water supply assessments developed by Florida’s water management districts (WMDs), the water needs of the state can be met through the 2040 planning horizon by a combination of traditional and alternative water sources. This, however, assumes that appropriate management, continuing conservation efforts, and necessary investments are made.

These efforts are related to alternative water supply projects identified in the regional water supply plans. Because none of the WMDs can meet future demands solely with existing source capacity, these extra efforts are critical, beginning now and continuing through 2040.

Water quality has continued to be considered a high-profile issue in Florida by the governor, the Legislature, news media, and the public at large. Several environmental bills have been passed by the Legislature, including the Clean Waterways Act (SB 712) in 2020 and the Reclaimed Water Bill (SB 64) in 2021.

The Clean Waterways Act addresses several environmental issues, including provisions specifically related to water quality improvement.

Provisions related to wastewater are as follows: S Requires local governments to create wastewater treatment plans for certain best management action plans (BMAPs), but authorizes different cost options for projects that meet pollution reduction requirements. S Prohibits, beginning July 1, 2025, wastewater treatment facilities from discharging into the Indian River Lagoon without providing advanced waste treatment. The bill imposes new requirements on wastewater facilities and the Florida Department of Environmental

Protection (FDEP) to prevent sanitary sewer overflows and underground pipe leaks. S Directs FDEP to develop requirements for the establishment of asset management programs and associated reporting for domestic wastewater collection systems.

The emphasis of the reclaimed water bill is on elimination of wastewater treatment effluent surface discharges and incentivizes the beneficial reuse of reclaimed water. The bill requires domestic wastewater utilities that dispose of effluent, reclaimed water, or reuse water by surface water discharge to: S Submit a plan to FDEP to eliminate nonbeneficial surface water discharges by Nov. 1, 2021. S Fully implement the plan to eliminate discharges by Jan. 1, 2032. S If no plan is submitted or approved, it must eliminate discharges by Jan. 1, 2028.

The reclaimed water bill also: S Specifies that potable reuse is an alternative water supply for purposes of making reuse projects eligible for alternative water supply funding. S Incentivizes the development of potable reuse projects. S Incentivizes residential developments that use graywater technologies. S Specifies the total dissolved solids allowable in aquifer storage and recovery in certain circumstances.

The concept of One Water (integrated water management) has been around in Florida for many years. The state is a recognized nationwide leader in reclaimed water/reuse and currently reuses approximately 884 million gallons per day (nearly 50 percent) of its reclaimed water for various beneficial uses.

Water recycling is an integral part of Florida’s wastewater, water resource, and ecosystem management. The FDEP is currently engaged in rulemaking for implementation of potable reuse programs; however, the stress of increased population demands and an emphasis on protecting the environment has brought about a heightened awareness on the value of water and the need for a One Water approach.

According to the Water Research Foundation, One Water is defined as:

finite water resources for long-term resilience and reliability, meeting both community and ecosystem needs.”

The term One Water describes a comprehensive and long-term approach to community-based water management. The One Water approach considers “the urban water cycle as a single integrated system” and recognizes all urban water supplies as resources, including surface water, groundwater (fresh and brackish), seawater, stormwater, wastewater/reclaimed water, and improved storage opportunities. These interconnected resources are managed for their combined impacts on water supply, water quality, and the environment.

This integrated management of all water supplies, considering multiple end uses, improves the overall quality of life in a community by benefitting both the environment and the economy.

The One Water approach also considers the needs of multiple stakeholders and addresses climate change and long-term resilience and reliability to meet both community and ecosystem needs. One Water emphasizes that all water has value, encouraging those in the water industry to work together to solve Florida’s complex water supply challenges.

Water is vital to our health, environment, prosperity, and future. Florida’s needs have grown, and due to the conservation of limited resources, there has been as increased awareness for the need of a One Water approach to water supply planning.

This water evolution has resulted in recognition that water should not be labeled by its source—stormwater, groundwater, reclaimed water, etc.—but should be managed as simply One Water. 1. Florida Population Studies, Bulletin 190.

University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Bureau of Economic and Business

Research. June 2021. 2. Office of Economic and Demographic Research,

Annual Assessment of Florida’s Water Resources and Conservation Lands. 2021 Edition. 3. Florida Water Environment Association Utility

Council, 2021 Annual Report. 4. U.S. Water Alliance, “One Water Roadmap: The

Sustainable Management of Life’s Most Essential

Resource.” 5. “Framework for the Implementation of Potable

Reuse in Florida.” Potable Reuse Commission.

January 2020. 6. One Water LA 2040 Plan, Volume 1 Summary

Report. Final Draft, April 2018. S

- Port Orange - Tampa - Tallahassee