Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1304



By Senator Berman





26-00898B-24 20241304__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to advanced wastewater treatment;
3 providing legislative findings; requiring the
4 Department of Environmental Protection, in
5 consultation with the water management districts and
6 sewage disposal facilities, to submit to the Governor
7 and Legislature, by specified dates, reports on
8 certain permitted sewage disposal facilities in this
9 state, a priority ranking process for implementing
10 advanced wastewater treatment upgrades at such
11 facilities, and the implementation status of such
12 upgrades; providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. (1) The Legislature finds that the discharge of
17 inadequately treated wastewater and aging sewage disposal
18 facilities compromise the quality of the environment, including
19 freshwater, brackish water, and nearshore and offshore salt
20 waters, and threaten the quality of life and local economies in
21 this state that depend on those resources. The Legislature also
22 finds that the only practical and cost-effective way to
23 fundamentally improve wastewater management is to require
24 advanced wastewater treatment, or better, at all sewage disposal
25 facilities with a permitted capacity of greater than 1 million
26 gallons per day in this state.
27 (2) In order to prioritize the upgrade of sewage disposal
28 facilities by December 31, 2024, the Department of Environmental
29 Protection, in consultation with the water management districts
30 and wastewater facilities, shall submit to the Governor, the
31 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
32 Representatives a report detailing all of the following for all
33 sewage disposal facilities with a permitted capacity of greater
34 than 1 million gallons per day in this state:
35 (a) Year of construction for the facility and any
36 maintenance or upgrades.
37 (b) Total permitted volume of water treated daily.
38 (c) Actual permitted volume of water treated daily over the
39 most recent 1-year and 5-year averages.
40 (d) Current level of treatment, including concentrations
41 for each of the following:
42 1. Biochemical oxygen demand.
43 2. Suspended solids.
44 3. Total nitrogen.
45 4. Total phosphorus.
46 5. 1,4-dioxane.
47 6. Perfluorooctanoic acid.
48 7. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid.
49 8. Molybdenum.
50 9. Other contaminants of emerging concern as determined by
51 the department.
52 (e) Estimated total pollutant loading based on permitted
53 volume and concentrations.
54 (f) Disposal methods and the volume discharged to any
55 receiving waterbodies, if applicable, pursuant to s.
56 403.064(17), Florida Statutes.
57 (g) Impairment status of any receiving waterbodies within
58 the watershed.
59 (h) Implementation status of total maximum daily loads and
60 basin management action plans and recommended reductions for
61 load allocations and wasteload allocations for pollutants of
62 concern.
63 (i) Total volume and concentration of any permitted and
64 nonpermitted wastewater spills since 2010.
65 (3) By December 31, 2025, the department, in consultation
66 with the water management districts and sewage disposal
67 facilities, shall submit to the Governor, the President of the
68 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report
69 outlining a priority ranking process to upgrade all sewage
70 disposal facilities in this state to advanced wastewater
71 treatment by 2035, based on all of the following:
72 (a) Overall environmental benefit of each project based on:
73 1. Water quality in receiving waterbodies, including
74 impairment status;
75 2. Severity and duration of documented algal blooms;
76 3. Loss of submerged vegetation;
77 4. Death of fish and wildlife;
78 5. Public health advisories;
79 6. Quantity and concentration of permitted and nonpermitted
80 spills; and
81 7. Risk of failure.
82 (b) Estimated reduction in nutrient and pollutant loads
83 with advanced wastewater treatment.
84 (c) An explanation of additional projects necessary to meet
85 any adopted total maximum daily loads and basin management
86 action plans if upgrading to advanced treatment is not
87 sufficient.
88 (d) Cost-effectiveness, as determined by a planning-level
89 cost estimate.
90 (e) Potential financial assistance available, including the
91 water quality improvement grant program under s. 403.0673,
92 Florida Statutes, and availability of local matching funds.
93 (f) Project readiness and the estimated date of completion.
94 (4) By June 30, 2026, the department, in consultation with
95 the water management districts and sewage disposal facilities,
96 shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
97 the Speaker of the House of Representatives a progress report on
98 the status of any upgrades undertaken pursuant to the priority
99 ranking process established under subsection (3) for each sewage
100 disposal facility with a permitted capacity of greater than 1
101 million gallons per day in this state. The report must include a
102 list of the sewage disposal facilities with a permitted capacity
103 of greater than 1 million gallons per day required to upgrade to
104 advanced wastewater treatment, the preliminary cost estimates
105 for the upgrades, a projected timeline of the dates by which the
106 upgrades will begin and be completed, and the date by which
107 operations of the upgraded sewage disposal facilities will
108 begin.
109 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.