Bill Text: FL S1758 | 2019 | Regular Session | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Water Quality Improvements

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Failed) 2019-05-03 - Died in Appropriations [S1758 Detail]

Download: Florida-2019-S1758-Comm_Sub.html
       Florida Senate - 2019                      CS for CS for SB 1758
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Environment and
       Natural Resources; and Senators Mayfield, Simmons, Harrell,
       Pizzo, Farmer, and Gruters
       
       
       
       578-03801-19                                          20191758c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to water quality improvements;
    3         providing a short title; requiring the Department of
    4         Environmental Protection, in coordination with the
    5         Department of Health, to develop a report to be
    6         submitted to the Legislature by a specified date on
    7         the impacts of transferring the onsite sewage program
    8         of the Department of Health to the Department of
    9         Environmental Protection by a type two transfer;
   10         providing an exception; amending s. 373.807, F.S.;
   11         revising the requirements for a basin management
   12         action plan for an Outstanding Florida Spring;
   13         prohibiting a local government from participating in
   14         the wastewater grant program under certain
   15         circumstances; providing penalties; requiring certain
   16         agricultural operations that fail to adopt a basin
   17         management action plan or alternative restoration plan
   18         within a specified timeframe to sign a notice of
   19         intent to implement certain practices, measures, or
   20         monitoring; amending s. 373.811, F.S.; conforming a
   21         cross-reference; amending s. 403.031, F.S.; defining
   22         terms; creating s. 403.0616, F.S.; requiring the
   23         department, subject to appropriation, to establish a
   24         real-time water quality monitoring program;
   25         encouraging the formation of public-private
   26         partnerships; amending s. 403.067, F.S.; requiring
   27         certain agricultural operations that fail to adopt a
   28         basin management action plan or alternative
   29         restoration plan within a specified timeframe to sign
   30         a notice of intent to implement certain practices,
   31         measures, or monitoring; revising requirements for a
   32         basin management action plan; requiring each local
   33         government to develop a wastewater treatment plan that
   34         meets certain requirements; prohibiting a local
   35         government that does not meet certain requirements
   36         relating to wastewater treatment plant project plans
   37         or onsite sewage treatment and disposal system
   38         remediation plans from participating in the wastewater
   39         grant program within a specified timeframe; providing
   40         penalties; defining the term “onsite sewage treatment
   41         and disposal system”; requiring a local government, in
   42         cooperation with specified entities, to develop an
   43         onsite sewage treatment and disposal system
   44         remediation plan as part of the basin management
   45         action plan under certain circumstances; providing
   46         requirements for such plan; providing requirements for
   47         a restoration plan for certain water bodies; creating
   48         s. 403.0673, F.S.; establishing a wastewater grant
   49         program within the Department of Environmental
   50         Protection; authorizing the department to distribute
   51         appropriated funds for certain projects; providing
   52         requirements for the distribution; requiring the
   53         department to coordinate with each water management
   54         district to identify grant recipients; requiring an
   55         annual report to the Governor and the Legislature by a
   56         specified date; creating s. 403.0771, F.S.; requiring
   57         a wastewater treatment plant to notify customers of
   58         unlawful discharges of raw or partially treated sewage
   59         into any waterway or aquifer within a specified
   60         timeframe; prohibiting a local government that owns
   61         such a plant from participating in the wastewater
   62         grant program within a specified timeframe; providing
   63         penalties; requiring the department to maintain a
   64         publicly accessible website that contains certain
   65         information relating to wastewater treatment
   66         facilities; amending s. 403.086, F.S.; prohibiting
   67         facilities for sanitary sewage disposal from disposing
   68         of any waste in the Indian River Lagoon without first
   69         providing advanced waste treatment; amending s.
   70         403.9337, F.S.; providing penalties for a local
   71         government that fails to adopt, enact, and implement a
   72         specified ordinance by a specified date; requiring the
   73         Department of Environmental Protection to revise the
   74         basin management action plan for the Indian River
   75         Lagoon and other specified basin management action
   76         plans by a specified date; authorizing the department
   77         to grant an extension to a local government upon a
   78         showing of good cause; providing a declaration of
   79         important state interest; providing effective dates.
   80          
   81  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   82  
   83         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Clean Waterways
   84  Act.”
   85         Section 2. The Department of Environmental Protection, in
   86  coordination with the Department of Health, shall develop a
   87  report for presentation to the Legislature by July 1, 2020,
   88  which addresses the impacts of a type two transfer of the
   89  Department of Health’s onsite sewage program to the Department
   90  of Environmental Protection for the regulation of onsite sewage
   91  treatment and disposal systems. The report must include
   92  revisions to state law, including budgetary changes, which would
   93  need to be addressed to complete the type two transfer. If the
   94  Department of Environmental Protection is authorized to develop
   95  a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Health
   96  describing how the type two transfer would be implemented if the
   97  Legislature authorized such a transfer, this report is not
   98  required.
   99         Section 3. Section 373.807, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  100  read:
  101         373.807 Protection of water quality in Outstanding Florida
  102  Springs.—By July 1, 2016, the department shall initiate
  103  assessment, pursuant to s. 403.067(3), of Outstanding Florida
  104  Springs or spring systems for which an impairment determination
  105  has not been made under the numeric nutrient standards in effect
  106  for spring vents. Assessments must be completed by July 1, 2018.
  107         (1)(a) Concurrent with the adoption of a nutrient total
  108  maximum daily load for an Outstanding Florida Spring, the
  109  department, or the department in conjunction with a water
  110  management district, shall initiate development of a basin
  111  management action plan, as specified in s. 403.067. For an
  112  Outstanding Florida Spring with a nutrient total maximum daily
  113  load adopted before July 1, 2016, the department, or the
  114  department in conjunction with a water management district,
  115  shall initiate development of a basin management action plan by
  116  July 1, 2016. During the development of a basin management
  117  action plan, if the department identifies onsite sewage
  118  treatment and disposal systems as contributors of at least 20
  119  percent of nonpoint source nutrient nitrogen pollution or if the
  120  department determines remediation is necessary to achieve the
  121  total maximum daily load, the basin management action plan shall
  122  include an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system
  123  remediation plan pursuant to s. 403.067(7)(e) subsection (3) for
  124  those systems identified as requiring remediation.
  125         (b) A basin management action plan for an Outstanding
  126  Florida Spring shall be adopted within 2 years after its
  127  initiation and must include, at a minimum:
  128         1. A list of all specific projects and programs identified
  129  to implement a nutrient total maximum daily load;
  130         2. A list of all specific projects identified in any
  131  incorporated onsite sewage treatment and disposal system
  132  remediation plan, if applicable;
  133         3. A priority rank for each listed project. The priority
  134  ranking shall be based on the estimated reduction in nutrient
  135  load per project, project readiness, cost effectiveness, overall
  136  environmental benefit, location within the plan area, local
  137  matching funds, and water savings or quantity improvements;
  138         4. For each listed project, a planning level cost estimate,
  139  and the estimated date of completion, and a plan submitted by
  140  each local government within the plan area and approved by the
  141  department for each wastewater treatment plant project as
  142  specified in s. 403.067(7)(d) and onsite sewage treatment and
  143  disposal system remediation plan as specified in s.
  144  403.067(7)(e). Each plan must include deadlines and is subject
  145  to penalties required under s. 403.067;
  146         5. The source and amount of financial assistance to be made
  147  available by the department, a water management district, or
  148  other entity for each listed project;
  149         6. An estimate of each listed project’s nutrient load
  150  reduction;
  151         7. Identification of each point source or category of
  152  nonpoint sources, including, but not limited to, urban turf
  153  fertilizer, sports turf fertilizer, agricultural fertilizer,
  154  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems, wastewater
  155  treatment facilities, animal wastes, and stormwater facilities.
  156  An estimated allocation of the pollutant load must be provided
  157  for each point source or category of nonpoint sources; and
  158         8. An implementation plan designed with a target to achieve
  159  the nutrient total maximum daily load no more than 20 years
  160  after the adoption of a basin management action plan.
  161  
  162  The department shall develop a schedule establishing 5-year, 10
  163  year, and 15-year targets for achieving the nutrient total
  164  maximum daily load. The schedule shall be used to provide
  165  guidance for planning and funding purposes and is exempt from
  166  chapter 120.
  167         (c) For a basin management action plan adopted before July
  168  1, 2016, which addresses an Outstanding Florida Spring, the
  169  department or the department in conjunction with a water
  170  management district must revise the plan if necessary to comply
  171  with this section by July 1, 2018.
  172         (d) A local government may apply to the department for a
  173  single extension of up to 5 years for any project in an adopted
  174  basin management action plan. A local government in a rural area
  175  of opportunity, as defined in s. 288.0656, may apply for a
  176  single extension of up to 10 years for such a project. The
  177  department may grant the extension if the local government
  178  provides to the department sufficient evidence that an extension
  179  is in the best interest of the public.
  180  (2) By July 1, 2020 2017, each local government, as defined in
  181  s. 373.802(2), that has not adopted an ordinance pursuant to s.
  182  403.9337, shall develop, enact, and implement an ordinance
  183  pursuant to that section. It is the intent of the Legislature
  184  that ordinances required to be adopted under this subsection
  185  reflect the latest scientific information, advancements, and
  186  technological improvements in the industry. A local government
  187  that fails to adopt, enact, and implement this ordinance is
  188  subject to a daily fine as provided in ss. 403.121, 403.141, and
  189  403.161 and may not participate in the wastewater grant program
  190  established under s. 403.0673 until such time as the ordinance
  191  has been adopted, enacted, and implemented. In implementing the
  192  ordinance, a local government shall conduct educational
  193  campaigns, enforcement programs, and mandatory notification of
  194  property owners subject to the ordinance, and shall submit a
  195  report on its implementation efforts to the department for
  196  publication on the department’s website.
  197         (3)If a basin management action plan or an alternative
  198  restoration plan has not been adopted within 90 days after the
  199  adoption of a nutrient total maximum daily load for an
  200  Outstanding Florida Spring, agricultural operations located
  201  within the associated Water Body Identification Number shall
  202  sign a notice of intent to implement the applicable agricultural
  203  best management practices or other measures adopted by the
  204  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services pursuant to s.
  205  403.067(7)(c) or conduct water quality monitoring as prescribed
  206  by the department or a water management district. Such
  207  agricultural operations may be subject to enforcement action by
  208  the department or a water management district based upon a
  209  failure to comply with this subsection.
  210         (3)As part of a basin management action plan that includes
  211  an Outstanding Florida Spring, the department, the Department of
  212  Health, relevant local governments, and relevant local public
  213  and private wastewater utilities shall develop an onsite sewage
  214  treatment and disposal system remediation plan for a spring if
  215  the department determines onsite sewage treatment and disposal
  216  systems within a priority focus area contribute at least 20
  217  percent of nonpoint source nitrogen pollution or if the
  218  department determines remediation is necessary to achieve the
  219  total maximum daily load. The plan shall identify cost-effective
  220  and financially feasible projects necessary to reduce the
  221  nutrient impacts from onsite sewage treatment and disposal
  222  systems and shall be completed and adopted as part of the basin
  223  management action plan no later than the first 5-year milestone
  224  required by subparagraph (1)(b)8. The department is the lead
  225  agency in coordinating the preparation of and the adoption of
  226  the plan. The department shall:
  227         (a)Collect and evaluate credible scientific information on
  228  the effect of nutrients, particularly forms of nitrogen, on
  229  springs and springs systems; and
  230         (b)Develop a public education plan to provide area
  231  residents with reliable, understandable information about onsite
  232  sewage treatment and disposal systems and springs.
  233  
  234  In addition to the requirements in s. 403.067, the plan shall
  235  include options for repair, upgrade, replacement, drainfield
  236  modification, addition of effective nitrogen reducing features,
  237  connection to a central sewerage system, or other action for an
  238  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system or group of systems
  239  within a priority focus area that contribute at least 20 percent
  240  of nonpoint source nitrogen pollution or if the department
  241  determines remediation is necessary to achieve a total maximum
  242  daily load. For these systems, the department shall include in
  243  the plan a priority ranking for each system or group of systems
  244  that requires remediation and shall award funds to implement the
  245  remediation projects contingent on an appropriation in the
  246  General Appropriations Act, which may include all or part of the
  247  costs necessary for repair, upgrade, replacement, drainfield
  248  modification, addition of effective nitrogen reducing features,
  249  initial connection to a central sewerage system, or other
  250  action. In awarding funds, the department may consider expected
  251  nutrient reduction benefit per unit cost, size and scope of
  252  project, relative local financial contribution to the project,
  253  and the financial impact on property owners and the community.
  254  The department may waive matching funding requirements for
  255  proposed projects within an area designated as a rural area of
  256  opportunity under s. 288.0656.
  257         (4) The department shall provide notice to a local
  258  government of all permit applicants under s. 403.814(12) in a
  259  priority focus area of an Outstanding Florida Spring over which
  260  the local government has full or partial jurisdiction.
  261         Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 373.811, Florida
  262  Statutes, is amended to read:
  263         373.811 Prohibited activities within a priority focus
  264  area.—The following activities are prohibited within a priority
  265  focus area in effect for an Outstanding Florida Spring:
  266         (2) New onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems on
  267  lots of less than 1 acre, if the addition of the specific
  268  systems conflicts with an onsite treatment and disposal system
  269  remediation plan incorporated into a basin management action
  270  plan in accordance with s. 403.067(7)(e) s. 373.807(3).
  271         Section 5. Subsections (22) and (23) are added to section
  272  403.031, Florida Statutes, to read:
  273         403.031 Definitions.—In construing this chapter, or rules
  274  and regulations adopted pursuant hereto, the following words,
  275  phrases, or terms, unless the context otherwise indicates, have
  276  the following meanings:
  277         (22) “Wastewater facilities” or “wastewater treatment
  278  facilities” means any of the following: the collection and
  279  transmission system, the wastewater treatment plant, and the
  280  reuse or disposal system.
  281         (23) “Wastewater plant” or “wastewater treatment plant”
  282  means any plant or other works used for the purpose of treating,
  283  stabilizing, or holding wastewater.
  284         Section 6. Section 403.0616, Florida Statutes, is created
  285  to read:
  286         403.0616Real-time water quality monitoring program.–
  287         (1) Subject to appropriation, the department shall
  288  establish a real-time water quality monitoring program to assist
  289  in the restoration, preservation, and enhancement of impaired
  290  waterbodies and coastal resources.
  291         (2)In order to expedite the creation and implementation of
  292  the program, the department is encouraged to form public-private
  293  partnerships with established scientific entities with existing,
  294  proven real-time water quality monitoring equipment and
  295  experience in deploying such equipment.
  296         Section 7. Present paragraph (d) of subsection (7) of
  297  section 403.067, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
  298  (f), a new paragraph (d) and paragraphs (e) and (g) are added to
  299  that subsection, paragraph (a) of that subsection is amended,
  300  and paragraph (d) is added to subsection (3) of that section, to
  301  read:
  302         403.067 Establishment and implementation of total maximum
  303  daily loads.—
  304         (3) ASSESSMENT.—
  305         (d)If a basin management action plan or an alternative
  306  restoration plan has not been adopted within 90 days after the
  307  adoption of a total maximum daily load for a water body or water
  308  body segment, agricultural operations located within the
  309  associated Water Body Identification Number shall sign a notice
  310  of intent to implement the applicable agricultural best
  311  management practices or other measures adopted by the Department
  312  of Agriculture and Consumer Services pursuant to s.
  313  403.067(7)(c) or conduct water quality monitoring as prescribed
  314  by the department or a water management district. Such
  315  agricultural operations may be subject to enforcement action by
  316  the department or a water management district based upon a
  317  failure to comply with this paragraph.
  318         (7) DEVELOPMENT OF BASIN MANAGEMENT PLANS AND
  319  IMPLEMENTATION OF TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS.—
  320         (a) Basin management action plans.—
  321         1. In developing and implementing the total maximum daily
  322  load for a water body, the department, or the department in
  323  conjunction with a water management district, may develop a
  324  basin management action plan that addresses some or all of the
  325  watersheds and basins tributary to the water body. Such plan
  326  must integrate the appropriate management strategies available
  327  to the state through existing water quality protection programs
  328  to achieve the total maximum daily loads and may provide for
  329  phased implementation of these management strategies to promote
  330  timely, cost-effective actions as provided for in s. 403.151.
  331  The plan must establish a schedule implementing the management
  332  strategies, provide detailed information for improvement
  333  projects including descriptions and timelines for completion,
  334  establish a basis for evaluating the plan’s effectiveness, and
  335  identify feasible funding strategies for implementing the plan’s
  336  management strategies. The management strategies may include
  337  regional treatment systems or other public works, where
  338  appropriate, and voluntary trading of water quality credits to
  339  achieve the needed pollutant load reductions.
  340         2. A basin management action plan must equitably allocate,
  341  pursuant to paragraph (6)(b), pollutant reductions to individual
  342  basins, as a whole to all basins, or to each identified point
  343  source or category of nonpoint sources, as appropriate. For
  344  nonpoint sources for which best management practices have been
  345  adopted, the initial requirement specified by the plan must be
  346  those practices developed pursuant to paragraph (c). Where
  347  appropriate, the plan may take into account the benefits of
  348  pollutant load reduction achieved by point or nonpoint sources
  349  that have implemented management strategies to reduce pollutant
  350  loads, including best management practices, before the
  351  development of the basin management action plan. The plan must
  352  also identify the mechanisms that will address potential future
  353  increases in pollutant loading.
  354         3. The basin management action planning process is intended
  355  to involve the broadest possible range of interested parties,
  356  with the objective of encouraging the greatest amount of
  357  cooperation and consensus possible. In developing a basin
  358  management action plan, the department shall assure that key
  359  stakeholders, including, but not limited to, applicable local
  360  governments, water management districts, the Department of
  361  Agriculture and Consumer Services, other appropriate state
  362  agencies, local soil and water conservation districts,
  363  environmental groups, regulated interests, and affected
  364  pollution sources, are invited to participate in the process.
  365  The department shall hold at least one public meeting in the
  366  vicinity of the watershed or basin to discuss and receive
  367  comments during the planning process and shall otherwise
  368  encourage public participation to the greatest practicable
  369  extent. Notice of the public meeting must be published in a
  370  newspaper of general circulation in each county in which the
  371  watershed or basin lies not less than 5 days nor more than 15
  372  days before the public meeting. A basin management action plan
  373  does not supplant or otherwise alter any assessment made under
  374  subsection (3) or subsection (4) or any calculation or initial
  375  allocation.
  376         4. Each new or revised basin management action plan shall
  377  include:
  378         a. The appropriate management strategies available through
  379  existing water quality protection programs to achieve total
  380  maximum daily loads, which may provide for phased implementation
  381  to promote timely, cost-effective actions as provided for in s.
  382  403.151;
  383         b. A description of best management practices adopted by
  384  rule;
  385         c. A list of projects in priority ranking with a planning
  386  level cost estimate and estimated date of completion for each
  387  listed project. The priority ranking shall be based on the
  388  estimated reduction in nutrient load per project, project
  389  readiness, cost effectiveness, overall environmental benefit,
  390  location within the plan area, local matching funds, and water
  391  savings or quantity improvements;
  392         d. The source and amount of financial assistance to be made
  393  available by the department, a water management district, or
  394  other entity for each listed project, if applicable; and
  395         e. A planning-level estimate of each listed project’s
  396  expected load reduction, if applicable.
  397         5. The department shall adopt all or any part of a basin
  398  management action plan and any amendment to such plan by
  399  secretarial order pursuant to chapter 120 to implement the
  400  provisions of this section.
  401         6. The basin management action plan must include milestones
  402  for implementation and water quality improvement, and an
  403  associated water quality monitoring component sufficient to
  404  evaluate whether reasonable progress in pollutant load
  405  reductions is being achieved over time. An assessment of
  406  progress toward these milestones shall be conducted every 5
  407  years, and revisions to the plan shall be made as appropriate.
  408  Revisions to the basin management action plan shall be made by
  409  the department in cooperation with basin stakeholders. Revisions
  410  to the management strategies required for nonpoint sources must
  411  follow the procedures set forth in subparagraph (c)4. Revised
  412  basin management action plans must be adopted pursuant to
  413  subparagraph 5.
  414         7. In accordance with procedures adopted by rule under
  415  paragraph (9)(c), basin management action plans, and other
  416  pollution control programs under local, state, or federal
  417  authority as provided in subsection (4), may allow point or
  418  nonpoint sources that will achieve greater pollutant reductions
  419  than required by an adopted total maximum daily load or
  420  wasteload allocation to generate, register, and trade water
  421  quality credits for the excess reductions to enable other
  422  sources to achieve their allocation; however, the generation of
  423  water quality credits does not remove the obligation of a source
  424  or activity to meet applicable technology requirements or
  425  adopted best management practices. Such plans must allow trading
  426  between NPDES permittees, and trading that may or may not
  427  involve NPDES permittees, where the generation or use of the
  428  credits involve an entity or activity not subject to department
  429  water discharge permits whose owner voluntarily elects to obtain
  430  department authorization for the generation and sale of credits.
  431         8. The provisions of the department’s rule relating to the
  432  equitable abatement of pollutants into surface waters do not
  433  apply to water bodies or water body segments for which a basin
  434  management plan that takes into account future new or expanded
  435  activities or discharges has been adopted under this section.
  436         (d)Wastewater treatment plan.—
  437         1.As part of a basin management action plan, each local
  438  government, in cooperation with the department, the relevant
  439  water management district, and the relevant local public and
  440  private wastewater utilities, shall develop a plan to implement
  441  improvements that provide, at a minimum, advanced waste
  442  treatment, as defined in s. 403.086(4). The plan must provide
  443  for construction, expansion, or upgrades necessary to achieve a
  444  total maximum daily load, consistent with an onsite sewage
  445  treatment and disposal system remediation plan under paragraph
  446  (e). A local government that does not have a wastewater
  447  treatment plant in its jurisdiction is not required to develop a
  448  wastewater treatment plan unless the department determines that
  449  the creation of such a plant within the jurisdiction is
  450  necessary to meet the total maximum daily load. If advanced
  451  waste treatment standards are met or exceeded as part of a
  452  broader waste treatment program implemented by the local public
  453  or private wastewater treatment utility, such a program may be
  454  deemed to comply with the requirements of this paragraph with
  455  the approval of the department. Wastewater treatment plants that
  456  are directly addressed in a basin management action plan and do
  457  not meet or exceed advanced waste treatment standards but that
  458  have been determined to meet the requirements for the total
  459  maximum daily load before July 1, 2019, are grandfathered unless
  460  and until the department determines that higher levels of
  461  treatment are required to meet the total maximum daily load.
  462         2.Each owner or operator of an existing wastewater
  463  treatment plant shall provide certain information for each plant
  464  that has a plan to implement upgrades that meet or exceed
  465  advanced waste treatment, as defined in s. 403.086(4). This
  466  information must include the following as it relates to existing
  467  conditions and estimated conditions after upgrades are
  468  implemented:
  469         a.The permitted capacity of the plant, in gallons per day;
  470         b.The average nutrient concentration; and
  471         c.The estimated average nutrient load.
  472         3.a.The local government shall submit to the department
  473  for approval a detailed plan that includes:
  474         (I)A timeline that specifies the dates by which the
  475  construction of any improvements must commence, each stage of
  476  construction must be completed, and operations must commence;
  477         (II)A detailed planning and design report setting forth
  478  the plan for construction of improvements and operations; and
  479         (III)A certification that the local government, in
  480  agreement with the owner or operator, has approved the method of
  481  implementing upgrades and method of financing or funding
  482  construction and operation.
  483         b.The department may amend the plan and shall approve a
  484  final plan. The department shall provide technical support upon
  485  request by a local government. An existing wastewater treatment
  486  plant must also incorporate the plan into its next NPDES or
  487  wastewater operating permit renewal.
  488         c.Each new wastewater treatment plant located within the
  489  plan area shall comply with the requirements and approved dates
  490  in the basin management action plan. Each existing wastewater
  491  treatment plant located within the plan area must be in
  492  compliance with the timeline set out in the basin management
  493  action plan to receive a renewal of its NPDES or wastewater
  494  operating permit. Upon a showing of good cause, the department
  495  may grant an extension of time to the local government to comply
  496  with the timeline.
  497         d.If the deadlines for the initiation of construction of
  498  improvements, completion of construction, and commencement of
  499  operations which were approved pursuant to this subparagraph are
  500  not satisfied, each local government with a wastewater treatment
  501  plant that does not meet the requirements in this subparagraph
  502  may not participate in the wastewater grant program established
  503  under s. 403.0673 until such time as the plant is brought into
  504  compliance. In addition, the department shall, unless good cause
  505  is shown, assess penalties pursuant to ss. 403.121, 403.141, and
  506  403.161 until such time as the plant is brought into compliance.
  507  The department may reduce penalties based on expenditures for
  508  improvements and upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility.
  509         (e) Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems.—
  510         1.For purposes of this paragraph, the term onsite sewage
  511  treatment and disposal system” has the same meaning as in s.
  512  381.0065.
  513         2.a.As part of a basin management action plan, each local
  514  government, in cooperation with the department, the Department
  515  of Health, the relevant water management district, and relevant
  516  local public and private wastewater utilities, shall develop an
  517  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system remediation plan if
  518  the department identifies onsite sewage treatment and disposal
  519  systems as contributors of at least 20 percent of nonpoint
  520  source nutrient pollution or if the department determines that
  521  remediation is necessary to achieve a total maximum daily load.
  522  In order to promote cost-effective remediation, the department
  523  may identify one or more onsite sewage treatment and disposal
  524  system priority focus areas. The department shall identify these
  525  areas by considering soil conditions; groundwater or surface
  526  water travel time; proximity to surface waters, including
  527  predominantly marine waters as defined by department rule;
  528  hydrogeology; onsite system density; nutrient load; and other
  529  factors that may lead to water quality degradation. The
  530  remediation plan must identify cost-effective and financially
  531  feasible projects necessary to reduce the nutrient impacts from
  532  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems. The plan shall be
  533  completed and adopted as part of the basin management action plan
  534  no later than the first 5-year milestone assessment identified in
  535  subparagraph (a)6., for basin management action plans generally,
  536  or as required in s. 373.807(1)(b)8., for Outstanding Florida
  537  Springs. Before adopting the plan, the local government shall
  538  hold one or more publicly noticed meetings to receive input on
  539  the plan from the general public. The department is responsible
  540  for timely approval and adoption of the plan. For basin
  541  management action plans not governed by part VIII of chapter
  542  373, an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system priority
  543  focus area means the area or areas of a basin where the
  544  groundwater is generally most vulnerable to pollutant inputs
  545  where there is a known connectivity between groundwater pathways
  546  and an impaired water body, as determined by the department in
  547  consultation with the appropriate water management districts and
  548  delineated in a basin management action plan.
  549         b.(I)Each local government within the plan area, or the
  550  local government’s designee, shall prepare a plan, by the first
  551  5-year milestone assessment required under subparagraph (a)6.,
  552  for basin management action plans generally, or as required in
  553  s. 373.807(1)(b)8. for Outstanding Florida Springs. Within its
  554  jurisdiction, the local government plan must provide for either
  555  connecting each onsite sewage treatment and disposal system to a
  556  central wastewater treatment plant or replacing the current
  557  system with a new system within the onsite sewage treatment and
  558  disposal system priority focus area so that a nutrient load from
  559  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems meets or exceeds
  560  applicable water quality standards. The plan must include water
  561  quality monitoring provisions to ensure that waterbodies within
  562  the plan area do not continue to be further degraded by onsite
  563  sewage treatment and disposal systems. The local government
  564  shall submit to the department for approval, a detailed plan,
  565  which includes:
  566         (A)A timeline that specifies the dates by which the
  567  construction of any improvements must commence, each stage of
  568  construction must be completed, and mandatory upgrades of onsite
  569  sewage treatment disposal systems within the plan area must be
  570  implemented or any ordinances that must be adopted to implement
  571  the plan;
  572         (B)A detailed planning and design report setting forth the
  573  plan for construction of improvements to and implementation of
  574  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system upgrades;
  575         (C)A certification that the local government, in agreement
  576  with the owner or operator, has approved the method of
  577  remediation and method of financing or funding construction and
  578  operation.
  579         (II)The department may amend the plan and shall approve a
  580  final plan. The department shall provide technical support upon
  581  request by a local government. Upon a showing of good cause, the
  582  department may grant an extension of time to reach compliance
  583  with the schedule.
  584         (III)If the deadlines in sub-sub-sub-subparagraph (I)(A)
  585  are not satisfied, the local government may not participate in
  586  the wastewater grant program established under s. 403.0673 until
  587  the actions in the remediation plan have been completed. In
  588  addition, the department shall, unless good cause is shown,
  589  assess penalties pursuant to ss. 403.121, 403.141, and 403.161
  590  until the actions in the remediation plan have been completed.
  591  The department may reduce penalties based on expenditures
  592  designed to achieve compliance with the remediation plan.
  593         c.In developing and adopting the plan, the department
  594  shall:
  595         (I)Collect and evaluate credible scientific information on
  596  the effect of nutrients on surface waters and groundwater;
  597         (II)Work with local stakeholders to develop a public
  598  education plan to provide area residents with reliable,
  599  understandable information about onsite sewage treatment and
  600  disposal systems and surface and groundwater pollution;
  601         (III)In addition to sub-subparagraph 2.b., the department
  602  may include in the plan, if appropriate, options for system
  603  repair, upgrade, or replacement; drainfield modification; the
  604  addition of effective nutrient-reducing features; or other
  605  actions addressing onsite sewage treatment and disposal system
  606  issues. The department shall include in the plan a priority
  607  ranking for each onsite system, or group of systems, that
  608  requires remediation. The priority ranking shall be used to
  609  ensure the most effective, efficient use of the funding provided
  610  for onsite system remediation. In awarding any such funds, the
  611  department may consider expected nutrient reduction benefit per
  612  unit cost, the size and scope of the project, local financial
  613  contribution to the project relative to the overall cost, and the
  614  financial impact on property owners and the community. For the
  615  purpose of awarding funds, the department may, at its discretion,
  616  totally or partially waive this consideration of the local
  617  contribution for proposed projects within an area designated as a
  618  rural area of opportunity under s. 288.0656; and
  619         (IV)The installation, repair, modification, or upgrade of
  620  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems within the
  621  boundaries of a basin management action plan with an onsite
  622  sewage treatment and disposal system remediation plan must
  623  conform to the requirements of the remediation plan.
  624         (g)Alternative restoration plan.—
  625         1.As part of its alternative restoration plan for a water
  626  body, the local stakeholders proposing the plan must consider:
  627         a.The implementation of agricultural best management
  628  practices or monitoring for nonpoint sources of pollution in
  629  accordance with paragraph (c);
  630         b.The implementation of an onsite sewage treatment and
  631  disposal system remediation plan where such remediation is
  632  necessary to restore the water body in accordance with paragraph
  633  (e); and
  634         c.The adoption of advanced waste treatment levels or
  635  higher water quality effluent standards for wastewater treatment
  636  plants.
  637         2.In addition, the restoration plan must include any other
  638  pollution control mechanisms that are being implemented to
  639  demonstrate a reasonable assurance that existing or proposed
  640  pollution control mechanisms or programs will effectively
  641  address the impairment. Upon adoption of such a restoration
  642  plan, the requirement that best management practices or
  643  monitoring be conducted within the watershed impacting the water
  644  body is enforceable pursuant to this section and ss. 403.121,
  645  403.141, and 403.161.
  646         Section 8. Section 403.0673, Florida Statutes, is created
  647  to read:
  648         403.0673Wastewater grant program.—A wastewater grant
  649  program is established within the Department of Environmental
  650  Protection.
  651         (1)Subject to appropriation, the department may provide
  652  grants for projects that will individually or collectively
  653  reduce excess nutrient pollution within a basin management
  654  action plan or an alternative restoration plan adopted by final
  655  order for all of the following:
  656         (a)Projects to retrofit onsite sewage treatment and
  657  disposal systems.
  658         (b)Projects to construct, upgrade, or expand facilities to
  659  provide advanced waste treatment, as defined in ss. 403.086(4).
  660         (c)Projects to connect onsite sewage treatment and
  661  disposal systems to central sewer facilities.
  662         (2)In allocating such funds, priority must be given for
  663  projects that subsidize the connection of onsite sewage
  664  treatment and disposal systems to a wastewater treatment plant
  665  or that subsidize inspections and assessments of onsite sewage
  666  treatment and disposal systems. In determining priorities, the
  667  department shall consider the estimated reduction in nutrient
  668  load per project; project readiness; cost effectiveness of the
  669  project; overall environmental benefit of a project; the
  670  location of a project within the plan area; the availability of
  671  local matching funds; and projected water savings or quantity
  672  improvements associated with a project.
  673         (3)Each grant for a project described in subsection (1)
  674  must require a minimum of a 50 percent local match of funds.
  675  However, the department may, at its discretion, waive, in whole
  676  or in part, this consideration of the local contribution for
  677  proposed projects within an area designated as a rural area of
  678  opportunity under s. 288.0656.
  679         (4)The department shall coordinate with each water
  680  management district, as necessary, to identify grant recipients
  681  in each district.
  682         (5)Beginning January 1, 2020, and each January 1
  683  thereafter, the department shall submit a report regarding the
  684  projects funded pursuant to this section to the Governor, the
  685  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  686  Representatives.
  687         Section 9. Section 403.0771, Florida Statutes, is created
  688  to read:
  689         403.0771 Sewage spill notification; moratorium.—
  690         (1)In addition to the public notification requirements of
  691  s. 403.077, a wastewater treatment facility that unlawfully
  692  discharges raw or partially treated sewage into any waterway or
  693  aquifer must, within 24 hours after discovering the discharge,
  694  notify its customers that the discharge has occurred.
  695         (2)If a wastewater treatment facility owned by a local
  696  government unlawfully discharges raw or partially treated sewage
  697  into any waterway or aquifer, the local government may not
  698  participate in the wastewater grant program established under s.
  699  403.0673 until any required maintenance, repair, or improvement
  700  has been implemented to reduce or eliminate sanitary sewage
  701  overflows, as determined by the department. In addition, the
  702  department shall assess a daily penalty pursuant to ss. 403.121,
  703  403.141, and 403.161 against a public or private wastewater
  704  facility that unlawfully discharges raw or partially treated
  705  sewage into any waterway or aquifer until the required
  706  maintenance, repair, or improvement has been implemented. The
  707  department may reduce a penalty based on the wastewater
  708  treatment facility’s investment in assessment and maintenance
  709  activities to identify and address conditions that may cause
  710  sanitary sewage overflows.
  711         (3)The department shall maintain a publicly accessible
  712  website that includes any current consent orders applicable to a
  713  wastewater treatment facility entered into as a result of
  714  sanitary sewer overflows, as well as any reports filed by the
  715  facility in accordance with open consent orders.
  716         Section 10. Effective July 1, 2024, paragraph (c) of
  717  subsection (1) of section 403.086, Florida Statutes, is amended
  718  to read:
  719         403.086 Sewage disposal facilities; advanced and secondary
  720  waste treatment.—
  721         (1)
  722         (c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter or
  723  chapter 373, facilities for sanitary sewage disposal may not
  724  dispose of any wastes into Old Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay,
  725  Hillsborough Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, St. Joseph Sound, Clearwater
  726  Bay, Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Roberts Bay, Lemon Bay,
  727  or Charlotte Harbor Bay, Indian River Lagoon, or into any river,
  728  stream, channel, canal, bay, bayou, sound, or other water
  729  tributary thereto, without providing advanced waste treatment,
  730  as defined in subsection (4), approved by the department. This
  731  paragraph shall not apply to facilities which were permitted by
  732  February 1, 1987, and which discharge secondary treated
  733  effluent, followed by water hyacinth treatment, to tributaries
  734  of tributaries of the named waters; or to facilities permitted
  735  to discharge to the nontidally influenced portions of the Peace
  736  River.
  737         Section 11. Present subsection (4) of section 403.9337,
  738  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (5), and a new
  739  subsection (4) is added to that section, to read:
  740         403.9337 Model Ordinance for Florida-Friendly Fertilizer
  741  Use on Urban Landscapes.—
  742         (4) A local government that fails to adopt, enact, and
  743  implement an ordinance required by subsection (2) by January 1,
  744  2020, is subject to a daily fine as provided in ss. 403.121,
  745  403.141, and 403.161 and may not participate in the wastewater
  746  grant program established under s. 403.0673 until the ordinance
  747  has been adopted, enacted, and implemented. In implementing the
  748  ordinance, a local government shall conduct educational
  749  campaigns, enforcement programs, and mandatory notification of
  750  property owners subject to the ordinance, and shall submit a
  751  report on its efforts to the department for publication on the
  752  department’s website.
  753         Section 12. (1)The Department of Environmental Protection
  754  shall revise the basin management action plans for the Indian
  755  River Lagoon, basin management action plans for waterbodies with
  756  a direct hydrological connection to the Indian River Lagoon, and
  757  the basin management action plans that were adopted pursuant to
  758  s. 373.807, Florida Statutes, and approved by the Secretary of
  759  Environmental Protection or prepared by the department before
  760  July 1, 2019, to conform existing plans to changes made by this
  761  act. Revisions to such basin management action plans made
  762  pursuant to this act must be completed by July 1, 2021. The
  763  department may grant a 6-month extension, upon a showing of good
  764  cause, to a local government on the deadlines for its wastewater
  765  treatment project plan or onsite sewage treatment and disposal
  766  system remediation plans submitted as part of a basin management
  767  action plan.
  768         (2)The department shall revise all basin management action
  769  plans not included under subsection (1), but adopted pursuant to
  770  s. 403.067(7), Florida Statutes, and approved by the Secretary
  771  of Environmental Protection or prepared by the department before
  772  July 1, 2019, to conform existing plans to changes made by this
  773  act. Revisions to such basin management action plans made
  774  pursuant to this act must be completed by the next required 5
  775  year milestone assessment for those revisions scheduled for on
  776  or after July 1, 2021. The department may grant a 6-month
  777  extension, upon a showing of good cause, to a local government
  778  on the deadlines for its wastewater treatment project plan or
  779  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system remediation plans
  780  submitted as part of a basin management action plan.
  781         Section 13. The Legislature determines and declares that
  782  this act fulfills an important state interest.
  783         Section 14. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
  784  act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2019.

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