SB 1686 Summary

• Establishes legislative findings that Florida's growing population (projected to exceed 25 million by 2040) requires cooperative regional water supply planning using multiple sources including reclaimed water and desalination.

• Requires the State Board of Administration to report annually on water supply investments and mandates the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to review these investments and submit findings by January 15 each year.

• Allows water management districts to adopt rules providing water reuse incentives such as limited permit extensions to promote reclaimed water reuse.

• Requires any project proposing beneficial reclaimed water reuse to be included in regional water supply plans and mandates that reclaimed water facilities currently discharging into surface waters must submit utilization plans to eliminate such discharges.

• Defines "direct potable reuse" as reclaimed water meeting federal and state drinking water standards distributed directly into potable water systems; requires the Department of Environmental Protection to submit a report by December 31, 2018 recommending regulatory criteria for direct potable reuse, with rulemaking authority beginning July 1, 2019.

• Redirects all Water Protection and Sustainability Program Trust Fund revenues solely to the alternative water supply program under section 373.707.