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"It is declared to be the public

policy of this state to conserve the

waters of the state and to protect,

maintain, and improve the quality

thereof for public water supplies,

for the propagation of wildlife and

fish and other aquatic life, and for

domestic, agricultural, industrial,

recreational, and other beneficial

uses and to provide that no waste

be discharged into any waters of

the state without first being given

the degree of treatment necessary

to protect the beneficial uses of

such water." --Florida Statute

403.021(2)

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Wastewater Program Highlights

Wastewater Program

With

more

than

7,700

lakes,

4,500

square

miles of

estuaries and bays, more than 50,000

miles of rivers and streams and

countless wetlands throughout the

state, protecting water quality

through proper wastewater

management is vital to maintaining

our quality of life. Billions of gallons of wastewater are produced in

Florida every day, the improper disposal of which could impact public

health and the environment.

Wastewater in Florida

There are over 3,700 individually permitted domestic, not including

septic systems, and industrial wastewater facilities in Florida. Less than

a quarter of these facilities are authorized to discharge to surface

water. As surface water dischargers, they are subject to the

Department’s federally authorized National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (NPDES) requirements. However, many of these

NPDES facilities also discharge to ground waters. The remaining

facilities are authorized solely as groundwater discharges through landapplication, beneficial reuse of reclaimed water or deep well injection. 

Permits for major NPDES facilities in Florida can be

viewed on EPA’s View Individual and General Permits

page.

A little less than three-quarters of the individually permitted

wastewater facilities in Florida are classified as domestic (municipal)

wastewater facilities. In general, domestic wastewater facilities are

those principally designed to collect and treat sanitary wastewater or

sewage from dwellings or homes, business buildings, institutions, and

the like. The remaining one-quarter individually permitted facilities are

classified as industrial wastewater facilities. 

For more wastewater facts and statistics go to our

Wastewater Facts and Statistics

Lists of permitted domestic and industrial wastewater

facilities in the state are available on the Wastewater

Facility Information web page.

The Department's Office of Wastewater Management located in

Tallahassee is responsible for the overall policy, including permitting,

compliance and enforcement, on the Department's wastewater

programs, both domestic and industrial wastewater, and coordination

of the federally authorized NPDES program. The office is also in charge

of developing the rules and guidance for implementing these programs

consistently throughout Florida and providing technical assistance to

district office programs.

For More Information

Wastewater Programs

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Wekiva Study Area

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Other Wastewater Links

EPA Region 4 Homepage

EPA's Office of Wastewater

Management

FDOH Bureau of Onsite

Sewage

More Useful Links

Wastewater Program - FDEP Page 1 of 2

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wastewater/index.htm 1/17/2012
Please browse our wastewater topics listed on the right hand side for

more information. If you still have any questions about wastewater

management in Florida you may contact the appropriate Wastewater

Management Program.

Reclaiming Water: Reusing a

Precious Resource

Florida reuses over 670 million gallons of

reclaimed water each day to conserve

freshwater supplies and replenish rivers,

streams, lakes and the aquifers. Expanding

water reuse programs is a key component of

DEP's future plans to conserve water resources...

Watch the Video

Read Transcript

Back to Wastewater | Compliance | Domestic | Industrial Homepages

Last updated: September 21, 2011

2600 Blair Stone Road M.S. 3500 Tallahassee, Florida 32399 850-245-8336 (phone) / 850-245-8356 (fax) 

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Wastewater Program - FDEP Page 2 of 2

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wastewater/index.htm 1/17/2012