Florida Administrative Code › 40 - WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS › 40A - Northwest Florida Water Management District › Chapter 40A-2 - REGULATION OF CONSUMPTIVE USES OF WATER › Section 40A-2.802 - Water Resource Caution Areas

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
The Governing Board designates the following areas as Water
				  Resource Caution Areas. Designated Water Resource Caution Areas within the
				  District are identified in Figures 2-2 and 2-3.
(1) Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton
				Counties.
The District has determined that the coastal area of Santa
				  Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties has limited potable water resources, are
				  experiencing increasing water use demands and significant reductions in
				  groundwater levels, and will potentially have to use advanced treatment
				  technology, or the importation of water to meet future demands. To address the
				  expanding demands and continued depletion of the area's limited potable water
				  resources, the Board hereby declares the area south of the Eglin Air Force Base
				  in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties, also the area extending south of
				  SR-20 to the Bay County Line in Walton County, as a Water Resource Caution Area
				  (See Figure 2-2). By means of this designation the following criteria are
				  stipulated:
(a) An Individual Water
				Use Permit is required for all non-exempt groundwater withdrawals that are not
				granted a General Water Use Permit by rule in subsection
				 40A-2.061(6) or
				(7), F.A.C. The only exempt withdrawals are
				those designated in Rule
				 40A-2.051, F.A.C.;
(b) New and expanded uses of the Floridan
				Aquifer System for golf course, recreation, or landscape irrigation, or other
				non-potable uses, are determined not to be consistent with the public interest
				and are prohibited by the Board. However, the Governing Board shall consider
				the granting of an exemption to provide for the issuance of an Individual Water
				Use Permit if the following conditions are met:
1. A written exemption request is submitted
				as part of the permit application;
2. The use of reclaimed water is determined
				not to be economically, environmentally or technically feasible;
3. A commitment is provided by the applicant
				to utilize reclaimed water when determined feasible and to abandon and plug any
				Floridan Aquifer System well(s) at the time reclaimed water is
				utilized;
4. Hydrological data is
				submitted which demonstrates that no other source of ground or surface water
				can be utilized for the proposed use;
5. Water of the lowest acceptable quality
				available will be utilized for the proposed use;
6. Water conservation measures are identified
				that will be implemented at the time of authorization, and over the duration of
				the permit, to encourage and promote water conservation and efficiency in the
				use of the area's water resources (conservation measures shall specifically
				provide for the reduction of irrigation water uses when applicable);
7. An undue economic hardship will threaten
				the livelihood of the applicant if the exemption request is not granted or if
				the applicant has to obtain water from a public water supply system;
				and
8. The request is determined
				reasonable-beneficial, and in the public interest and will not interfere with
				any existing legal uses.
(c) As authorized by Section
				 373.219, F.S., to ensure water
				use is consistent with the overall objectives of the District, permits granted
				to public water supply utilities within the Water Resource Caution Area shall
				be conditioned to require the submittal of water conservation plans, programs,
				and measures which shall be evaluated on their effectiveness to reduce water
				use demand and promote the efficient use of the area's water supplies.
1. The plans, programs, and measures will be
				reviewed specifically for standards and implementation schedules intended to
				reduce annual average residential per capita water consumption to 110 gallons
				per day through such actions as adoption of water conservation-based rate
				structures, reduction of leaks to 10 percent or less of the water withdrawn,
				implementation of water conservation public education programs, etc.
2. Water conservation plans, programs, and
				measures developed by local governments operating water supply utilities will
				also be reviewed to determine if a Florida-friendly landscape ordinance meeting
				the requirements of Sections
				 373.185(2)(a)-(f),
				F.S., and an ordinance requiring the installation of a rain/moisture sensor
				cutoff device on automatic irrigation systems pursuant to Section
				 373.62, F.S., have been
				adopted.
3. Utilities operating
				wastewater treatment plants shall include in the plan an analysis of the
				economic, environmental, and technical feasibility of providing reclaimed water
				for reuse within five years and of providing total reuse of reclaimed water
				within 20 years.
(d)
				Public water supply systems shall be required to actively participate and aid
				in the implementation of the goals and plans of the Walton-Okaloosa-Santa Rosa
				Regional Utility Authority.
(e)
				Golf course and industrial users which withdraw water from the Floridan Aquifer
				System shall be required to develop, adopt, and implement water conservation
				plans and measures to encourage and promote water conservation and efficiency
				in the use of the area's water supplies, and to utilize reclaimed water if
				determined to be economically, environmentally, and technically
				feasible.