| We need all hands on deck today to CALL your Senators THIS MORNING!!! Word has it on the street is that the Senate could take up the House bill on the Floor in messages and pass it out. A Budget meeting has been scheduled 1:15 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, 2011. OUTFALL BILL -SB796/HB 613The proposal, House Bill 613 by Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Miami) and Senate Bill 796 by Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Miami) and Senator Sobel (D-Broward) , allows for less wastewater treatment, an increase in the amount of secondarily treated sewage being discharged directly into South Florida coastal marine waters and the injection of sewage into the Biscayne and Upper Floridian Aquifers — shallow drinking water supplies for South Florida and the Keys. This bill is trying to undo the efforts we took 2 years ago in passing this bill and delays the requirement for compliance with a state mandate to eliminate ocean outfall, improve wastewater treatment and beneficially reuse a portion of that wastewater by five years.Florida’s tremendous growth over the past decade has raised critical concern in the Legislature over how we manage our water, not only for drinking but also for waste disposal. Communities throughout Florida have seen the benefits of embracing readily available and proven technology for advanced wastewater treatment and re-use, with some communities reaching upwards of 80 percent efficiency. Unfortunately, this legislation would reverse these trends and detrimentally impact the treatment and reuse of water of the largest municipalities in our state, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. These Bills allow wastewater disposal to be accomplished by: 1. Treating Less (to a lower standard) -If a facility reuses 100% of its wastewater it is exempt from the AWT treatment standard. (HB- ]613/ 73- ]79 + page 2 of staff analysis.)2. Injecting More ( Redefining Reuse) -The bills provide a means to achieve 100% reuse by redefining reuse as Recharge into the Biscayne and Upper Floridan Aquifers ( HB- ]613/ lines 6,7- ] 91,92 )3.Injecting into Shallow Drinking Water Aquifers- More troubling, these bills redefine “reuse” to allow for injection into the Biscayne and Upper Floridan Aquifers. (HB- ]613 /Lines 6,7 – 91,92.) These are shallow drinking water aquifers. This means, under this legislation reused water will be injected into the drinking water resources for a significant portion of South Florida. While they say it is to “drinking water standards” that doesnt take into consideration that the nitrogen level is far too high for our reef which will be effective by offshore upwellings. BOTTOM LINE!: This legislation significantly lowers the water quality standards and treatment requirements in the state allowing water treatment facilities to treat less, inject more, and inject into shallow drinking water aquifers. Questions to have Senators Ask One-Pager While the bill has passed in the House, our goal is to see to it that the Senator Budget Committee and other Senators to ask the hard questions before letting this bill move to the Senate Floor for voting. Please contact your Senators and Representatives, ESPECIALLY if they are on this Budget Committee. Simply Log on to myfloridahouse.gov or myfloridasenate.gov and find your elected official or Call Toll free 1 (800) 342-2172 and have your Zip Code ready to be directed to your Representative or Senator. Other relevant websites:http://www.watereuse. http://static-lobbytools.s3. http://www.reefrelieffounders. http://www. http://www.miamidade.gov/ http://blueoceaninitiative. Ericka D'avanzo Florida Regional Manager |
| PO Box 207 * Boynton Beach, FL 33425 |
Monday, April 25, 2011
Action Alert from Surfrider Foundation
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhHyCn84ZIQ/WezjlEL-0tI/AAAAAAAAPZ4/CzkhriK6zpEJJ3d9Je1495d49gIhnMlxACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
