Regulatory
Background
Both the water supply planning and the consumptive use permitting / water use permitting programs are tools the Florida Legislature has provided to the districts to protect water resources. In 2016, the legislature supported regulatory consistency in the CFWI Planning Area and set forth rulemaking requirements for the FDEP. Subsequently, Chapter 62-41.300 through 62-41.305 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) and the CFWI Supplemental Applicant’s Handbook became effective January 5, 2022 and apply to the three water management districts in the CFWI Planning Area.
Chapter 62-41, F.A.C. and the CFWI Supplemental Applicant’s Handbook address the public interest by providing a uniform regulatory framework to allow for allocation of available groundwater in the area, subject to avoidance and mitigation measures to prevent adverse impacts. This regulatory framework is part of a comprehensive joint water management strategy for regional water resource management that also includes regional water supply planning, alternative water supply project funding, and water resource investigations and analyses. These rules apply to consumptive use permit applicants in the CFWI Planning Area and supersede portions of Chapters 40C-2, 40D-2 and 40E-2, F.A.C.
Regulatory Resources and Links
- CFWI Supplemental CUP Applicant’s Handbook, effective January 5, 2022
- St. Johns River Water Management District permitting
- South Florida Water Management District permitting
- Southwest Florida Water Management District permitting
Public Supply Annual Reports (PSARs)
For all public supply permits with an annual average daily quantity of 100,000 gpd or greater, compliance with the Residential Per Capita Water Use Goal and the Public Supply Annual Conservation Goal shall be monitored via an Annual Report that each permittee must submit to the district by April 1 of each year. Initial reports are due April 1, 2024.
SJRWMD and SFWMD are still in the process of implementing these reporting procedures. The template for reporting can be found in the Appendix (Design Aids for the CFWI Supplemental Applicant’s Handbook). In addition, SWFWMD currently requires PSARs, with resources available at the following link: