Summary of Florida's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Potable Water Reuse
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Types of planned potable reuse approved for use in Florida
- Water reuse treatment category/type
- Potable reuse specifications (table)
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In Florida, potable water reuse The use of highly treated recycled water for drinking water purposes. This reuse application includes both indirect potable reuse through introduction of recycled water into an environmental buffer such as a surface reservoir or groundwater aquifer, and direct potable reuse through introduction of recycled water into a drinking water system. applications include indirect potable reuse (surface water augmentation and ground water injection). The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as municipal wastewater. The write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
Potable water in the United States must meet all applicable Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements, including its implementing regulations (40 C.F.R. § 141) for chemical and microbial contaminants and pollutant discharges from a point source for surface water augmentation require a federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit (40 C.F.R. § 122). Additionally, Florida indirect potable reuse regulations require specific treatment requirements for pathogens and chemicals, which include secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection (Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-610.563). Additionally, Florida’s drinking water standards (Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-550.310) must be met and total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic halogen levels monitored. For chemical contaminants, Florida’s indirect potable reuse regulations require that finished water meet a TOC concentration of 3.0 mg/L. TOC in finished water is used as a “bulk parameter” of treatment efficacy for organic chemicals, including unregulated and unknown chemicals. In cases where chlorine is used for disinfection, a total chlorine residual of at least 1.0 mg/L must be maintained for a minimum contact time of 15 minutes at peak hourly flow. The technical basis for the removal of microbial and chemical contaminants is not explicitly specified.
Types of planned potable reuse approved for use in Florida
Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-610.550 defines the following approved planned potable uses:
- Indirect Potable Reuse
- Surface water augmentation – planned use of reclaimed water to augment surface water resources which are used or will be used for public water supplies.
Water reuse treatment category/type
Florida does not assign reclaimed water used for surface water augmentation to a category or class.
Potable reuse specifications
Summary of Florida's Potable Reuse Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indirect potable reuse – surface water augmentation |
Municipal wastewater |
Total organic carbon (TOC) |
≤5 mg/L (maximum) ≤3 mg/L (monthly average) |
Daily |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤5 mg/L (any one sample) |
Measured prior to application of the disinfectant |
||
|
Total organic halogen (TOX) |
≤0.3 mg/L (maximum) ≤0.2 mg/L (monthly average) |
Daily |
||
|
Turbidity |
Monitoring only |
Continuous on-line monitoring |
||
|
Disinfection-by-products |
Monitoring only |
Continuous on-line monitoring |
||
|
Total chlorine residual |
≥1.0 mg/L |
following 15 minutes contact time at peak hourly flow |
||
|
Fecal coliform |
<detection limit organisms (75% of samples over a 30-day period/monthly) ≤25 organisms per 100 mL (any one sample) |
Not specified |
||
|
Other primary and secondary drinking water standards |
Must meet the Florida drinking water standards (Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-550.310) |
Not specified |
Sources = Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-610; Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-600.445
Upcoming state law or policy
- Indirect Potable Reuse – groundwater recharge: The May 2021 draft of updated Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-610.55(2)(a), if adopted, will expand the definition of IPR to include groundwater recharge.
- Direct Potable Reuse: The State of Florida is currently considering additional rulemaking to specify requirements for the implementation of direct potable reuse (FPRC, 2020).
References:
Disinfection Requirements, Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-600.440.
EPA-Administered Permit Programs: The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, 40 C.F.R. § 122.
Florida Potable Reuse Commission (FPRC). 2020. Framework for the Implementation of Potable Reuse in Florida. Prepared for Florida Potable Reuse Commission. Published by the WateReuse Association,
Alexandria, VA.
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, 40 C.F.R. § 141.
pH Requirements, Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-600.445.
Primary Drinking Water Standards: Maximum Contaminant Levels and Maximum Residual Disinfectant Levels, Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-550.310.
Reuse of Reclaimed Water, § 403-064, Fla. Stat. (2021).
Reuse of Reclaimed Water and Land Application, Fla. Admin. Code r. 62-610.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.