April 2025

It’s hard to grasp that the WateReuse 2025 Symposium is already in the rearview mirror, but it was one for the record books. After many years away, the Symposium came home to our incredible state, and both the City of Tampa and the Florida membership delivered in spades. With close to 1,000 attendees, the sessions were heavily weighted with excellent and insightful presentations and panel discussions from members of the Florida section of WateReuse. During the event, we also had the distinct pleasure of seeing National President Bart Weiss present Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson with the WateReuse Association’s President’s Award for his tremendous leadership on water issues over the years.

A huge thank you goes out to all our Florida folks that participated on the planning committee for the Symposium; you all played a pivotal role in making this event the success that it was, and your collective efforts are greatly appreciated. For those that were able to join us for the WateReuse Florida happy hour at the Symposium, we hope you had an enjoyable time catching up with old friends and connecting with other professionals within the reuse space. Special thanks to WateReuse Florida section manager Jenny Taylor for coordinating the event and to the Water Research Foundation for sponsoring.

Pivoting away from the Symposium to Washington, D.C., the annual National Water Policy Fly-In took place on April 8-9. The event drew more than 700 water sector professionals from across the country, and I was joined by several Florida section members in our nation’s capital as we met with our respective congressional delegation members, including senior staff from Sen. Scott’s office. Throughout the course of the meetings, we were able to inform our elected officials about the recently adopted statewide potable reuse rules, discuss proposed federal legislation supporting a “polluter pays” approach to controlling and remediating PFAS, solicit support for continued federal funding for alternative water supply, reclaimed water, and infrastructure-related projects, and educate our elected officials on the benefits of the Association’s proposed Industrial Water Reuse investment tax credit, which was introduced in the House following the event. Overall, the fly-in was very successful in achieving the overall goal of advocating on behalf of our members while informing, educating, and connecting with our congressional members.

Looking forward, the next event quickly coming up on the horizon is the annual Florida Water Reuse Week Summit on May 21 in Jupiter, Florida. Please make plans to join us to hear from a multitude of speakers including SFWMD Executive Director Drew Bartlett, Julie Minton of the Water Research Foundation, and several utilities operating within the region. Florida licensed engineers will be able to earn a total of 4 PDHs.

Thank you for your continued involvement and support of this incredible organization, and I hope to see you in Jupiter, Florida on May 21 for the Summit.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded $55 million to support 14 projects through the Alternative Water Supply Grant Program, with the goal of producing more than 40 million gallons of water per day within two years of becoming operational. These projects focus on expanding reclaimed water use, enhancing aquifer recharge, and promoting water conservation. Visit DEP’s website for the complete list of grant projects.

DEP is initiating rulemaking to revise DEP Forms contained in Rule 62-620. These updates are part of DEP’s current EPA and DEP Performance Plan Agreement so that DEP Forms related to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) will include all data required on current EPA NPDES wastewater forms. DEP Form revision will also include updates to provide consistency with revisions made to other DEP rules in recent years.

DEP also is proposing amendments to Chapters 62-620, 62-621 and 62-699 to clarify permitting procedures for Distributed Wastewater Treatment Systems (DWTS). Revisions to Chapter 62-620 will update and add clarification for inclusion of DWTS’s in domestic wastewater facilities and activities permitting.

For more information, visit DEP’s Water Resource Management Rules in Development webpage.

The Summit will kick off with a tour of the Loxahatchee River Water Reclamation Facility. Then we will move to the Jupiter Community Center for key presentations and discussions. Featured topics include South Florida’s water management operations and water resource strategies, a panel discussion on tackling the unique water reuse challenges and drivers in South Florida, and two project spotlights within the region. Additionally, there will be updates on the legislative session and current research studies.

Visit the WateReuse Florida website to register as well as view the draft agenda, sponsorship opportunities and the 2025 Florida Water Reuse Week Proclamation.