F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HB 405 2019 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the St. Johns River Upper Basin 3 Watershed Pollutant Control Program; creating s. 4 373.464, F.S.; providing that the St. Johns River 5 Upper Basin Watershed Pollutant Control Program 6 consists of the St. Johns River Upper Basin Watershed 7 Basin Management Action Plan; requiring implementation 8 of specified regulations, best management practices, 9 and alternative technologies for pollutant reduction; 10 providing applicability; providing that certain 11 projects are eligible for grants; requiring the plan 12 to include certain assessments and recommendations; 13 prohibiting the Department of Environmental Protection 14 from authorizing disposal of certain wastewater 15 biosolids within the watershed; directing the 16 Department of Health to require certain entities to 17 develop and submit agricultural use plans; directing 18 the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 19 and the St. Johns River Water Management District to 20 initiate specified rulemaking; providing an effective 21 date. 22 23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 24 25 Section 1. Section 373.464, Florida Statutes, is created Page 1 of 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0405-00 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HB 405 2019 26 to read: 27 373.464 St. Johns River Upper Basin Watershed Pollutant 28 Control Program.—The St. Johns River Upper Basin Watershed 29 Pollutant Control Program shall consist of the St. Johns River 30 Upper Basin Watershed Basin Management Action Plan adopted 31 pursuant to s. 403.067, and shall be designed to be a 32 multifaceted approach to reducing pollutant loads by improving 33 the management of pollutant sources within the St. Johns River 34 Upper Basin watershed through implementation of regulations and 35 best management practices, development and implementation of 36 improved best management practices, improvement and restoration 37 of the hydrologic function of natural and managed systems, and 38 use of alternative technologies for pollutant reduction, such as 39 cost-effective biologically based, hybrid wetland/chemical and 40 other innovative nutrient control technologies. As provided in 41 s. 403.067(7)(a)6., the St. Johns River Upper Basin Watershed 42 Basin Management Action Plan must include milestones for 43 implementation and water quality improvement, and an associated 44 water quality monitoring component sufficient to evaluate 45 whether reasonable progress in pollutant load reductions is 46 being achieved over time. An assessment of progress toward these 47 milestones shall be conducted every 5 years and shall be 48 provided to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 49 Speaker of the House of Representatives. Revisions to the basin 50 management action plan shall be made, as appropriate, as a Page 2 of 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0405-00 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HB 405 2019 51 result of each 5-year review. Revisions to the plan shall be 52 made by the Department of Environmental Protection in 53 cooperation with the basin stakeholders. Revisions to best 54 management practices or other measures must follow the 55 procedures set forth in s. 403.067(7)(c)4. The revised plan must 56 be adopted pursuant to s. 403.067(7)(a)5. The department shall 57 develop an implementation schedule establishing 5-year, 10-year, 58 and 15-year measurable milestones and targets to achieve the 59 total maximum daily load no more than 20 years after adoption of 60 the plan. The initial implementation schedule shall be used to 61 provide guidance for planning and funding purposes and is exempt 62 from chapter 120. Upon the first 5-year review, the 63 implementation schedule shall be adopted as part of the plan. If 64 achieving the total maximum daily load within 20 years is not 65 practicable, the implementation schedule must contain an 66 explanation of the constraints that prevent achievement of the 67 total maximum daily load within 20 years, an estimate of the 68 time needed to achieve the total maximum daily load, and 69 additional 5-year measurable milestones, as necessary. The 70 coordinating agencies shall facilitate the use of federal 71 programs that offer opportunities for water quality treatment, 72 including preservation, restoration, or creation of wetlands on 73 agricultural lands. 74 (1) Nonpoint source best management practices consistent 75 with s. 403.067, designed to achieve the objectives of the St. Page 3 of 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0405-00 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HB 405 2019 76 Johns River Upper Basin Watershed Pollutant Control Program, 77 shall be implemented on an expedited basis. The coordinating 78 agencies may develop an intergovernmental agreement with local 79 governments to implement the nonagricultural nonpoint source 80 best management practices within their respective geographic 81 boundaries. 82 (2) This section does not preclude the Department of 83 Environmental Protection or the St. Johns River Water Management 84 District from requiring compliance with water quality standards, 85 adopted total maximum daily loads, or current best management 86 practices requirements set forth in any applicable regulatory 87 program authorized by law for the purpose of protecting water 88 quality. This section applies only to the extent that it does 89 not conflict with any rules adopted by the department or the 90 district which are necessary to maintain a federally delegated 91 or approved program. 92 (3) Projects that make use of private lands, or lands held 93 in trust for Indian tribes, to reduce pollutant loadings or 94 concentrations within a basin, or that reduce the volume of 95 harmful discharges by one or more of the following methods are 96 eligible for grants under this section from coordinating 97 agencies: 98 (a) Restoring the natural hydrology of the basin; 99 (b) Restoring wildlife habitat or impacted wetlands; 100 (c) Reducing peak flows after storm events; or Page 4 of 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0405-00 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HB 405 2019 101 (d) Increasing aquifer recharge. 102 (4) The St. Johns River Upper Basin Watershed Basin 103 Management Action Plan shall require assessment of current water 104 management practices within the watershed and shall require 105 development of recommendations for structural, nonstructural, 106 and operational improvements. Such recommendations shall 107 consider and balance water supply, flood control, estuarine 108 salinity, aquatic habitat, and water quality considerations. 109 (5) The Department of Environmental Protection may not 110 authorize the disposal of domestic wastewater biosolids within 111 the St. Johns River Upper Basin watershed, including Blue 112 Cypress Lake, unless the applicant can affirmatively demonstrate 113 that the nutrients in the biosolids will not add to nutrient 114 loadings in the watershed. This demonstration shall be based on 115 achieving a net balance between nutrient imports relative to 116 exports on the permitted application site. Exports shall include 117 only nutrients removed from the St. Johns River Upper Basin 118 watershed through products generated on the permitted 119 application site. This subsection does not apply to Class AA 120 biosolids that are marketed and distributed as fertilizer 121 products in accordance with department rule. 122 (6) The Department of Health shall require all entities 123 disposing of septage within the St. Johns River Upper Basin 124 watershed to develop and submit to the department an 125 agricultural use plan that limits applications based upon Page 5 of 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0405-00 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HB 405 2019 126 nutrient loading consistent with any basin management action 127 plan adopted pursuant to s. 403.067. 128 (7) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 129 shall initiate rulemaking requiring entities within the St. 130 Johns River Upper Basin watershed which land-apply animal manure 131 to develop a resource management system level conservation plan, 132 according to United States Department of Agriculture criteria, 133 which limit such application. Such rules shall include criteria 134 and thresholds for the requirement to develop a conservation or 135 nutrient management plan, requirements for plan approval, site 136 inspection requirements, and recordkeeping requirements. 137 (8) The St. Johns River Water Management District shall 138 initiate rulemaking to provide for a monitoring program for 139 nonpoint source dischargers required to monitor water quality 140 pursuant to s. 403.067(7)(b)2.g. or (c)3. The results of such 141 monitoring must be reported to the coordinating agencies. 142 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019. Page 6 of 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb0405-00