Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen • October 2017 | Page 5
and aging infrastructure.
During the Forum’s 2018
Legislative Panel, Senator
Rob Bradley (R-Orange Park)
and Representative Matt
Caldwell (R-Lehigh Acres)
gave an overview of what
they see as the top issues
coming up this session as it
relates to water and natural
resources.
The budget outlook is not
as positive as it was pre-
Hurricane Irma and the
surplus that was projected
could be dedicated to
hurricane needs, specifically
transportation infrastructure.
Yet there will continue to
be water -related needs,
especially for aging
infrastructure. The panelists
suggested thinking creatively
and collaboratively, looking
to the water management
districts, Department
of Transportation, and
Department of Environmental
Protection for solutions.
that he did not believe that
infrastructure projects would
be off the table as it relates to
Amendment One dollars.
Reuse is another issue
that has been discussed
legislatively for a couple of
years now. SB 536 created a
task force to come up with
ways to beneficially use
reclaimed water, including
both indirect and direct
potable reuse. Both panelists
agreed that reuse will
continue to be discussed,
but look to a couple of years
out for resolution and they
hope for a larger role/robust
leadership from the water
management districts.
RUM 2017
Florida House Speaker
Richard Corcoran recently
created the Select
Committee on Hurricane
Response and Preparedness.
Representative Caldwell
stated that this committee,
among other tasks, would
look at flooding issues and
how to mitigate impacts and
smart, effective conservation
spending.
Senator Bradley said that
the philosophical discussion
to build the state budget
should be based on the
needs of the constituents
they represent. He also said
A National Perspective on
Water Reuse Policy
James Eklund with Squire
Patton Boggs is an expert on
water policy, project finance,
data and management
related to Colorado and
Intermountain infrastructure.
He is the former director
of the Colorado Water
Conservation Board
and continues to serve
as Colorado’s principal
representative on the
Colorado River.
80% of the reuse nationwide
is in these three states. The
first round of funding from
a federal level through the
Department of the Interior has
gone out and while Florida
was not included in that first
round, Mr. Eklund believed
that additional funding will
be provided and Florida
should be on the lookout and
engaged.
The “bad” includes reuse
techniques. These are not
being advanced fast enough.
A regulatory framework
should be in place along
with incentives. One example
given was to incentivize
homebuilders to put in gray
water lines at the time of
building. The federal budget
has a 33% recommended
cut to reuse funding which
is problematic. Messaging in
this area needs to change.
The “ugly” is the uncertainty
related to interstate water
issues and climate change,
both of which will continue to
be debated.
• • •
Mr. Eklund provided the
forum attendees with the
“good, bad, and ugly” as
it relates to reuse policy
nationwide, interstate water
issues, and where Florida
stands from a national
perspective. From the “good”
perspective, Florida, along
with California and Texas are
positioned to be innovators
in the area of water reuse as
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