Gov. Scott vetoes "toilet-to-tap" bill

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott vetoed what environmentalists had derided as the “toilet-to-tap” bill Friday, a measure that could have allowed treated wastewater to be pumped into Florida’s fragile underground aquifer.

The move comes after the Republican governor made stops across the state a week ago, touting $4 billion in this year’s $88.7 billion budget for Florida’s waterways, beaches and conservation projects.

The veto — only the second bill Scott derailed this year — also occurred as Scott readies to run statewide for U.S. Senate in a campaign he is expected to announce Monday in Orlando.

“Miracles happen, in an election year,” said Linda Young, director of the Clean Water Network of Florida, among the organizations opposing the legislation (HB 1149).

“But for whatever reason, the governor did the right thing for the people of Florida,” she added.

Scott had received more than 3,000 petition signatures from people opposing the reused water proposal.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, was defended by supporters as innovative and central to powering the state’s economy by permitting developers whose projects consume vast amounts of water to continue work in an increasingly parched state.

Reclaimed water could be used to restore the aquifer in areas where water shortages threaten to slow down or halt construction, backers of the bill acknowledged.

Environmentalists, though, said the legislation threatened to poison the aquifer for generations — fouling the prime source of drinking water for millions of Floridians. Critics labeled it, “toilet-to-tap.”

Payne couldn’t be immediately reached following the governor’s veto. But he earlier said his proposal had been mischaracterized by opponents.

“There are a lot of half-truths out there about this bill,” Payne told the GateHouse Capital Bureau last month. “But this is about putting drinking-water-quality water back into the aquifer to accomplish many things.”

But in his veto message, Scott agreed with opponents that allowing the bill to become law could undermine “Floridians’ confidence in our existing water quality regulatory system.”

“After thoroughly reviewing HB 1149, I am not convinced that this legislation will not muddle Florida’s protection of our aquifers,” Scott added.

Scott said the proposal included some worthy provisions — citing a “Blue Star” program that allows for longer sewer plant permitting and another that advances development of the C-51 reservoir in Palm Beach County.

But he said that did not “outweigh my concerns” about protecting the aquifer.

Treated sewage water is already used to irrigate lawns and crops and for a variety of industrial uses.

But the legislation would have ordered the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to work with regional water management districts to use reclaimed water to both bolster the aquifer and stop saltwater intrusion, another common problem stemming from rising sea levels.

While Payne vowed that treated waste would be cleaned to federal drinking water standards, environmentalists point out that does not eliminate other toxins found in human waste such as antibiotics, antidepressants and other drugs.

Drinking water standards also still allow for relatively high levels of nutrients that can further damage Florida rivers and freshwater springs. Among the spending Scott touted on his recent environmental tour was $50 million for springs restoration.

Florida’s 700 known springs are particularly susceptible to pollutants, especially nutrients from farm and urban runoff and septic tanks. Such landmark sites as Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs and Fanning Springs all have experienced spikes in recent years in the level of nutrients and algae in their waters.

Young of the Clean Water Network, had warned that if Scott signed the legislation, he’d become known as “Gov. Poopy Water.”

“We know the idea is not going to go away,” Young said Friday. “But this is a good day.”