Reclaimed water meeting the requirements of Part III of Chapter 62-610, F.A.C., can be safely used for irrigation of residential lawns, golf courses, schools, parks, athletic fields, edible crops, and other landscape areas. Other uses of reclaimed water meeting Part III requirements include dust control at construction sites, car washing, commercial laundries, aesthetic uses (i.e., decorative ponds, fountains, and water features), toilet flushing, and fire protection.
The three key components to a Part III reuse system are:
- Production of a high quality reclaimed water at the domestic wastewater treatment facility,
- Cross-connection control, and
- Ensuring that reuse customers and the public are informed about the proper use of reclaimed water.
Public notification is important because the public has a right to know and to make informed decisions. Informed users make better decisions and will use reclaimed water appropriately, and informed users are less likely to create cross-connections between drinking water and reuse lines.
Responsibilities of Owners/Operators of Public Access Reuse Systems
It is the permittee’s responsibility to ensure that:
- Reclaimed water delivered to users is of acceptable quality for the intended use at the point of delivery;
- Reclaimed water is used in a manner consistent with Chapter 62-610, F.A.C., and the permit, such that public health and environmental quality are protected; and
- Users of reclaimed water are informed about the origin, nature, and characteristics of reclaimed water; and limitations on the use of reclaimed water. [See Rules 62-610.800(12) & 62-610.468(6), F.A.C.]
Sample Flyer
The following sample flyer contains information that the permittee is required to provide to the reuse customers and others within the reclaimed water service area. The sample flyer also contains some optional language/information that the permittee may want to consider including in the flyer.
Sample Public Notification Flyer
Advisory Signs
Advisory signs designating the nature of the reuse project must be posted in areas where reuse is practiced. Advisory signs may be posted at entrances to residential neighborhoods where reclaimed water is used for landscape irrigation, and at the entrance of golf courses and at the first and tenth tees. The use of purple as a prominent color on advisory signs and written notices related to a reuse project is recommended but not required. Advisory signs must include the text: "Do not drink" in English and Spanish together with the equivalent standard international symbol. Advisory signs posted adjacent to lakes/ponds or other decorative water features that use reclaimed water must also include the text: "Do not swim" in English and Spanish together with the equivalent standard international symbol.
There are no specific size requirements for advisory signs nor are there any requirements on the number of signs to provide at sites using reclaimed water. However, all signs should be clearly legible, and enough signs should be posted to ensure reasonable notice is provided to the public.
The following link provides examples of advisory signs meeting the requirements of Rule 62-610.468, F.A.C.
Sample Advisory Signs
