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This page is a compilation of answers to the
FAQs related to Water Policy.
Laws and Policies
What is NPDES permitting?
What are some of the responsibilities of the water
management district of Florida?
What regulatory power does FDEP has?
Controversies
The tri-state-water-war is frequently talked about,
what is it?
Laws and Policies
What is NPDES permitting?
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
permitting controls water pollution by regulating point-sources that
discharge pollutants into the waterbodies of the nation. This permitting
program was introduced in 1972. The NPDES permitting program is administered
by the states and it is required by law for industrial, municipal and other
public facilities to obtain this permit, in Florida.
What are some of the
responsibilities of the water management district of Florida?
Water management districts are chief enforcers of the
water related laws in the state, which FDEP or EPA has set. Some of the
specific responsibilities of WMDs can be stated as follows:
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Water management through conservation
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Proper use of surface and ground waters
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Regulate dams, reservoirs, impoundments, and other
structures that may alter direction, quality or quantity of surface water
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Combat damages done through droughts, floods, soil
erosion, and excessive drainage
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Provide permits to wells, facilities that store or manage
surface waters, and water us
What regulatory power does FDEP
has?
The regulatory powers that Florida Department of
Environmental Protection has not extended to WMDs are:
Controversies
The tri-state-water-war is frequently talked
about, what is it?
The states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been involved in a water
controversy since the early 1989. It all began when U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers announced that water from Lake Lanier be reallocated from power
generation to drinking water. Since drinking water usage affects the volume
of returned water. Additionally, the levels of sewage water and industrial
water also could rise due to this new allocation. For those reasons there
was strong protests from Alabama and Southwest Georgia. After a new
reservoir was built for Georgia on Alabama-Georgia line, Alabama filed a law
suite against Georgia, which was joined by Florida, challenging that the new
reservoir may affect the flow of fresh water into
Apalachicola Bay, which may affect the oyster industry of the region.
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