Two proposals to ban using recycled water to drink in Volusia County fell short of necessary votes Tuesday night, with council members voting 3-4 against both the proposed draft ordinance and suggested ballot amendment.
Had either proposal been approved, it would’ve applied only within Volusia County’s water utility service area, which covers about 7% of all water users in the county, according to Utilities Director Benjamin Bartlett.
RELATED: Volusia Council to hear two proposals to ban using recycled water to drink
Senior Assistant Attorney Paolo Soria said the county only has authority to regulate its own water system, not systems operated by cities and municipalities within Volusia.
“There's a requirement that says potable reuse may not be disallowed from being part of your regional water planning activity, when you get to the state level,” Soria said, speaking at an earlier council meeting.
Potable reuse is the official term for adding recycled water, or reclaimed water, to a drinking water supply. Recycled water is wastewater that is “reclaimed” for another beneficial purpose — including, sometimes, drinking. If it’s going to be added to a drinking water supply, the recycled water first goes through several layers of advanced water treatment, until it meets a drinking water standard.
As Central Florida grows and the region’s fresh water reserves become increasingly strained, water managers say potable reuse will be one key alternative water supply strategy for meeting the area’s water needs. Other alternative water supply methods include using brackish water or surface water from lakes and rivers, either for drinking water or to offset the use of fresh water elsewhere.
But Tuesday night, some council members expressed skepticism about how strained the region’s water supply truly is.
Vice Chair Troy Kent ultimately introduced Tuesday’s motions for council members to vote on both proposals and voted himself to approve both. But he also discouraged “fearmongering.”
“You're not going to like this, many of you, but there's no water problem where we are,” Kent said. “There’s no water shortage issue that I'm convinced of, at all.”
Every part of Florida is currently under some level of drought, with about 43% of the state experiencing extreme drought conditions. In an extreme drought, groundwater levels decline, fish kills occur and fire danger becomes extreme, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
District 5 Council member David Santiago said he doesn't want to see recycled water added to Volusia County’s drinking water supply. But given that no plans for that are currently in place, Santiago said, he sees no need to preemptively ban it.
“We're just looking for a problem that doesn't exist for Volusia County,” Santiago said.
Additionally, Santiago said, the proposals considered by the council Tuesday would only have limited applicability and, in the case of the proposed charter amendment, could potentially confuse residents.
All county voters would be asked to weigh in on a proposed charter amendment, even if it would apply only to the 7% of water users served by Volusia County’s utility.
“(The other) 93% will think it’s for them, and it’s not,” Santiago said.
“Volusia County, that's what we govern. That is it,” Santiago said. “What is the problem for Volusia County? ... I can't find it. I can't find it, because we have no plans to do any of this.”
Council Chair Jeffrey Brower said potable reuse projects are becoming increasingly prominent, citing examples like pureALTA, a pilot project in Altamonte Springs.
“To say that it’s not here is absolutely false. It is here,” Brower said.
Daytona Beach resident Greg Gimbert has been working to mobilize efforts against potable reuse projects, which he and other critics refer to as “toilet to tap.” For Gimbert, potable reuse is a cheap way for the state to continue allowing for excessive development and water use permitting.
“I'm only trying to take the cheapest and dirtiest way to solve the growth problem off the table,” Gimbert said in an interview ahead of Tuesday's vote.
Others argue taking potable reuse projects off the table won’t stop developers and the state from finding other ways to exploit Florida’s freshwater resources.
“For them to think that it's going to stop development is just false,” said Wendy Anderson, an environmental science professor at Stetson University who is currently running for Volusia County’s District 1 seat.
Speaking to council members Tuesday, Anderson urged them not to jump too quickly to ban potable reuse projects.
“Do not make a decision based on emotional froth and a bunch of hype,” Anderson said “We do not need an ordinance. We do not need a charter amendment. And we are not going to get to this point anywhere in the near future, so I would just put an end to it right now.”
None of the council members indicated they’d like to see potable reuse projects come to Volusia County — quite the opposite. But ultimately, both proposals were voted down.
At-large council member Jake Johansson, who voted no, said he’s “a less government, less regulation guy,” and doesn’t like the idea of banning something that’s not happening in the county.
“I also don't want to restrict future councils. I want to give them the ability to go: ‘thank God they didn't do that, because we're in extremis now, and we need to come up with some alternative ways to take care of it,’” Johansson said. “No pun intended, but this idea might be a little more palatable in 40 years.”
Following the votes, Gimbert said he’s resolved to keep pushing for local governments in Florida to outlaw “toilet to tap.”
“The majority of the County Council failed us, but we’re not gonna fail ourselves,” Gimbert said.
At the very end of Tuesday’s council meeting, Brower addressed potable reuse critics directly.
“You are not defeated. And I will bring this back with the next new council and the council after that,” Brower said.
The Daytona Beach City Commission on Wednesday will also consider an ordinance to ban using recycled water for drinking. The cities of Ormond Beach and Edgewater are likely to take up the issue soon, Brower said Tuesday.
