Summary of Florida’s Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Onsite Non-potable Water Reuse
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Onsite Collected Waters.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Background on NSF/ANSI Standard 350
- Types of onsite non-potable reuse approved for use in Florida
- Water reuse category/type
- Additional context and definitions
- Onsite non-potable reuse specifications (table)
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In Florida, applications onsite non-potable water reuse The use of treated onsite collected waters for non-potable purposes at the single-building or district scale. This reuse application excludes the use of recycled water from a centralized treatment and distribution system for landscape irrigation or commercial uses. include, but are not limited to, toilet and urinal flushing. The source of water onsite collected waters Water sources generated within or surrounding a building, residence, or district. Other terms referring to this source of water include onsite collected stormwater or rainwater, greywater, blackwater, air conditioning condensate, and foundation water. is specified by the state as gray water. The write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Check out Florida's other onsite non-potable water reuse summary!
State requirements for water quality and treatment are often associated with the source water. Florida has an onsite non-potable water reuse summary page where the source water is rainwater collected onsite.
Technical basis
Florida approves the onsite non-potable reuse of gray water, including for toilet and urinal flushing (Florida Plumbing Code, 2017). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met in addition to any state water quality standards. Onsite non-potable water reuse systems that treat gray water for urinal and toilet flushing must comply with NSF/ANSI Standard 350 (Florida Plumbing Code, 2017).
Background on NSF/ANSI Standard 350
The National Sanitation Foundation/American National Standards Institute (NSF/ANSI) was originally adopted in 2011 and includes requirements for testing onsite residential and commercial water reuse treatment systems. NSF/ANSI 350 includes requirements for two categories of facilities: residential (up to 1,500 gallons per day) and commercial (systems exceeding 1,500 gallons per day); and four different types of influent: (1) combined black and gray water; (2) gray water only; (3) bathing water only; and (4) laundry water only. The standard covers general non-potable reuse applications, including surface and subsurface irrigation and toilet and urinal flushing. There are two categories of effluent criteria that vary slightly: Class R for single family residential and Class C for multi-family residential and commercial. These effluent quality criteria were developed using the currently existing guidelines codes and regulations, with the goal of meeting the majority of existing codes (although the guidelines do not meet all state codes). Class R includes E. coli water quality requirements not to exceed 14 MPN/100 mL geometric mean and 240 MPN/100 mL single sample maximum and Class C includes E. coli water quality requirements not to exceed 2.2 MPN/100 mL geometric mean and 200 MPN/100 mL single sample maximum.
Types of onsite non-potable reuse approved for use in Florida
The Florida Plumbing Code (2017) defines the following approved onsite non-potable uses of gray water:
- Toilet and urinal flushing.
- Other non-potable applications may also be eligible
Water reuse category/type
Florida does not assign gray water used for onsite non-potable reuse to a category or class.
Additional context and definitions
The respective treatment requirements for gray water are briefly summarized for onsite non-potable reuse applications:
- Gray water used for flushing of toilets and urinals must be filtered, disinfected and dyed. Disinfection prior to use must occur by an approved method using one or more disinfectants such as chlorine, iodine or ozone. If chlorine is used for disinfection, the treated water must have <4 mg/L of chloramines or free chlorine. If ozone is used for disinfection, the treated water must not contain “elevated levels” of ozone at the point of use.
- Gray water is defined as “that part of domestic sewage that is not blackwater, meaning waste from the bath, lavatory, laundry and sink, except kitchen sink waste."
- In Florida, wastewater from toilets, urinals and kitchen drains is classified as blackwater and must be directly connected to a public sewer or to an onsite sewage and treatment disposal (e.g., septic) system (Martinez, 2010).
Onsite non-potable reuse specifications
Summary of Florida's Non-potable Reuse Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Onsite non-potable water reuse systems (toilet and urinal flushing) |
Gray water |
Non-potable water collected on site containing untreated gray water shall be retained in collection reservoirs for a maximum of 24 hours. Gray water used for flushing water closets and urinals shall be disinfected and treated by an onsite water reuse treatment system complying with NSF 350. |
||
Sources = Florida Plumbing Code, 2017.
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming onsite non-potable reuse regulations were found for Florida.
References:
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Onsite Residential and Commercial Water Reuse Treatment Systems, NSF/ANSI Standard 350.
Florida Plumbing Code. 2017. Chapter 13: Nonpotable Water Systems.
Martinez, C.J. 2010. Graywater Reuse in Florida. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.