Summary of Florida’s Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Rainwater Collected Onsite for 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 Rainwater Collected Onsite.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- 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, 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. applications include irrigation, car washing and toilet and urinal flushing (in some local jurisdictions), among others. The source of water rainwater collected onsite Precipitation collected at the district or regional scale is classified separately under 'stormwater.' is specified by the state as rainwater. 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 onsite collected waters.
Technical basis
Florida approves the onsite non-potable reuse of rainwater for landscape irrigation, vehicle washing, filling swimming pools and ornamental fountains and, in some jurisdictions, 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 using rainwater must contain no detectable fecal coliforms, enteroviruses, sodium or chlorine at the point of use. The technical basis for the derivation of pathogen and chemical removals for rainwater treated by non-potable rainwater collection and distribution systems is not explicitly specified.
Types of onsite non-potable reuse approved for use in Florida
University of Florida (2018) lists several approved onsite non-potable uses of rainwater, including:
- Irrigation of lawns and gardens,
- Car washing,
- Filling ponds, fountains and swimming pools,
- Toilet flushing (some local jurisdictions).
Water reuse category/type
Florida does not assign rainwater used for onsite non-potable reuse to a category or class.
Additional context and definitions
The respective treatment requirements for rainwater are briefly summarized for onsite non-potable reuse applications:
- Collected rainwater shall be filtered and disinfected as needed to ensure there are no detectable fecal coliforms, enteroviruses, sodium or chlorine per 100 mL at the point of use.
- Rainwater is defined as “water from natural precipitation collected only from above-ground impervious roofing surfaces constructed from approved materials that are “compatible with the collection surface and the rainwater quality for the desired end use” (Florida Plumbing Code, 2017). Collection of water from vehicular parking or pedestrian surfaces is prohibited except where the water is used exclusively for landscape irrigation.
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Non-potable rainwater collection (lawn/garden irrigation, car washing, filling ponds/fountains/ swimming pools, toilet flushing) |
Rainwater |
pH |
6.0-7.0 |
Verified at point of use. Frequency not specified. |
|
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
≤10 mg/L |
|||
|
Turbidity |
≤2 NTU |
|||
|
Fecal coliform |
No detectable fecal coli in 100 mL |
|||
|
Sodium |
No detectable sodium in 100 mL |
|||
|
Chlorine |
No detectable chlorine in 100 mL |
|||
|
Enterovirus |
No detectable enteroviruses in 100 mL |
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.
Florida Plumbing Code. 2017. Chapter 13: Nonpotable Water Systems.
University of Florida. 2018. Saving & Using Rainwater.
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.