The District needs accurate water use data from permittees to fulfill its statutory responsibilities and to protect the state's water resource. This information is crucial in determining permit compliance, calculating conservation credits, ...  

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    WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS
    Southwest Florida Water Management District

    RULE NO: RULE TITLE
    40D-2.091: Publications Incorporated by Reference
    PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The District needs accurate water use data from permittees to fulfill its statutory responsibilities and to protect the state's water resource. This information is crucial in determining permit compliance, calculating conservation credits, estimating water use and for use in water supply planning. District rules require that flow meters required by Water Use Permits be tested for accuracy every 5 years. Currently permittees have their flow meters tested and submit the information in many different formats. To ensure that the testing is properly performed so that the flow meters are accurately tested and reported, standardized testing and reporting requirements and a standardized test report form have been developed.
    SUMMARY: The proposed amendments specify how to satisfy the Water Use Permit flow meter accuracy verification reporting requirements currently contained in Chapter 40D-2, F.A.C., Water Use Permits. In order to demonstrate compliance with flow meter testing and accuracy requirements the amendments require documentation of test equipment operator competency and test equipment calibration, a diagram and picture depicting the configuration and location of the test equipment, flow meter and pump, and use of the Flow Meter Accuracy Verification Form to report the results of the testing. Alternative methods to demonstrate compliance with the meter accuracy requirements are allowed for existing systems that would have to be retrofitted in order to allow for the specified testing. Clarifications are made to the procedure for reporting pumpage when a flow meter is not functioning correctly. In addition, staff has moved some existing language from one chapter of the Basis of Review to another to consolidate related provisions and to clarify the process.
    SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS: No Statement of Estimated Regulatory Cost was prepared.
    Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.
    SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 373.044, 373.113, 373.118, 373.171 FS.
    LAW IMPLEMENTED: 373.036, 373.0361, 373.042, 373.0421, 373.0831, 373.116, 373.117, 373.118, 373.149, 373.171, 373.1963, 373.216, 373.219, 373.223, 373.229, 373.239, 373.243 FS.
    IF REQUESTED WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS NOTICE, A HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED AND ANNOUNCED IN FAW.
    THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Ron Cohen, Senior Professional Engineer, Regulation Performance Management Section, Regulation Performance Management Department, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899, (352)796-7211, extension 4300

    THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

    40D-2.091 Publications Incorporated by Reference.

    The following publications are hereby incorporated by reference into this Chapter, and are available from the District upon request:

    (1) Water Use Permit Information Manual Part B, “Basis of Review (____) (7-20-08)” and Part D, “Requirements for the Estimation of Permanent and Temporal Service Area Populations in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (1/07);”

    (2) through (5) No change.

    Specific Authority 373.044, 373.113, 373.118, 373.171 FS. Law Implemented 373.036, 373.0361, 373.042, 373.0421, 373.0831, 373.116, 373.117, 373.118, 373.149, 373.171, 373.1963, 373.216, 373.219, 373.223, 373.229, 373.239, 373.243 FS. History–New 10-1-89, Amended 11-15-90, 2-10-93, 3-30-93, 7-29-93, 4-11-94, 7-15-98, 7-28-98, 7-22-99, 12-2-99, 8-3-00, 9-3-00, 4-18-01, 4-14-02, 9-26-02, 1-1-03, 2-1-05, 10-19-05, 1-1-07, 8-23-07, 10-1-07, 10-22-07, 11-25-07, 12-24-07, 2-13-08, 2-18-08, 4-7-08, 5-12-08, 7-20-08,_________.


    NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Ron Cohen, Senior Professional Engineer, Regulation Performance Management Section, Regulation Performance Management Department, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899, (352)796-7211, extension 4300
    NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board
    DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: July 29, 2008
    DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAW: June 13, 2008

     

    WATER USE PERMIT INFORMATION MANUAL

    PART B, BASIS OF REVIEW

    Chapter

    5.0 MONITORING REQUIREMENTS

    The following provisions are added to the end of section 5.1. The paragraphs under the heading “Flow Meters” are primarily replicated from Chapter 6, the section titled “PUMPAGE REPORTING, 5. Flow Meters” except as noted through strikeout/underline. All other paragraphs are new:

    Flow Meters

    All required flow meters shall adhere to the following requirements and shall be installed and maintained as follows:

    1. All meters shall be non-resettable, totalizing flow meters that have a totalizer of sufficient magnitude to retain total gallon data for a minimum of the three highest consecutive months permitted quantities. If other measuring devices or alternative other accounting or reporting methods are proposed, prior to installation, the Permittee shall submit documentation that the other measuring devices or accounting methods meet the accuracy requirement provided below stipulations listed in this condition. If the alternative accounting method involves a meter belonging to another entity or to an alternative water supply provider, the Permittee shall submit documentation from the owner/supplier that the meter readings conform to these meter requirements. Approval for other measuring devices, or accounting methods must be obtained in writing from the Regulation Department Director.

    a. The flow meter(s) or other approved flow-measuring device(s) shall have and maintain an accuracy within five percent of the actual flow as installed.

    b. Accuracy testing requirements:

    i. For newly metered withdrawal points, tThe flow meter installation water piping system shall be designed for inline field access for meter accuracy testing.

    ii. The meter shall be tested for accuracy on-site, as installed, every five years beginning from the date of its installation for new meters or from the date of initial issuance of the this permit condition containing the metering condition with an accuracy-test requirement for existing meters.

    iii. The testing frequency will be decreased if the Permittee demonstrates to the satisfaction of the District that a longer period of time for testing is warranted.

    iv. The test will be accepted by the District only if performed by a person certified on knowledgeable in the test equipment used as described in the section entitled Flow Meter Verification, below.

    v. If the actual flow is found to be greater than 5% different from the measured flow, within 30 days the Permittee shall have the meter re-calibrated, repaired, or replaced, whichever is necessary. Documentation of the test and a certificate of re-calibration, if applicable, shall be submitted within 30 days of each test or re-calibration.

    2. The meter shall be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions for achieving accurate flow to the specifications above, or it shall be installed in a straight length of pipe where there is at least an upstream length equal to ten (10) times the outside pipe diameter and a downstream length equal to two (2) times the outside pipe diameter. Where there is not at least a length of ten diameters upstream available, flow straightening vanes shall be used in the upstream line. Existing systems that would require retrofitting to achieve the above standards will not be required to retrofit provided it is documented on the Flow Meter Accuracy Verification Form, Form No. LEG-R.014.00 (07/08) that the flow meter is accurately and reliably measuring flow over different flow ranges or for the permanent operating flow.

    3. If a metered withdrawal point, AWS inflow line or re-pump withdrawal point is not utilized during a given month, the meter report shall be submitted to the District showing the same meter reading that was submitted the previous month.

    4. Broken or malfunctioning meter:

    a. If the meter or other flow-measuring device malfunctions or breaks, the Permittee shall:

    a. Notify the District within 15 days of discovering the malfunction or breakage;

    b. The meter must be Rreplaced the broken or malfunctioning meter with a repaired or new meter, subject to the same specifications given above, within 30 days of the discovery; and

    c. Submit estimates of their pumpage as described below.

    c. If the meter is removed from the withdrawal point for any other reason, it shall be replaced with another meter having the same specifications given above, or the meter shall be reinstalled within 30 days of its removal from the withdrawal. In either event, the withdrawal point shall not lack a fully functioning meter shall not be off the withdrawal point for more than 60 consecutive days.

    5. While the meter is not functioning correctly off the withdrawal, the Permittee shall document the total amount of time in minutes that the withdrawal point was used for each month and multiply those minutes times the pump capacity (in gallons per minute) for total gallons estimate their use by multiplying the number of hours the withdrawal point was used during that month times the flow capacity of the pump or mainline, whichever is appropriate, or the Permittee may request instructions on how to estimate use from the Permit Data Section. The estimate of the number of gallons used each month during that period shall be submitted on District scanning forms and noted as estimated per instructions on the form noted as an estimate when it is submitted to the District. The reason for the necessity to estimate pumpage shall be reported with the estimate.

    6. In the event a new meter is installed to replace a broken meter, the meter it and its installation shall meet the specifications of this Chapter condition. The permittee shall notify the District of the replacement with the first submittal of meter readings from the new meter.

    Transferred from Chapter 6___-08

    Flow Meter Verification

    The following requirements pertain to the required flow meter testing:

    1. Operators of meter testing equipment shall hold a valid certificate of competency to operate the type of equipment used. Certification from the test equipment manufacturer, or other recognized training entities will suffice. A copy of this certification shall be provided to the District with the Flow Meter Accuracy Verification Form, Form No. LEG-R.014.00 (07/08).

    2. The test equipment shall have been calibrated within the previous twelve months of the submitted test and comply with current National Institute of Standards and Technology (N.I.S.T.) standards. A valid Certificate of Calibration, showing the date of calibration and N.I.S.T. traceability shall be provided to the District with the Flow Meter Accuracy Verification Form.

    3. The Flow Meter Accuracy Verification Form, Form No. LEG-R.014.00 (07/08) shall be completed and provided to the District for each flow meter tested. This form can be obtained from the District’s website (www.watermatters.org). If the test equipment provides a printout of data that was input, this shall be submitted with the worksheet. The equipment’s water temperature shall be set to 72 degrees for ground water, and for other water sources the measured water temperature shall be used.

    4. A diagram showing the precise location on the pipe where the testing equipment was mounted shall be supplied with the form. This diagram shall also show the pump, installed meter, the configuration (with all valves, tees, elbows, and any other possible flow disturbing devices) that exists between the pump and the test location clearly noted with measurements. If flow straightening vanes are utilized, their location(s) shall also be included in the diagram.

    5. A picture(s) of the test location, including the pump, installed flow meter, and the measuring device, or for sites where the picture does not include all of the items listed above, a picture of the test site with a notation of distances to these items.

    6. A minimum of two separate timed tests shall be performed for each meter. Each timed test shall consist of measuring flow using the test meter and the installed meter for a minimum of four minutes duration. If the two tests do not yield consistent results, additional tests shall be performed for a minimum of eight minutes or longer per test until consistent results are obtained. If the installed meter has a rate of flow, or large multiplier that does not allow for consistent results to be obtained with four- or eight-minute tests, the duration of the test shall be increased as necessary to obtain accurate and consistent results with respect to the type of flow meter installed. The results of two consistent tests shall be averaged, and the result will be considered the test result for the meter being tested. This result shall be expressed as a plus or minus percent (rounded to the nearest one-tenth percent) accuracy of the installed meter relative to the test meter. The percent accuracy indicates the deviation (if any), of the meter being tested from the test meter.

    7. Flow meters that fail to meet the District’s accuracy requirements must be repaired or replaced within 30 days. These meters shall be retested after the repair and the results submitted to the District within 30 days of the test.

    ____-08

    Chapter

    6.0 PERMIT CONDITIONS

    The following change is made to the section titled “Pumpage Reporting”:

    PUMPAGE REPORTING

    6. Flow Meters

    The Permittee shall meter withdrawals from surface waters and/or the ground water resources, and meter readings from each withdrawal facility shall be recorded on a monthly basis within the last week of the month. The meter reading(s) shall be reported to the Permit Data Section, Regulation Performance Management Records and Data Department on or before the tenth day of the following month. (using District-supplied scanning forms shall be used to submit the meter readings, unless the District has approved another arrangement for submission of this data has been approved in writing by the District.) on or before the tenth day of the following month. If a metered withdrawal is not utilized during a given month, the meter report shall be submitted to the District indicating the same meter reading as was submitted the previous month. The following withdrawals facilities shall be metered as applicable:

    a. Standby Permittees with permitted withdrawal facilities those that provide back-up water for another that are on standby status (a standby withdrawal point in the event the another withdrawal point becomes unusable to be used when cannot be used), or where all permitted quantities are on standby for alternative water supplies, shall install meters on District ID No(s). [Specify District ID No(s).], Permittee ID No(s). [Specify Permittee ID No(s).] before using the standby quantities.

    b. Standby withdrawal facilities (those that are on standby as backup for alternative water supplies), District ID No(s). [Specify District ID No(s).], Permittee ID No(s). [Specify Permittee District ID No(s).], shall be metered upon permit issuance.

    c.b. Permittees with permitted Wwithdrawal facilities that are not yet constructed, shall install meters on District ID No(s). [Specify District ID No(s).], Permittee ID No(s). [Specify Permittee ID No(s).] shall be metered within 90 days of completion of construction of the withdrawal facility.

    d.c. Permittees with Eexisting permitted withdrawal facilities shall continue to be metered,  with maintain and operate existing, non-resettable, totalizing flow meter(s) or other flow measuring device(s) as approved by the Regulation Department Director on District ID No(s). [Specify District ID No(s).], Permittee ID No(s). [Specify Permittee ID No(s).].

    e.d. Permittees with previously un-metered existing withdrawal facilities, shall install meters on District ID No(s). [Specify District ID No(s).], Permittee ID No(s). [Specify Permittee ID No(s).] shall be metered upon permit issuance. 1-1-03, Revised 1-1-07, _________.

Document Information

Comments Open:
8/15/2008
Summary:
The proposed amendments specify how to satisfy the Water Use Permit flow meter accuracy verification reporting requirements currently contained in Chapter 40D-2, F.A.C., Water Use Permits. In order to demonstrate compliance with flow meter testing and accuracy requirements the amendments require documentation of test equipment operator competency and test equipment calibration, a diagram and picture depicting the configuration and location of the test equipment, flow meter and pump, and use of ...
Purpose:
The District needs accurate water use data from permittees to fulfill its statutory responsibilities and to protect the state's water resource. This information is crucial in determining permit compliance, calculating conservation credits, estimating water use and for use in water supply planning. District rules require that flow meters required by Water Use Permits be tested for accuracy every 5 years. Currently permittees have their flow meters tested and submit the information in many ...
Rulemaking Authority:
373.044, 373.113, 373.118, 373.171 FS.
Law:
373.036, 373.0361, 373.042, 373.0421, 373.0831, 373.116, 373.117, 373.118, 373.149, 373.171, 373.1963, 373.216, 373.219, 373.223, 373.229, 373.239, 373.243 FS.
Contact:
Ron Cohen, Senior Professional Engineer, Regulation Performance Management Section, Regulation Performance Management Department, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899, (352)796-7211, extension 4300
Related Rules: (1)
40D-2.091. Publications Incorporated by Reference