Purpose


The District proposes to make further refinements in the definitions of General and Small General Water Use Permits (WUPs) set forth in Rule 40D-2.041, F.A.C., which was recently amended. General WUPs are issued for combined annual average daily water demands of less than 500,000 gallons per day (gpd) but greater than or equal to 100,000 gpd. Recent amendments elevated certain water demands of less than 100,000 gpd formerly categorized as Small General WUPs to the General WUP category, which amendments included defining all permits with surface water withdrawals less than 100,000 gpd as a General WUP. The proposed amendments will clarify that for permits authorizing surface water withdrawals, only those for which the primary source is a surface water and the combined annual average daily water demand is at least 50,000 gpd will be categorized as General Permits. The General WUP category is also amended to include permits with annual average water demands of less than 100,000 gpd when the maximum daily withdrawal quantity equals or exceeds 3,000,000 gpd for crop protection or other use unless at least one permitted withdrawal facility is located within the Dover-Plant City area of Hillsborough County. In that specific area, WUPs authorizing less than 100,000 gpd will be elevated to the General WUP category if the maximum daily withdrawal quantity for crop protection or other use equals or exceeds 1,000,000 gpd. This is to due to the concentration of agricultural water use in that specific area, primarily for strawberries, which require significant crop protection withdrawals during the winter growing season. The effect of these amendments is to limit the Small General WUP category to those combined annual average water demands of less than 100,000 gpd that require only minimal staff evaluation, due to little-to-no impact upon the water resources.