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SB1468 • 2026

Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Berman
Last action
2026-03-13
Official status
Senate - Died in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill has not passed and therefore is not in effect as of the last action date (March 13, 2026).

Advanced Wastewater Treatment

This bill requires sewage disposal facilities with a capacity over 1 million gallons per day to submit annual reports about their water treatment processes and infrastructure status to the Department of Environmental Protection, which must then create annual summary reports for the Governor and Legislature.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires sewage disposal facilities with a permitted capacity greater than 1 million gallons per day to report annually starting July 1, 2027, about their construction history, daily water volume treated, pollutant levels, spill data, and infrastructure details.
  • Directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to work with water management districts and sewage disposal facilities to create annual reports detailing wastewater infrastructure status and pollution control measures for large facilities starting December 31, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Sewage disposal facilities with a permitted capacity greater than 1 million gallons per day
  • The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
  • Water management districts in Florida

Terms To Know

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
A measure of the amount of oxygen used by microorganisms to break down organic matter in water.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
The maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive without violating water quality standards.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill did not pass the Appropriations Committee and therefore has not become law.
  • It is unclear how these reports will be used to improve wastewater treatment beyond data collection.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-13 Senate

    • Died in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

  2. 2026-01-28 Senate

    • Now in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

  3. 2026-01-27 Senate

    • Favorable by Environment and Natural Resources; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

  4. 2026-01-22 Senate

    • On Committee agenda-- Environment and Natural Resources, 01/27/26, 3:30 pm, 110 Senate Building • Introduced

  5. 2026-01-16 Senate

    • Referred to Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Fiscal Policy

  6. 2026-01-08 Senate

    • Filed

Official Summary Text

Advanced Wastewater Treatment; Requiring certain sewage disposal facilities to submit specified reports to the Department of Environmental Protection beginning on a specified date and annually thereafter; requiring the department, in consultation with water management districts and sewage disposal facilities, to submit specified reports to the Governor and Legislature beginning on a specified date and annually thereafter, and to post such reports on its website, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1468

By
Senator Berman

26-00099C-26 20261468__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to advanced wastewater treatment;
3 providing legislative findings; requiring certain
4 sewage disposal facilities to submit specified reports
5 to the Department of Environmental Protection
6 beginning on a specified date and annually thereafter;
7 requiring the department, in consultation with water
8 management districts and sewage disposal facilities,
9 to submit specified reports to the Governor and
10 Legislature beginning on a specified date and annually
11 thereafter, and to post such reports on its website;
12 providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1.
(1)

The Legislature finds that the discharge of

17
inadequately treated wastewater and aging sewage disposal

18
facilities compromise the quality of the environment, including

19
freshwater, brackish water, and nearshore and offshore salt

20
waters, and threatens the quality of life and local economies in

21
this state that depend on those resources. The Legislature

22
further finds that requiring advanced wastewater treatment or

23
better at all sewage disposal facilities with a permitted

24
capacity of greater than 1 million gallons per day in this state

25
is a necessary long-term investment that will fundamentally

26
improve wastewater treatment.

27
(2)

By July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, sewage

28
disposal facilities with a permitted capacity of greater than 1

29
million gallons per day in this state shall report to the

30
Department of Environmental Protection all of the following:

31
(a)

Year of construction for the facility and any

32
maintenance or upgrades.

33
(b)

Total permitted volume of water treated daily.

34
(c)

Actual permitted volume of water treated daily,

35
including the most recent 1-year and 5-year averages.

36
(d)

Current level of treatment, including concentrations

37
for each of the following:

38
1.

Biochemical oxygen demand.

39
2.

Suspended solids.

40
3.

Total nitrogen.

41
4.

Total phosphorus.

42
5.

Perfluorooctanoic acid.

43
6.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid.

44
7.

Molybdenum.

45
8.

Other contaminants of emerging concern as determined by

46
the department.

47
(e)

Estimated total pollutant loading based on permitted

48
volume and concentrations.

49
(f)

Disposal methods and the volume discharged to any

50
receiving waterbodies, if applicable, pursuant to s.

51
403.064(16), Florida Statutes.

52
(g)

Total volume and concentration of any permitted and

53
nonpermitted wastewater spills since 2010.

54
(h)

Elevation of the facility and supporting

55
infrastructure.

56
(i)

Location within a floodplain, flood zone, or coastal

57
high-hazard area and, if applicable, the corresponding zone

58
number.

59
(3)

In order to prioritize the upgrade of sewage disposal

60
facilities and investments in wastewater infrastructure, by

61
December 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department, in

62
consultation with the water management districts and sewage

63
disposal facilities, shall submit to the Governor, the President

64
of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a

65
report detailing all of the following for all sewage disposal

66
facilities with a permitted capacity of greater than 1 million

67
gallons per day in this state and post the annual report on its

68
website:

69
(a)

Year of construction for the facility and any

70
maintenance or upgrades.

71
(b)

Total permitted volume of water treated daily.

72
(c)

Actual permitted volume of water treated daily,

73
including the most recent 1-year and 5-year averages.

74
(d)

Current level of treatment, including concentrations

75
for each of the following:

76
1.

Biochemical oxygen demand.

77
2.

Suspended solids.

78
3.

Total nitrogen.

79
4.

Total phosphorus.

80
5.

Perfluorooctanoic acid.

81
6.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid.

82
7.

Molybdenum.

83
8.

Other contaminants of emerging concern as determined by

84
the department.

85
(e)

Estimated total pollutant loading based on permitted

86
volume and concentrations.

87
(f)

Disposal methods and the volume discharged to any

88
receiving waterbodies, if applicable, pursuant to s.

89
403.064(16), Florida Statutes.

90
(g)

Impairment status of any receiving waterbodies within

91
the watershed.

92
(h)

Implementation status of total maximum daily loads and

93
basin management action plans and assigned reductions for load

94
allocations and wasteload allocations for pollutants of concern.

95
(i)

Total volume and concentration of any permitted and

96
nonpermitted wastewater spills since 2010.

97
(j)

Elevation of the facility and supporting

98
infrastructure.

99
(k)

Location within a floodplain, flood zone, or coastal

100
high-hazard area and, if applicable, the corresponding zone

101
number.

102 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.