Is Restricting Reclaimed Water Legal?

PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA

By Rick Orr 04/10/2020
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Reclaimed water injection well
Pinellas County injects excess reclaimed water into the aquifer, while restricting water to end users of reclaimed water claiming a shortage

Is Restricting Reclaimed Water Legal?

I did reclaimed hookups to residential irrigation systems in 1998. Fascinated by the concept of using the reclaimed on lawns and landscapes, I asked many questions of the officials I would meet on the job site.

One Question I asked about Reclaimed Water

"What if the county gets a new government that doesn't like people using reclaimed water, what keeps them from cutting off the reclaimed service?"

I was told that part of the agreement - the part to help solidify the agreement between the homeowner and the government as a supplier of irrigation water and a major selling point was:

"Except for repairs, the county would never restrict the flow of reclaimed water"

The prohibition on restricting flow was part of the contract. Most homeowners feared giving the government control over the very resource that kept their personal property beautiful. And their fears have become reality. What happened? 

Is it Legal to Restrict Reclaimed Water

So how can they restrict reclaim now? Why is it in 2017, the county is restricting the flow of reclaimed water?  Did people forget or was there never such a clause in the agreement? Does anyone have the original agreement? Has anyone challenged local governments on this issue?

If you have the answers to any or all of these questions, feel free to contact me by PM on APL Lawn Spraying Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/iloveturf/

 

Rick Orr Owner-Operator APL Pest Control/Creator of ILOVETURF.COM
Rick
Orr
APL Pest Control

Since 1995, Rick Orr has worked in Pinellas County providing turf management and pest control. Rick Orr is a graduate of VA Tech in Agronomy (Turf Ecology) and the creator of Iloveturf.com.

Since graduating from VA Tech in 1979, Rick worked in the green industry, mostly with golf courses, resorts, and large communities. Rick has obtained certifications in arboriculture, landscape contractor, and irrigation contractor, and taught Environmental Horticulture at St Petersburg College. 

Currently, Rick is the owner and operator of APL Pest Control. APL Pest Control provides lawn care and pest control for all of Pinellas County.

To learn more about APL Pest Control CLICK HERE

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