In Florida, Violations At 1 In 8 Public Water Systems

Around 12 percent of public water systems in Florida are violating pollution regulations, often in ways which pose a risk to public health, according to a new report by a watchdog group.

The nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility released a report this month analyzing data from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). A few findings from the report, per a statement from the group:

• Nearly 700 of the roughly 5,300 public water systems in Florida are out of compliance with safe drinking water rules;
• Despite nearly 2,000 individual safe drinking water violations, including 295 violations involving exceedances of maximum contamination limits for things such as total coliform, chemicals, radionuclides and disinfection byproducts (DEP) opened only five enforcement cases in 2015 and assessed relatively small fines in only two; and
• Both the number of enforcement cases and the amount of penalties assessed has plummeted since 2010, with the number of assessments in potable water cases dropping from 141 to only 2 (a 98 percent nosedive) and the total amount of fines assessed plunging from roughly a quarter-million dollars to a mere $12,000 (a more than 95 percent falloff) in 2015.

State officials defended their track record on enforcing state and federal regulations. Dee Ann Miller, spokeswoman with DEP, said the state puts an emphasis on resolving issues quickly, per an interview with Florida Today.

"The number one priority for the department is to make sure our drinking water systems are being properly monitored and that any concerns are identified and corrected as quickly as possible," she said. "Where there is an exceedance of a drinking water standard, facilities are required to increase their monitoring frequency. The department closely monitors the subsequent results to ensure the system returns to compliance, and also makes these results available to the public."

For PEER Director Jerry Phillips, a former DEP lawyer who worked on the report, the state’s role in drinking water oversight is a cause for concern. He expressed disappointment about both federal and state oversight decisions.

“Frankly, EPA’s abdication of its state oversight responsibilities is a big factor facilitating the utter evaporation of eco-enforcement that we have seen in Florida under Governor Rick Scott,” Phillips said in a statement.

To read more about the rules that govern drinking water systems visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Regulations And Legislation Solutions Center.