38th Environmental Permitting Summer School

With all the attention on emerging contaminants of concern, including PFOA/PFAs controversy, this course is a must-attend!  This panel of experts will provide timely updates on new ways the Department of Environmental Protection and EPA are addressing water quality issues; also includes basic as well as advanced discussion on water quality discharge permitting, whether from industrial, domestic, or other discharge sources; emphasis on current agency practices, and updates on pending legal changes; emerging water quality issues affecting industry, regulations and the general population. Come prepared with your questions!  This course is designed for extensive audience participation. 

After years of little or no meaningful trading activity, Water Quality Credit Trading seems to be emerging again as a topic of interest and potential tool for addressing Florida’s many nutrient-enriched watersheds. Our panel of experts will examine some recent examples of innovative nutrient trading, evaluate the legislation filed in 2022, and discuss some new approaches to managing nutrients in impaired watersheds. Given the few examples of trades accomplished using the FDEP’s Chapter 62-306, is it time for a major overhaul of this rule? The audience should come prepared with your ideas and ready to participate in what is sure to be a lively and thought-provoking discussion! 

Florida has been grappling with septic tank policies since the infamous mandatory septic tank inspection requirement was adopted in 2011 and repealed in 2012. If this subject interests you, and it should if you are in the residential development industry or interested in the water quality of our state (or both!), this course is a must-see! Come hear from a panel of experts, who will discuss (and possibly debate) the major policy changes stemming from the Blue Green Algae Task Force and the Florida Clean Waterways Act and culminating in recent revisions to septic tank regulations and expanded wastewater grant eligibility. You will also hear about the latest changes to the septic tank regulatory program since its relocation from FDOH to FDEP and emerging regulatory, policy, and grant funding options. Bring your questions! Audience participation is highly encouraged!

This course will give you the latest information on water quality BMPs, water use and reuse on agricultural lands, and other policy changes resulting from the Legislative Session and implementation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, including adoption of new BMP Manuals. Come hear from West Gregory, the Water Policy Director, and a panel of water policy experts on the latest updates affecting agriculture and Florida’s water resources.

The panel of experts will provide a timely update on procedural and substantive considerations in permitting under the NPDES program, including stormwater; numeric nutrient criteria; program administration; case law update, including Sackett v. EPA regarding Waters of the U.S.; enforcement and citizen suits; additional compliance considerations; how to interpret complex regulations; examples of industrial and construction applications; implementation of stormwater NPDES; MS4 program; current agency practices; and emerging trends and issues. Audience participation is encouraged!

The panel of experts will provide an in-depth examination of agency emphasis on watershed management as a means of comprehensively integrating a variety of planning and regulatory programs currently implemented by DEP and water management districts; these include TMDLs, stormwater, NPDES, PLRGs, Water Quality Credit Trading, and both structural and non-structural floodplain planning and management; practical considerations; organizing stakeholders; discussion of the need for statutory changes as well as changes to current agency practices. Audience participation is encouraged.

This course is completely redesigned for 2024, expanding the focus of the “Numeric Nutrient Criteria Update” from past years. This course now focuses on the implementation of water quality standards with an emphasis on options for dealing with an “Impaired” designation. Panelists will provide examples of current experiences around the state, including how affected parties are dealing with the scientific, technical, and legal issues involved in the application of water quality criteria in Florida. Engineering and agency perspectives will be discussed, and case studies describing water quality restoration planning and implementation options will be provided. There will be an opportunity for exchange among panelists and the audience during this highly technical course designed to explore and provide an update on navigating the options to achieve restoration where water quality criteria have been exceeded.

Wetlands can provide for natural, low-energy, and environmentally beneficial water quality improvement. This exciting course describes the history, regulations, progress, and prospects in treatment wetland science and engineering in Florida and includes a summary of Florida’s unique Wastewater Application Rule (Ch. 62-611, FAC); a detailed overview of treatment wetland design and benefits, with pertinent case histories of wetlands providing water quality treatment, recharging aquifers, and creating high-quality wetland habitat; and case histories illustrating recent advances in natural treatment technologies that minimize area requirements while intensifying performance. Audience participation is encouraged.