CHARLOTTE COUNTY v. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

PREVIOUS SECTION

VII. Challenges to Existing Rules, Proposed Rules, and Agency Statements Which Uniquely Affect Public Water Supply Providers

A. Introduction and Background

933. According to the District's 1992 Needs and Sources Study, more than 90 percent of the water used within the District is currently supplied from groundwater. Total average daily water demand for water for all uses is expected to increase District-wide from 1625.5 MGD in 1990 to 2369.5 MGD by 2020. Total average daily water demand in excess of current available sources for all users within the District is projected to be 625.4 MGD by 2020. The largest increase in demand is projected to occur in counties located in the southern portion of the District.

934. During the last two decades, public supply has been the fastest growing water use category within the District, increasing from about 15 percent of total withdrawals in the early 1970s to more than 30 percent in the 1980s. This trend is expected to continue as west-central Florida becomes more populated.

935. Agricultural water needs are also projected to increase. Based on current efficiency standards, average daily agriculture water use is expected to increase from 759.3 MGD in 1990 to 1049.4 MGD in 2020. Faced with these prospects, the District has recognized the need to encourage conservation and develop alternate sources of water.

936. Sections 373.016, 403.021 and 187.201, F.S., provide general statutory guidance and authority to the District with regard to implementing and enforcing water conservation. In Sections 373.016(2)(b)and (3) and 403.021 [referenced in 373.016(2)(g)], the legislature has expressly recognized the need for water conservation. In addition, the definition of reasonable-beneficial use contained in Section 373.019(4) implicitly incorporates water conservation by providing that such use should be in a quantity that is "necessary for economic and efficient utilization."

937. With regard to alternate sources, Section 373.250, F.S. (1994 Supp.) directs the District to adopt rules to implement, encourage and promote reuse of reclaimed water, and details when reclaimed water is presumed to be available to WUP applicants. This statutory section also requires the District to prepare an annual report for the Legislature regarding the reuse program.

938. The State Water Policy, including Rules 62-40.110, 62-40.310(3) and (8), and 62-40.401(4) and (5), F.A.C., advocates and encourages the use of reclaimed water and conservation as part of the permitting process. Rule 62-40.401(4) provides that: "Conservation of water shall be required unless not economically or environmentally feasible." Rules 62-40.401(i) and (j) provide that water conservation measures and the availability and practicability of reclaimed water should be considered as part of the "reasonable-beneficial use" test.¹²¹

939. Conservation programs can be an effective tool to reduce water use. The District relies on a number of non-regulatory and regulatory programs to encourage water conservation including an extensive cooperative funding program and various other programs such as reuse projects, plumbing retrofits, public information, and education. Since 1990, the District Governing Board and Basin Boards have allocated about $38,000,000 for such conservation projects.

940. The SWUCA Rules include proposed subsections to be added to Sections 3.1 and 3.6 of the Basis of Review. These new subsections include a number of provisions regarding public supply utilities in the SWUCA. Many of these provisions seek to require or encourage water conservation and/or the development of alternative supplies. In the current Basis of Review, the District has already implemented some of the same or similar policies regarding conservation and alternative sources for the NTB WUCA. See e.g., BOR Sections 7.3.1.1, 7.3.1.2 and 7.3.1.3.

941. Pinellas has challenged several of the proposed additions to BOR Sections 3.1 and 3.6 and has also challenged corresponding provisions applicable to the NTB in the existing Basis of Review. The specific challenged provisions are discussed in the subsections below; however, there are some common contentions or arguments that have been raised with respect to several of the provisions. Those general themes are discussed in this section.

1. Standing

942. The District has objected to Pinellas' standing to challenge any of the SWUCA Rules. At the hearing and in its proposed final order, the District also suggested that Pinellas' challenge to several of the NTB rules should be denied because Pinellas had already met or exceeded many of the challenged conservation provisions. The legal issues related to this argument are discussed in the Conclusions of Law. The following pertinent Findings of Fact are made.

943. Pinellas is a permittee for certain wellfields in NTB and has been subject to the conservation and alternative source provisions in the NTB WUCA Rules.

944. The District claims that Pinellas has no standing to challenge the SWUCA provisions because it is not a permittee in the area; however, Pinellas is a member of West Coast, which is a permittee in the SWUCA. Moreover, many of the NTB and SWUCA provisions are the same or similar, so the analysis as to their validity is often essentially the same. Through conservation and other measures, Pinellas has been able to reduce its per-capita use from 156 GPD in 1989 to 109 GPD in 1994.¹²² St. Petersburg, which has a well-developed reuse system that has helped reduce water use, has a per-capita use of 102 GPD.¹²³ These reductions have contributed to a decline in Pinellas' total water use from 76 MGD in 1989 to 69 MGD in 1994 even though there has been a drought and an approximate 6 percent population growth rate.

2. Additional Conditions and/or Modification of Permits

945. Pinellas argues that many of the existing and proposed provisions contravene Section 373.171, F.S., by purporting to authorize the District to dictate the source of water that a water use permit applicant must utilize. In particular, Pinellas claims that several of the provisions contravene Section 373.171(3), F.S., because they authorize the District to dictate that a water use permit applicant must replace an existing water use with another source, such as reclaimed water, without demonstrating that the use or disposition is detrimental to other users or to the water resources of the state. As discussed in Section VIII A and the Conclusions of Law, Section 373.171(3) only limits modifications during the term of a permit. Contrary to Pinellas' contention, these provisions can properly be applied to renewal applications without contravening Section 373.171(3). See e.g., Section 373.250(4), F.S.

946. Similarly, Pinellas contends that several of the provisions contravene Sections 373.171(2) and 373.239, F.S. As set forth in the Conclusions of Law, Pinellas' interpretation of these statutes is overly restrictive. See also, Sections VII G above and VIII A below.

B. Per Capita Use Restrictions

1. Background

947. A per capita use rate is a calculated value of the amount of water that an individual uses based generally upon the total amount of water that a system or permittee produces divided by the number of people who are served within that system. There are no generally accepted standards or guidelines within the water industry for establishing a particular per capita water use limit in a given region.

948. Pinellas has challenged the per capita use restrictions for public supply utilities in the NTB which are set forth in BOR Section 7.3.1.1. In addition, Pinellas has challenged the proposed per capita use restrictions for the SWUCA which are set forth in a proposed subsection to BOR Section 3.6 (PERMIT QUANTITIES AND COMPLIANCE WITHIN [sic] PER CAPITA DAILY WATER USE WITHIN THE SWUCA, Permitted Quantities Within the SWUCA - Existing Permits) Gross per-capita involves dividing the total quantity of water used by the population served. Adjusted gross per-capita involves the same calculation but, because large and/or speciality users can skew the PCURs, adjustments are allowed for certain uses which are subtracted from the total amount used. The per capita use restrictions ("PCUR") in the SWUCA Rules and in the NTB Rules are based upon "adjusted gross per capita" amounts. The SWUCA Rules and the NTB Rules vary somewhat as to how and what adjustments can be made.

949. Compliance with PCURs is determined based upon the population served by the facility receiving the WUP.

950. Pinellas complains that the District's existing and proposed per capita water use rules apply to both private and public utilities, but do not apply to other categories of users such as agricultural, commercial, or industrial water uses. The evidence established that per capita requirements are not an appropriate way to regulate these other uses. The District seeks to enforce conservation on these other large users through specific permitting measures and methods such as efficiency standards.

951. Pinellas also complains because the per capita use limits for the NTB WUCA are different from those for the SWUCA. Pinellas did not carry its burden of establishing that the difference between the per capita use requirements in NTB and the SWUCA renders either or both standards arbitrary or otherwise invalid. Different hydrogeologic conditions as well as the types and intensity of use in a particular area can necessitate different regulatory measures. Moreover, the amount of information available and the assessment of future needs could also lead to different per capita requirements in different areas.

2. Development and Application of NTB PCURs

952. BOR Section 7.3.1.1 limits public water uses within the NTB WUCA to a per capita water use limit of 150 GPD starting January 1, 1993. This rule also establishes per capita water use "goals" of 140 GPD starting January 1, 1997, and 130 GPD starting January 1, 2001. BOR Section 7.3.1.1, went into effect on or about March 1, 1991,¹²⁴ and modified unexpired public supply WUPs in the WUCA to include a new permit condition requiring the permittee to achieve a per capita rate of 150 GPD per capita by January 1, 1993.

953. The NTB WUCA 150 GPD per capita limit was based on the District's analysis of actual water use data and the amount of reduction the District believed could reasonably be attained. The District's main concern was that the extant per capita usage rates not rise for fear that existing resource problems would be exacerbated.

954. At the time the NTB WUCA 150 GPD per capita limit was selected by the District in 1990, the latest data from 1987 indicated that Pinellas' gross per capita water use was 147 GPD, Pasco's gross per capita water use was 108 GPD, and Hillsborough's gross per capita water use was 148 GPD. Thus, the standard was already being met in all three counties.

955. The NTB WUCA Work Group, comprised of permittees and other interested persons, reached a consensus opinion that a per capita limit of between 110 and 140 GPD was achievable and reasonable. The District's selection of 150 GPD as the initial standard was intended to provide leeway and flexibility for utilities to adjust.

956. In calculating per capita water use, BOR 7.3.1.1 allows a permittee to deduct individual non-residential customers who use more than 25,000 GPD or more than 5 percent of the permittee's annual flow. This allowance provides some protection from having per capita figures skewed by a regional industrial user. Pinellas' contention that this provision is arbitrary because the determination of which users qualify under the 5 percent exemption will vary depending on the size of the utility is rejected.

3. Development and Application of SWUCA PCURS

957. The proposed SWUCA rules would limit public water uses within the SWUCA to a quantity of water calculated by multiplying the "functional population" by the per capita water use limit specified in this proposed rule. The functional population is to be determined pursuant to proposed BOR Section 3.6 (SERVICE AREA POPULATION ESTIMATES AND PROJECTIONS WITHIN THE SWUCA). From the proposed rules' effective date through September 30, 1999, permitted uses would continue to be allowed to use their existing permitted quantity. For the period from October 1, 1999, through September 30, 2004, the specified per capita water use limit would be 130 GPD. Starting October 1, 2004, the specified per capita water use limit would be 110 GPD.

958. The requirements of the proposed SWUCA rule would be implemented by applying permit conditions to all existing and new public supply permits with withdrawal points located in the SWUCA.

959. The SWUCA Rules seek to impose the per capita levels as "requirements" rather than just goals. The PCURs contained in proposed BOR Section 3.6 were developed through a "Focus Group" process and discussions with public supply utility directors. The 130 and 110 per capita figures represent a work group consensus as to what was achievable over time.

960. The District staff believes that ultimately a PCUR of between 80 and 110 GPD is appropriate for the SWUCA area.¹²⁵ The selection of the higher figure as the initial requirement allows time for users to adjust, and the staggered deadlines provide permittees with adequate planning horizons.

961. Like the NTB provision, the SWUCA proposal is based on an adjusted per capita usage rate which would allow utilities to factor out certain enumerated water uses from the per capita calculation (such as water used for environmental mitigation, treatment losses, and large industrial customers). Contrary to Pinellas' claims, the greater weight of the evidence established that these provisions are reasonable.

4. PCURs and Planning

962. In planning for future water needs, a utility normally utilizes historic per capita water use with reliable population projections to derive a projected demand curve. Adjustments are made to the projections for factors that are reasonably expected to increase or decrease historic demands. A safety margin is often built in to minimize the risk of under-predicting future water demands and not having sufficient supplies on hand to meet those demands.

963. The Florida Comprehensive Planning Act, Chapter 163, F.S., requires local governments to establish levels of service for such elements as water, transportation, flood control, sewer, and solid waste disposal based on historic and projected uses . In implementing comprehensive planning, a local government must assess whether sufficient infrastructure is in place and/or available to meet the community's projected growth. The construction of facilities to meet the projected needs can be very involved and expensive.

964. While BOR Section 7.3.1.1 refers to the 140 GPD and 130 GPD per capita use rates as "goals," the District has been urging utilities and local governments to utilize these figures and the SWUCA PCURs for planning purposes, including the development of projected levels of service as part of the comprehensive planning process. In addition, the District has recommended to West Coast that it base its long-term per-capita water demand projections on a figure of 110 GPD.¹²⁶

965. Pinellas contends that the District's per capita rules could require a local government to plan water supplies at a level below the standard level of service adopted as part of an approved comprehensive plan. No persuasive evidence was presented to support this contention. In any event, planning by a local government at a higher level of service does not mean the level of service is a reasonable-beneficial use. Moreover, such planning is irrelevant if adequate resources are not available. This issue highlights the importance of coordinating the planning process with resource availability.¹²⁷ Many of the water problems currently being experienced in this region can be traced to the failure to achieve such coordination. Per capita usage rates can be helpful in assuring the long-term availability of the resource while also facilitating more effective and accurate planning.

5. Differences Among Utilities

966. The amount of water used on a per capita basis varies from utility to utility. Because utilities have different customer and rate bases, as well as different infrastructure and facilities, their respective per capita daily use figures can be substantially different. Factors that influence or affect a utility's per capita water use include the conservation programs in place, the groundwater quality of the shallow aquifer¹²⁸ and the availability of alternate water supplies. Utilities that primarily serve residential customers will generally use water at a different per capita rate than utilities with a large percentage of non-residential customers.

967. Despite these differences, it is not unreasonable for the District to allocate water to public supply based upon a reasonable and appropriate per capita usage rate, especially during times and in areas of limited availability. The more persuasive evidence in this case established that the usage goals by the District for NTB and the SWUCA are reasonable and achievable. While there are differences among utilities in terms of the makeup and types of use, adjusted per capita figures provide a reasonable basis for comparison among utilities. Differences between utilities can be considered in developing a remedial plan.

6. Enforcement

968. When the NTB WUCA Rules were adopted, existing water use permits in the NTB WUCA were modified to incorporate the new requirements. The District proposes to follow a similar approach in the SWUCA. Pinellas objects to the imposition of new conditions on existing WUPs, arguing that the District has already determined that the use of water meets the statutory three prong test. Contrary to Pinellas' suggestion, however, the District is not precluded from taking steps to modify and/or reduce a permit after its issuance. As discussed in Section VIII and the Conclusions of Law below, such modifications and/or reductions can be part of a water use caution area strategy. No persuasive evidence was presented to show that the use of such a strategy for the NTB or the SWUCA was not justified.

969. Pinellas argues that there are practical problems associated with enforcing per capita water use limits. Pinellas objects because permitting based on per capita water use limits could result in a utility having insufficient water to meet its customers' actual demands and complains that the rules do not provide any guidance as to how such a situation would be handled. In this regard, Pinellas notes that water supply utilities are required by DEP to maintain a sufficient amount of pressure in the water transmission lines to avoid contamination and protect the public's health, safety, and welfare. Therefore, if the customers demand more water, the transmission lines' pressure must be maintained, irrespective of the per capita daily water use limitation. There is also no practical mechanical means currently available to determine when an individual user has exceeded his allocation. Private investor-owned water utilities in particular have limited options to ensure that their customers comply with per capita daily water use limitations because they cannot pass ordinances to restrict water use. Even for public suppliers, ordinances or laws can be difficult to enforce. These issues are enforcement considerations that do not provide a basis for invalidating the District's efforts to apply the reasonable-beneficial use test and allocate water based on PCURs. The District has not proposed to simply cutoff the water when per capita limitations are exceeded.

7. Annual Reports

970. The SWUCA Rules include a proposed subsection ("Annual Reports") to be added to BOR Section 3.6 which would require public supply permittees to provide the District an annual water use report composed of 15 different items. Pinellas complains because this rule does not apply to non-public supply permittees and some of the information required duplicates information that must be submitted in other reports which the District already requires. Pinellas has not carried its burden of showing that this requirement is arbitrary or otherwise invalid.

C. Water Conserving Rate Structure

971. As part of the NTB WUCA Rules, the District adopted BOR Section 7.3.1.2, which requires all water supply utilities within the NTB WUCA to adopt a "water conserving rate structure". ¹²⁹ If an existing permittee does not adopt a water conserving rate structure by the applicable deadline, the District considers that permittee to be in violation of the WUP and may bring an enforcement action against the permittee.

972. The SWUCA Rules propose to add a subsection to BOR Section 3.6 (WATER CONSERVING RATE STRUCTURE) which is similar to the water conserving rate structure requirement set forth in NTB WUCA Rule BOR Section 7.3.1.2. The SWUCA provision would require public water supply utilities within the SWUCA to adopt a water conserving rate structure by July 1, 1997. The SWUCA Rules do not include similar permit conditions. They simply mandate that public supply utilities adopt a water conserving rate structure by the specified dates.¹³⁰

973. Pinellas has challenged both the NTB and SWUCA provisions on several grounds. Pinellas has been subject to the NTB requirement since adoption. Pinellas considers its current rate structure to be water conserving. It calculates each customer's average annual use and bills an additional $1.00/1000 gallons when use exceeds the rolling average by more than 20 percent. This rate structure has been in place since 1973-74.

974. The District has expressed concern regarding Pinellas' rate structure because customers with a continuous history of excessive use could continue to use such amounts and because use that was not greater than 20 percent of the rolling average could gradually increase with no increased cost. At the close of the hearing, Pinellas' rate structure had not been accepted by the District, but discussions were continuing.

1. Enforcement and Reporting

975. Neither the NTB nor the SWUCA provisions specify the consequences for failing to adopt a water conserving rate structure that is acceptable to the District, but a permittee that does not adopt such a rate structure apparently faces the prospect of having its permitted use reduced or terminated.

976. Under both the NTB and SWUCA provisions, a utility's rate structure is submitted for approval to the District. The District Governing Board ultimately determines whether the requirement has been satisfied. The District reviews both the rate structure and the rates themselves in order to determine whether the permittee has complied with the requirement.

977. There is no definition of the term "water conserving rate structure" in the District's rules or Basis of Review. While Pinellas has objected to the lack of specificity as to what rate structures will be considered water conserving, the evidence established that the general concepts as to what constitutes a water conserving rate structure are well recognized in the industry. The basic concept of a water conserving rate structure is that the charges for water go up as the customer uses more.

978. The evidence established that there are several different ways in which a water conserving rate structure can be structured. The District has sought to provide public utilities with some flexibility to choose the water conserving rate structure that best suits them.

2. Types of Rate Structures

979. The District has published a December 1, 1991, document entitled, "Interim Minimum Requirements for Water-Conserving Rate Structures," which explains the District's policy for analyzing and accepting proposed water conserving rate structures. This document has been widely distributed to utilities and local officials. It sets forth examples of rate structures that would and would not be considered water conserving. Pinellas has objected because this document is not adopted in the existing rules or Basis of Review, nor is it proposed for adoption in the SWUCA Rules. However, the evidence was not sufficient to establish that this document has been given the force and effect of a rule.

980. A "flat structure" implements a non-quantity based charge where no incremental or marginal price is charged for each additional unit consumed. A flat rate structure is not a water conserving rate structure.

981. With "declining block rate structure," a lower price is charged for each additional unit consumed above a certain threshold. The average cost per unit decreases as more units are purchased, but the total water bill per billing period actually increases with the greater amount of water consumed. Declining block rate structures are non-water conserving.

982. A "uniform rate structure" imposes a constant or uniform per unit charge. As discussed below, in some circumstances, the District will accept a uniform rate structure.

983. An "inclining block rate structure" contemplates a higher price for each additional unit consumed above a certain threshold. The District usually considers an inclining block rate structure to be water conserving. However, an inclining block rate structure can result in inequitable treatment to water customers if it does not take into account the number of persons in a household.

984. The delineation of what will be considered a "water conserving rate structure" and how a utility can comply with the District's rules requiring water conserving rate structures would be useful if included in the rules; however, the failure to do so does not render the rules impermissibly vague.

985. Some evidence was presented that the District considers whether a utility is complying with the District's per capita use requirements when evaluating a proposed water rate structure. If a permittee does not meet the District's per capita requirements, the District apparently takes a more stringent look at the permittee's rate structure. For example, the District may be more lenient with a permittee proposing a uniform rate structure so long as the permittee has met per capita requirements. (The District will reject a flat rate or declining block rate structure even if the per capita requirements are met). The existing and proposed rules do not specifically link water conserving rate structures and per capita use requirements. If such a policy exists, it should arguably be adopted as a rule. However, this issue has not been raised in the context of a challenge under Section 120.535, F.S. and is beyond the scope of this proceeding.

986. Both the current NTB provision and the proposed SWUCA provision concerning water-conserving rate structures requires permittees to submit a report on the effectiveness of the rate structure. It is not clear what is required in this report. Pinellas claims a quantitative determination of the effectiveness of a rate structure's influence on demand is a difficult undertaking because many variables besides price affect water demands. The evidence did not establish that such a quantification is required.

987. The District's consideration of whether a utility has a water conserving rate structure is consistent with its authority to determine whether a proposed water use is reasonable-beneficial and/or within the public interest. In this regard, the District can require an applicant to submit reasonable relevant information. The evidence was insufficient to establish that the challenged provisions are necessarily excessive with respect to the information that must be submitted.

988. Whether or how the water conserving rate structure requirement can be enforced is potentially problematic under the both current and proposed provisions. However, these potential problems do not render the provisions unduly vague or otherwise invalid.

3. Impingement on Public Service Commission and County Commission Rate-Making Authority.

989. On or about September 1, 1994, Mr. Charles Hill, the Director of the Water and Wastewater Division for the Florida Public Service Commission ("PSC") wrote to District Executive Director Pete Hubbell indicating that the PSC Staff thought the District's rules relating to rate structures was "a direct infringement on the [Florida Public Service] Commission's exclusive jurisdiction."

990. In this proceeding, Pinellas raised a similar contention that both the NTB and SWUCA provisions conflict with or contravene the PSC's exclusive jurisdiction over the operation of nongovernmental utilities under Section 367.011(4). One of the original Petitioners in these proceedings, Southern States Utilities ("SSU") also objected to the District's involvement in rate issues.

991. After Phase I of this proceeding, the District and SSU entered into a settlement agreement which was approved by the District's Governing Board in April, 1995. As part of its settlement agreement with SSU, the District clarified that it will defer to the exclusive jurisdiction of the PSC to regulate the service and rates of public water supply utilities. In the settlement agreement, the District agreed to certain examples of water-conserving rate structures which would satisfy the District's rules. Paragraph 2.a of the Settlement Agreement provides:

992. In addition, Paragraph 2.b of the Settlement Agreement provides:

993. Paragraph 3.b of the settlement agreement allows the District and SSU to amend the Settlement Agreement by mutual agreement.

994. The District says its decision to give deference to the rate-making authority simply confirmed that the District's rules should be read in pari materia with the PSC's jurisdiction and that the rules were not intended to usurp the PSC's authority.

995. Pinellas argues that these provisions of the settlement agreement are statements of general applicability which were adopted in circumvention of the rulemaking procedures set forth in Section 120.54. No challenge to the settlement agreement has been raised under Section 120.535, F.S. The interpretations and conclusions in the settlement agreement are not conclusive or binding on any other parties.

996. Water systems owned, operated, managed or controlled by governmental authorities are exempt from regulation by the PSC pursuant to Section 367.022(2), F.S. Pinellas contends that the water conserving rate structure provisions infringe on a governmental authority's autonomy over utility rates, which is allegedly contemplated by Section 153.03(3), F.S. (authorizing counties to fix and collect water rates), and Section 180.13(2), F.S. (authorizing municipal water rates). This issue is addressed in the Conclusions of Law.

D. Proposed BOR Section 3.6 ("CUSTOMER BILLING AND METER READING CRITERIA WITHIN THE SWUCA")

997. Proposed Section 3.6 of the Basis of Review includes a new sub-subsection titled "Customer Billing And Meter Reading Criteria Within The SWUCA". This subsection would require meter reading and billing by public supply utilities at least bimonthly. This proposal also requires billing period water usage information to be provided to customers with their bill. In addition, at least once per calendar year, customers must be provided with historic billing period usage and rate structure information describing applicable fixed and variable charge rates, minimum quantity charges, block size and pricing and seasonal rates. If the billing units are not in gallons, a means to convert the billing units to gallons must be provided. There are no similar requirements in the NTB WUCA Rules.

998. The proposal does not describe how the District would enforce the requirements and/or what penalties would be imposed for failure to comply with them. Pinellas has objected to these requirements, arguing that they unjustifiably impinge upon and/or contravene the authority of counties and municipalities over their water utilities pursuant to Chapters 153 and 180, F.S. This issue is addressed in the Conclusions of Law.

999. Pinellas objects to the requirement that a public supply permittee use gallons as its billing units, or provide a means to convert its billing units to gallons. Pinellas claims that many utilities meter their water by cubic feet since this has been a traditional unit of measure in the industry for many years. Using cubic feet instead of gallons as a billing unit does not affect the accuracy of the metered quantity of water. However, gallons are more readily understood by the general public. The evidence established that providing information regarding the rate structure and requiring billing units to be in gallons or convertible to gallons can further the effectiveness of conservation programs.

1000. Pinellas also contends that the District is arbitrarily requiring a utility to provide its customers with their historic water use information from the prior three years and is arbitrarily requiring a utility to read meters and send out bills at least bi-monthly. Pinellas claims that changing billing formats and increasing the frequency of meter reading is an expensive proposition and many utilities would have difficulty complying with these requirements without increasing their work force and water rates. Pinellas argues that the District has no expertise in utility management or operations, yet the District is attempting to micromanage matters that should be within the utility's exclusive prerogative and control.

1001. The District is seeking to insure that public utilities provide customers with information sufficient to determine whether their household use is excessive in relation to normal use. Billing and meter reading procedures can be an important means of communicating pricing signals built into a rate structure to utility customers, thereby contributing to the overall effectiveness of a water conserving rate structure.

1002. In implementing the reasonable-beneficial use test and determining that water uses are in the public interest, the District can reasonably impose conditions that further conservation without unnecessarily burdening utilities with requirements that do not have any direct correlation to the statutory goals. The proposed provisions in the challenged section have not been shown to be unreasonable or unduly burdensome.

E. Water Audits - BOR Section 7.3.1.3 and proposed BOR Section 3.6 (Conservation Requirements Within the SWUCA-Water Audit)

1003. A water audit is a study performed to determine the level of unaccounted-for-water¹³¹ within a distribution system. It is essentially an accounting procedure that compares the amount of water coming into the system with the amount of water that is being metered through sales to customers and other known uses such as line and hydrant flushing.

1004. All water supply utilities have some percentage of unaccounted-for-water. Unaccounted-for-water may be caused by many factors including, among other things, leakage, faulty metering, theft, careless accounting, and failure to account or estimate un-metered quantities of use within the system. Most of these causes can develop at any time.

1005. The NTB WUCA Rules include BOR Section 7.3.1.3 which requires all water supply utilities within the NTB WUCA to conduct water audits of their systems by January 1, 1993, January 1, 1997, January 1, 2001 and January 1, 2011. Among other things, this rule provides that if a water audit identifies a greater than 12 percent level of "unaccounted-for-water," the permittee shall prepare and implement a schedule for remedial action. This requirement is implemented through a permit condition contained in the rule which is applied to all unexpired public supply WUPs.

1006. The SWUCA Rules include a subsection in proposed BOR Section 3.6 ("CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE SWUCA, Water Audit") which is similar, but not identical to the NTB WUCA provision in BOR Section 7.3.1.3. This proposed subsection would require water supply permittees within the SWUCA to implement a water audit program within two years of permit issuance. It also requires a report with an implementation schedule for remedial action if unaccounted for water exceeds 12 percent of total distribution quantities.

1007. Under the proposed SWUCA provision, water audits would be required every year, whereas the NTB WUCA requirement in BOR Section 7.3.1.3 contemplates reporting periods every four years. In addition, the proposed SWUCA provision states that permittees whose permitted annual average quantity is less than 100,000 GPD are not required to provide water audits. The NTB WUCA provision does not include this exemption. Pinellas claims that there is no justification for these differences. However, Pinellas has not carried its burden of demonstrating that the District's decisions in this regard are arbitrary, capricious or otherwise invalid. Neither Chapter 373 nor Chapter 120 require all areas of the District to be regulated alike.

1008. Although the rules do not specify the consequences of failing to comply with this water audit provision, it appears that the application of the water audit requirement could result in the reduction of a permittee's allocation of permitted water.

1009. The American Water Works Association (AWWA), a nationwide association of professionals in the water industry, is a highly regarded authority on water supply operations involving public supply distribution. The District's 12-percent standard for unaccounted-for-water is derived from a 1957 AWWA report, Number 4450D, in which a range of from 10 to 15 percent was considered reasonable. The District selected the mid-point of this range and rounded down to 12 percent. Before choosing 12-percent, the District also considered data from across the District as to the typical amount of unaccounted for water for different utilities. The District has assisted public utilities with the performance of water audits and has never experienced a situation where it was impossible for a utility to bring its unaccounted for water to below 12-percent.

1010. Pinellas' contention that the District's water audit provisions do not provide enough flexibility to address the unique circumstances of each utility is rejected. The evidence established that 12-percent is a reasonable standard for most utilities. Any special circumstances can be addressed in determining appropriate remedial measures.

1011. The District rules do not define a specific procedure for calculating the percentage of unaccounted-for-water. In response to several utilities' inquiries concerning how to perform a water audit, the District prepared a pamphlet titled, "Water Audit Guidelines," which discusses how to record the results of water audits. This pamphlet has not been adopted as a rule.

1012. AWWA Manual 36, titled "Water Audits and Leak Detection," provides work sheets that can be used in performing a water audit. The evidence indicated that work sheets from the District's pamphlet, from the AWWA Manual or any similar form may be used to comply with the District's water audit requirements.

1013. Pinellas complains because the District's water audit work sheet indicates a permittee should determine the level of accuracy of its customer's meters by taking a sample of between 1 percent to 5 percent of these meters. After performing a random test on 1 percent to 5 percent of its customer meters, the work sheet indicates a utility can take the average percentage of inaccuracy from that sampling and extrapolate over its entire spectrum of sales meters. Pinellas points out that this sampling method would require Pinellas to check between 1,000 to 5,000 meters per water audit. Pinellas' complaints are not ripe for resolution in this proceeding since the District has not specifically mandated such sampling.

F. Proposed BOR Section 3.6 ("WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS WITHIN THE SWUCA")

1014. The SWUCA Rules include a subsection in proposed BOR Section 3.6 ("WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS WITHIN THE SWUCA") which provides that "A wholesale customer within the SWUCA shall be required to obtain a separate permit to effect the conservation requirements set forth in this section, unless the quantity obtained by the wholesale customer is less than 100,000 gallons per day on an annual average basis and per capita daily water use requirement of the wholesale customer is less than the applicable per capita daily water use requirement outlined in BOR 3.6 in the subsection titled 'PERMIT QUANTITIES AND COMPLIANCE-PER CAPITA WATER USE WITHIN THE SWUCA.'"

1015. This proposal would require certain wholesale public supply customers (i.e., those that purchase water from permittees and use more than 100,000 gallons a day on an annual average basis) to obtain their own water use permit from the District even though they are not withdrawing water from an aquifer or from surface water. This wholesale customer provision was included in the SWUCA Rules at the urging of a number of public utility directors who produced water for resale to smaller utilities. They were concerned that they did not have a mechanism for requiring their customers to meet the conservation requirements of the SWUCA Rules.

1016. The District contends that, unless wholesale customers are also required to obtain a permit, many large users would be beyond the reach of the rules and, consequently, would not have to comply with the water conservation requirements of the SWUCA Rules including the per capita use requirements, the conservation rate requirement, and the like. If the wholesale customers are not required to comply, the ability of a supplier/permittee to meet the requirements could be impaired. The District claims that prior efforts to require wholesale suppliers to obtain a commitment from wholesale customers that the customers would comply with the conditions of the suppliers' permit proved to be untenable.

1017. If this proposal is adopted, and wholesale customers are required to obtain a WUP, it is not clear what enforcement steps could be taken by the District against a customer who did not comply with the conservation provisions of the SWUCA Rules.

1018. The District believes that its authority to regulate the consumptive use of water encompasses the point of use as well as the point of withdrawal. However, Section 373.219(1), F.S., only authorizes the District to require water use permits for the "consumptive use of water." This authority does not extend to a purchaser receiving water from a permittee.¹³² While its intentions may be laudatory, the District currently has no statutory authority to require wholesale customers to obtain water use permits.

1019. The testimony at the hearing indicated some confusion or uncertainty as to whether a wholesale customer of a utility located in the SWUCA would be required to obtain a separate WUP if that customer is located outside the SWUCA. In view of the conclusions reached herein, this issue is moot. It is noted, however, that proposed SWUCA Rule 40D-2.801(3)(b)(3) states, "Any permit with a withdrawal point within the boundaries of the SWUCA is deemed to be within the SWUCA." In allocating quantities to public suppliers withdrawing water in the SWUCA, the District would consider the entire demand area and allocate a quantity based upon the applicable SWUCA per-capita rate. In other words, a supplier withdrawing water from a point within the SWUCA would receive an allocation for wholesale customers outside the SWUCA based upon the SWUCA per-capita rate even.

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