In this episode, Ryan and Brett discuss some of the past, present, and future of water conservation in Florida and how the state has stepped up in the last two decades to enlarge the “water pie”. Their conversation partners are Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of Greyter Water Systems, John Bell, and renowned water law expert, James Eklund of the Sherman and Howard Law Firm.
John and James talk about how residential reuse of gray water can benefit utilities struggling with treatment costs and capacity issues; the difficulty of getting new technology to market; and how Florida has turned out to be a bright spot as it relates to encouraging new conservation tools.
To visit the website of John’s company, Greyter Water Systems, head here:
John was the host of World’s Greenest Homes on HGTV. To see how he greened his own home, go here:
https://becgreen.ca/john-bells-green-home-host-of-worlds-greenest-homes-greens-his-own-home/
To learn more about the landmark legislation from 2023, HB 1379, go here:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=78210
Ryan and Brett talk about SB 444 from 2005 and how it set the new benchmark for the promotion of alternative water supplies. To learn more about that legislation and the Water Protection and Sustainability Program, go here:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=15502
There’s also SB 358 from the most recent legislative session (2023) that provided tax incentives for the implementation of graywater systems. To review that, see here:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=77142
If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the Florida Specifier at:
https://floridaspecifier.com/subscriber/
Thanks for your support.
A huge thank you goes out to Bagels and Biscuits for giving permission to use their music for the podcast.
This episode is a production of The Florida Specifier. Audio production and editing is by Karl Sorne and Dave Barfield at Lonely Fox Studios.
A special shout out goes to our very own Jamie Sheehan and Tracy Kistler for keeping us organized and moving forward.
