Columbia County, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Sec. 118-382 of the Columbia County Code requires that no subdivision of real property or act of development within the unincorporated area may proceed without the applicant first requesting utility service, including reclaimed water, from the county; the county then determines which utility provider will serve that area. Sec. 118-488 defines the terms that govern that requirement: reclaimed water is domestic wastewater that has received at least the treatment levels FDEP requires and is then stored, pumped, and distributed to customers as an alternative to potable water; reclaimed water facilities are the storage, transmission, and distribution infrastructure that carries it; and reuse is the deliberate application of reclaimed water for a beneficial purpose that reduces demand for higher-quality water.

The connections ordinance, adopted as Ordinance No. 2010-2, also favors reclaimed water reuse as the preferred method of effluent disposal for transitional wastewater treatment plants serving new developments, ahead of other disposal methods, unless the county manager determines reuse is not feasible for the site. Developers who connect must pay the capacity fees, accrued guaranteed revenue fees, and rates set in the county's utility rate resolution, and once connected the county becomes the exclusive provider of potable water, wastewater, and reclaimed water service to that property and its successors.