Here’s when Bay Area residents can water their lawns under new restrictions

Water restrictions going into effect

Aaron Mesmer reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Residents of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties can only water their lawns once a week beginning December 1 after the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board declared a modified phase one water shortage on Tuesday.

The agency says it made the declaration due to ongoing dry conditions throughout the region and increasing water supply concerns.

According to SWFWMD, the area received lower than normal rainfall during its summer rainy season and currently has a 9.2-inch district-wide rainfall deficit compared to the average 12-month total. In addition, water levels in the district’s water resources, such as aquifers, rivers and lakes, are beginning to decline.

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The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter Counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake Counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County from Nov. 21, 2023, through July 1, 2024.

File: Sprinkler

According to SWFWMD, the modified phase I water shortage order does not change allowable watering schedules for most counties. However, it does prohibit "wasteful and unnecessary" water use and twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments.

Under the order, residents in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties will be limited to once-per-week lawn watering beginning Dec. 1.

SWFWMD says the additional restrictions are needed because Tampa Bay Water, which supplies water to most of the three-county area, was unable to completely refill the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir this summer due to the lower-than-normal rainfall.

File: Sprinkler

Once-per-week lawn watering days and times are as follows unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect (Citrus, Hernando and Sarasota Counties, and the cities of Dunedin and Venice, have local ordinances that remain on one-day-per-week schedules):

If your address (house number) ends in 0 or 1, water only on Monday
If your address (house number) ends in 2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
If your address (house number) ends in 4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
If your address (house number) ends in 6 or 7, water only on Thursday
If your address (house number) ends in 8 or 9 (and locations without a discernible address) water only on Friday

Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties under two acres in size may only water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties two acres or larger may only water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

File: Sprinkler

Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) is allowed any day and any time. Residents are asked to check their irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly. This means testing and repairing broken pipes and leaks and fixing damaged or tilted sprinkler heads.

Residents should also check their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct and the rain sensor is working properly.

The order also requires local utilities to review and implement procedures for enforcing year-round water conservation measures and water shortage restrictions, including reporting enforcement activity to the district. SWFWMD says the district also continues to work closely with Tampa Bay Water to ensure a sustainable water supply for the Bay Area.

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