SWFMD extends water restrictions with depleted reservoir supply

TAMPA - Tampa Bay water authorities are extending a once-per-week lawn watering restriction until September 1.

Water levels at the CW Bill Young Reservoir in Lithia are at just 20 percent. The reservoir supplies water to Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

Right now, the water is under 110 feet above sea level, a far cry from the 136.5 feet it was at two years ago.

There are 3 billion gallons of supply in it, far short of the maximum capacity: 15.5 billion.

"We need to refill it with river water," said Warren Hogg of Tampa Bay Water. "The more that citizens can conserve, the faster we can fill the reservoir."

SWFMD ordered residents to only water their lawns once a week, extending a restriction that was to expire July 1.

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Over the last year, the area is at a 7-and-a-half-inch rain deficit. Because one lawn watering can use more than 5,000 gallons, it's considered low-hanging fruit.

"We didn't have as much rain as we typically do last summer," said Tamera McBride of SWFMD. "We went into the dry season with not a lot of water in storage."

Rain has come on strong this June, but the reservoir is considered a backup for when rivers like the Hillsborough and Alafia run dry.

"In the summer when it's raining, you don't need to water your yard at all," said Hogg. "Mother Nature can do it and you save water and you save money. The faster we can fill, our reservoir will be in better shape to meet the needs next spring."

The restrictions will go until Sept. 1 and also ban any wasteful and unnecessary use.

Residents are also asked to fix any broken irrigation systems as those can also waste lots of water and lots of money.

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From SWFMD:

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...

o ...0 or 1, water only on Monday

o ...2 or 3, water only on Tuesday

o ...4 or 5, water only on Wednesday

o ...6 or 7, water only on Thursday

o ...8 or 9*, water only on Friday

* and locations without a discernible address

• 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.

• Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) is allowed any day and any time.

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