Tampa Bay Water says rainfall deficit causing water shortage

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay Water announced a Stage 1 water shortage Monday, after a continuously dry season.

The supplier said this is in an effort to encourage water conservation and proactively mitigate potential water supply shortages.

Tampa Bay Water officials said water usage was up from August to September, mostly due to outdoor watering.

"We're currently seeing a 12-month average rainfall deficit of over eight inches," Warren Hogg, Tampa Bay Water’s Chief Science Officer said. "That's like a whole month of summer rainfall didn't happen this year and that's significant."

FOX 13’s Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto said the dry weather and drought conditions have been unusually severe and rare.

"We usually get pretty regular rains, and we had many spots that would go ten, 14 days in a row with no rain at all," Dellegatto said. "So this is pretty unusual for us."

He explained that a large portion of the Tampa Bay area is under extreme drought conditions right now. Tampa Bay Water serves 2.5 million people throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

"So this is your drinking water," Hogg said. "A lot of people use this water to irrigate their landscape. It goes to hospitals and businesses."

READ: Here’s why Tampa residents may notice an extra charge on their water bill

Dellegatto said El Nino likely played a part in the dry summer.

"But also, it will play a role, we think, what should be a wet winter," Dellegatto said. "Back in 1997, we had 18 inches of rain in December. So if that kind of plays out again, we'd be okay."

Dellegatto said some relief could be on the horizon, as we head into the dry season, but it’s not clear yet.

"In most spots along the immediate West Coast, we're running 15 to 20 inches below average," Dellegatto said. "I mean, that's a huge deal. The problem is now that we're getting into the dry season, you know, will the dry season be dry? And if that happens, we've got big problems going forward."

If the lack of rainfall continues, he said it could pose problems with wildfires and water rationing.

Tampa Bay Water officials said the region’s water savings account is almost full, so the Stage 1 shortage is an effort to maintain that.

"We take water from the ground, from the rivers and our desalination plant on Tampa Bay," Hogg said. "We also store water in our reservoir off the rivers so that we can then use that during drier times to make sure our surface water plant continues to fully operate. So we've got plenty of water."

READ: City of Tampa urging residents to conserve water after buying water twice this year

Hogg encourages people to make sure their sprinklers, faucets, toilets and other appliances are running properly. He said this will conserve water and save you money.

He said people should also only water their lawns on the days they are assigned by the city or county.

If the drought conditions worsen, Hogg said there are more steps they can take to conserve water.

"We can go to the water management district and request some water restrictions if it gets really bad," Hogg said. "We have some supply things that we can work on with our members and with the state to make some additional supplies available."

Tampa Bay Water said residents can save water by:

• Know your watering days. Find your local utility’s watering restrictions by entering your zip code, click here.
• When it’s raining or rain is in the forecast, skip a week of watering and let Mother Nature water your lawn for free.
• Inspect your irrigation system regularly for broken and blocked sprinkler heads and to make sure you’re not watering the sidewalk.
• Wait to re-sod or put in new plants until the summer rainy season returns. Better yet, install a Florida-friendly landscape instead.
• Install smart irrigation controllers to monitor soil or weather conditions so you water only when you need to. Residents may qualify for a free device and installation or up to a $250 rebate from Tampa Bay Water Wise.
• Install a shallow well for irrigation. This takes you off your local utility system completely for watering your landscape. Residents may qualify for a $1,000 rebate through the Tampa Bay Water Wise program.
• Check for household leaks, such as a leaky toilet flapper and save up to 200 gallons per day depending on the extent of the leak. For more information on replacing a toilet flapper, click here.
• To find more water saving tips click, here.