County Declares April Water Conservation Month

Hillsborough County Commissioners declared April as Water Conservation Month in Hillsborough County during their regular board meeting on April 17.

April is designated as Water Conservation Month as it’s typically the driest month of the year in Florida. With the start of the rainy season still two months away, water demand is often at its highest this time of year as residents put in new plantings for spring and water their lawns to make the grass green.

Hillsborough County promotes smart water use through a wide variety of initiatives. These include educational efforts, community outreach, year-round water restrictions, partnerships with other agencies, and rebate programs. For example, since its inception in 1994, the county’s toilet rebate program has seen 82,000 toilets replaced with more water-efficient models, saving an estimated 445 million gallons of water a year. And, the county’s residential reclaimed water system is among the largest in the United States.

Hillsborough County water customers have done their part, too. In 1989, when the county began a formal water conservation program, the average water use per person was 146 gallons a day. Today, that number stands at 95 gallons per person, per day. Totaled up, the savings add up to 26 million gallons of water a day, or approximately 10 billion gallons a year.

Making wise use of water is easy and can be done at little or no cost:

• Fix leaks. A dripping faucet can waste anywhere from several gallons a day, to several hundred.
• Replace worn or poorly fitting toilet flappers. A bad toilet flapper can waste up to 200 gallons a day.
• Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. Keep showers under five minutes.
• Replace older toilets with low-flow models.
• Learn to read a water meter. If the numbers are different after a period of time when no water has been used, there may be a leak.
• Practice Florida-friendly landscaping principles.
• Properly maintain irrigation systems. Regularly check and adjust, repair or replace sprinkler heads. Install a rain sensor that overrides the system and turns it off during a rainstorm. Know how much water the system puts down so that you’re not overwatering.
• Monitor rainfall and water the lawn only when it needs it, and only as much as it needs - not just because the calendar says it’s your watering day.

For more ideas, as well as complete information on current water restrictions, go to www.hillsboroughcounty.org/water.