Water Restrictions Extended In Parts Of Tampa Bay Area: SFWMD

FLORIDA — Water restrictions have been extended in some counties and cities along Florida’s west coast, according to a Southwest Florida Water Management District news release.

The agency’s governing board voted Tuesday to extend the one-day-per-week watering restrictions until Sept. 1.

The restrictions affect Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, SFWMD said.

It also includes the existing water shortage order currently in effect for Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the cities of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County.

The water shortage order was put in place in November. The board voted to extend it in February.

Despite a districtwide above-average rainfall during the winter months, from November through January, there was still a 12-month rainfall deficit of about 7.4 inches, based on data through May, the agency said.

The 12-month rainfall total through May in the northern region of the district matches the historical average, while it is below average in the southern and the central regions, which includes the Tampa Bay area.

June rainfall through June 19 is near the historical average in the southern region of the district, while it is below average in the northern and central regions.

Tampa Bay Water’s 15.5-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is still approximately 12.5 billion gallons below its capacity, according to SFWMD.

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.

• 0 or 1, water only on Monday
• 2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
• 4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
• 6 or 7, water only on Thursday
• 8 or 9, water only on Friday

• Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties under 2 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 2 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.

Residents are also 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.