Water Restrictions Tightened in Hillsborough, Pasco And Pinellas

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently tightened water restrictions for all of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

According to a SWFWMD press release, the board has enacted additional measures at the request of Tampa Bay Water, the region’s wholesale water supplier. Tampa Bay Water requested the district’s assistance because its water supplies have not returned to pre-drought conditions.

In addition to continuing to restrict lawn watering to one day a week, the new water shortage order calls for local governments to strictly enforce the rules. Additional restrictions include:

• Restricting the time for hand-watering or micro-irrigation for non-lawn landscaping to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Postponing turfgrass renovation, such as replacing lawns, and taking other appropriate steps to avoid an increase in lawn or landscape water use.
• Reducing the 60-day allowance for new plant establishment. During days 31-60, only every-other-day watering is allowed. Some cities or counties continue to have stricter allowances for new plant material.
• Reducing the time aesthetic fountains and waterfalls may operate from eight hours to four hours per day.
• Limiting the use of unattended line flushing by water utilities.
• Requiring water utilities and other local enforcement officials to increase their enforcement efforts, including requirements to respond to citizen complaints and issue citations without having first issued a warning.

According to SWFWMD, the district is still impacted from two years of drought and the region still has a 16-inch rainfall deficit for the past 24 months. All of the water resources have declined rapidly during the first month of the dry season and the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the region in abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions. While groundwater levels are at the bottom of normal ranges, all major rivers in the district are below normal and lakes continue to be one to four feet below normal. Moreover, forecasts are calling for drier than normal conditions through next spring.

Tampa Bay Water estimates that if the region does not receive above average rainfall January through March, the reservoir will be depleted by early May 2009. Tampa Bay Water’s service area includes Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, as well as the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

For more information about water restrictions, visit SWFWMD or call 1-800-423-1476, extension 4498, during normal business hours. SWFWMD also offers tips on what you can do to conserve water.