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SWFWMD Tightens Watering Restrictions

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: November 14, 2008

Updated:

PALM HARBOR - The governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District recently asked local officials to tighten watering restrictions and strictly enforce new rules in the wake of drought conditions.

The board issued a modified second phase severe water shortage alert.

Patricia Freed, SWFWMD spokeswoman, said the continued rainfall deficit in the region called for the tougher restrictions. The Brooksville-based regulatory agency asked for citations to be issued to violators.

The SWFWMD governing board enacted the additional measures at the request of Tampa Bay Water. The Clearwater-based regional wholesaler supplies drinking water to its members, Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Tampa Bay Water asked for assistance with enforcing watering restrictions citing the cumulative 16-inch rainfall deficit in the three-county area over the 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, according to SWFWMD.

Moreover, forecasts are calling for drier than normal conditions through next spring, SWFWMD officials report.

To make matters worse, Tampa Bay Water at present can only store six billion gallons of water in its C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. The 15-billion-gallon reservoir in southern Hillsborough County is being kept roughly 40 percent full until the cracks in the soil-cement layer of its confining embankments are repaired.

The Tampa Bay Water board voted last month to take legal action against the three firms that designed or built the 3-year-old $146 million reservoir.

Clearwater-based Tampa Bay Water estimates that if the region does not receive above average rainfall January through March, the reservoir, which stores excess water from the Hillsborough and Alafia rivers and the Tampa Bypass Canal, will be depleted by early May 2009.

The current lawn watering restrictions will remain in place. Under the regulations watering is only allowed one day a week and not allowed during daytime, from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Residents, however, are being asked to postpone lawn replacement or turfgrass renovation so as not to increase landscape-related consumption.

Hand watering of landscaping other than grass is only permitted before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Decorative fountains and waterfalls can only be operated four hours a day.

More information about watering restrictions and conservation methods can be found at www.pinellascounty.org/utilities or by calling 727-464-4000.

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