Amid the worst drought in nearly 15 years, local water officials approved stronger restrictions set to begin in early April.
Long-term weather predictions show drought conditions could improve over the next several months, but officials couldn’t rule out further restrictions should they worsen.
Starting April 3, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will go into a Modified Phase 3 “Extreme” Water Shortage, up from a modified Phase 2. The water district’s boardapproved the restrictions Tuesday. The restrictions are set to run until July 1.
Here are five things to know about the newest restrictions.
Watering lawns and landscapes will remain allowed on a once-per-week basis under the new guidelines.
However, allowable watering hours will shrink to 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. If a property is less than 1 acre, a resident can water during just one of the four-hour periods.
The water shortage is in effect for Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Polk and Manatee counties, among other district counties and cities.
The district warned that city or county rules could be more restrictive. In that case, residents would have tofollow the more intensive municipal rules.
Users of reclaimed water are not affected by the order unless their city or county has more restrictive policies.
In Pinellas, the county’s water use restrictions apply to all customers, including those using reclaimed water, according to the county’s website.
In Tampa, however, the city said reclaimed water used for irrigation is “generally not subject” to water use rules, but warned that residents should not be wasteful.
According to Hillsborough County’s website, reclaimed water is exempt from the water shortage order. The county said reclaimed water for irrigation is allowed any day of the week but is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
To find a full list of city and county restrictions, click here.
Hand-watering for shrubs, plants and other greenery that is not a lawn is still allowed any day, but it’slimited to the hours before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., the district said.
For those with new lawns and plants, the vegetation can be watered any day of the week for the first 30 days. During the following 30 days, residents can water three days a week, with the days corresponding to their addresses: even-numbered addresses on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and odd-numbered addresses on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Among other restrictions: Car washing is limited at home to only on watering days; aesthetic fountains and other water features can run only fours a day; and homeowners associations or other entities are not allowed to enforce community standards that increase water use.
Fairways and driving ranges can be watered once per week. Tees, golf course greens and practice greens can be watered up to three times a week.
Despite some beneficial rain in March, all of Florida remains under a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The district is running at anearly 14-inch regional rainfall deficit compared to last year. Water levels in aquifers, rivers and lakes are declining, and some are “severely abnormal,” the district said this week.
Public water supplies are also “extremely low.”
On March 1, Tampa Bay Water triggered a Stage 3 Extreme Regional Supply Shortage. In a news release, the water supplier called it “one of the most severe regional water supply shortages in the last 50 years.”
An extreme shortage is triggered when Tampa Bay Water’s regional reservoir is at risk of falling below 3 billion gallons within three months.
Local utilities are responsible for enforcing the rules, which allow them to issue citations without warnings after two weeks.
Pinellas County, for example, said Wednesday that it is authorized to fine violators $193.
Across the district, utilities gave out 374 citations and 2,373 warnings during January and February.
Pinellas reported none in January, and 111 warnings in February, but no citations. Hillsborough delivered 804 warnings and 149 citations, and Pasco had 902 warnings but no citations across the two months.
While the population within the region has grown by 146% from 1982 to 2024, total water use has fallen by 22.5% due to conservation efforts, according to the distrct.
On the household level, outdoor water use accounts for about 50% of water consumed, the district said.
Outside of following the newest watering schedules, the district has a few other tips for conserving water.
They include seeking out indoor and outdoor leaks, installing low-flow fixtures inside a home and using a shutoff nozzle on a hose to adjust the water spray.
The district has plenty more tips for conservation that can be found here.
For more information on the district’s newest water shortage order, click here.
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