On Nov. 14, a water shortage was declared in multiple Tampa Bay counties, causing certain restrictions to go into place for residents.
Starting Dec. 1, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties will go down to a once-per-week lawn watering limit. This is due to Tampa Bay Water being unable to fully refill the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir in the summer due to the low rainfall.
According to the board, rainfall during the summer rainy season was lower than average, and water levels in the district's resources, "like aquifers, rivers and lakes," are starting to decline. The shortage order prohibits "wasteful and unnecessary" water use.
Tampa Bay Water said the region was entering a Stage 1 water shortage back in October after rainfall totals averaged 8.3 inches below average.
Throughout the year, officials said drought conditions have gotten worse.
“For the last 12 months, we’re a little over nine inches below normal rainfall. Which is unusual, so we’re trying to get the message out to everybody to conserve water, not waste any water," said David Glicksberg, Manager of Sustainable Water Resources in Hillsborough County.
He's hopeful the restrictions that start today will help manage drought conditions.
- Addresses ending in a 0 or 1 can only water Monday
- Addresses ending in a 2 or 3 can only water on Tuesday
- Addresses ending in a 4 or 5 can only water on Wednesday
- Addresses ending in a 6 or a 7 can only water on Thursday
- Addresses ending in an 8 or a 9 can only water on Friday (including common areas with or without street addresses, locations with no addresses, and locations with mixed addresses like office complexes and shopping centers)
You wouldn't think an area surrounded by water would experience a drought.
But for the Tampa Bay area, that's the reality.
"It's caused a point where we are over-drafting our wells and our water supply systems, so we really need to conserve water," said Jeremy Waugh, Pinellas County Director of Utilities.
Waugh said it's because of a lack of rainfall over the Summer and a high demand for residential water usage.
"We have to be mindful of not only our human needs but we also have an ecosystem that we have to protect," said Waugh.
The county is asking residents to take accountability.
"Being mindful of how long our showers take, and how long we run our water when we are brushing our teeth, or washing our dishes in the sink," said Waugh.
All watering must be done either before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on the designated day.
Officials believe this move will be crucial to conserving the water supply.
“Water is a finite resource. So we have to use it wisely," said Glicksberg. “Conserving water is all about being mindful of the water you use and not wasting any water."
In the meantime, experts have tips to help people manage their yards while conserving water.
“We’re going into the cooler time of the year, and the lawn is going towards dormancy, so it really needs less water this time of year anyway," said Tia Silvasy, Residential Horticulture Agent with the Hillsborough County Extension Service.
“People can replace their sprinkler heads. Traditional sprinkler heads, they use more water. We’re recommending people to replace them with rotor sprinkler heads which are more efficient and deliver water slower, so it has more time to seep in," she added.
Silvasy also recommends people reduce the amount of turf grass in their yard to save water and also maintain their lawns during the water restriction.
"Turf grass is a little bit higher demanding of water than other things such as ground covers or shrubs or trees, so a lot of people are reducing their turf grass and choosing some alternative ground covers to replace some of that lawn area," said Silvasy.
Overall, experts believe the restrictions won't have a negative impact on lawns this time of year.
“Just general lawn care right now is just kind of leave it be. You don’t need to mow a lot. Fertilizer isn’t good this time of year either," said Silvasy.
But water and lawn care aren't the only focus during the drought.
"The grasses, the twigs, the leaves... those dry out really quick, and so if there is a spark, or an ember, or somebody is burning, that tends to burn quicker," said Todd Chlanda, wildlife mitigation specialist.
Chlanda said wildfires are also a concern.
"If it's a windy day, that's not a good day to go out and burn, especially if we haven't had any precipitation in a while," said Chlanda.
He said if residents do end up burning outside, there are some rules to follow.
"Always have a water source handy, just in case anything happens, you can put the fire out immediately. Have a cell phone handy so if it does get out of control you can call 911," said Chlanda.
Officials stress these new rules are temporary.
“They’ll get lifted once we get back to normal rainfall conditions," said Glicksberg.
For more information on the shortage, including a full schedule of lawn watering days and times, click here.
