Water district lifts one-day-per-week water Citrus County

Water district lifts one-day-per-week water restrictions

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to let the modified Phase II water shortage restrictions expire on Wednesday.

Local governments will have the option of returning to the District’s twice-per-week, year-round water conservation measures starting July 1.

Click on the link at the end of this article to see the attached fact sheet for a summary of the new restrictions. However, some local governments may impose different schedules or retain stricter measures. Residents should check their local restrictions before changing their irrigation schedule.

The Governing Board voted to lift the restrictions in response to significant improvements in aquifer and river levels as a result of this winter’s above-average rainfall. Moreover, the region’s major public water suppliers have been able to capture and store large supplies of water to meet the needs of residents. However, the Board urged residents to continue the water conservation practices they’ve learned over the past three years.

“I want to commend the residents of the region for really stepping up to the plate to conserve water over the past three years,” said Ronald E. Oakley, Governing Board chair. “But we want to remind them that just because they may be able to water two days per week, doesn’t mean they need to. We can’t afford to be wasteful.”

Twice-per-week watering allows residents additional flexibility for determining when to water. Residents are encouraged to water only if their lawn and landscape needs it and turn off their irrigation system if it has rained or rain is predicted in the next 24 hours. Some of the signs that a lawn needs water include a blue-gray appearance, blades folded in half lengthwise and footprints remaining on the lawn for several minutes after walking on it.

The District declared a water shortage in January 2007. Seven counties were subject to additional Phase III restrictions in 2008 and 2009. Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties were briefly subject to the most aggressive Phase IV restrictions when public water supplies were critically low last spring.

• Water conservation fact sheet (PDF download)