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Water Restrictions as of January 15,
2008
Highlights of the Modified Phase III water
shortage order, which will be enforced beginning January 15,
2008, include:
* Residents and businesses of
Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade,
Monroe, Hendry and Glades counties are
limited to a
one-day-per-week landscape irrigation schedule with two watering
windows.
* Odd street addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes on
Mondays between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. and 8:00
p.m.
* Even
street addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes on Thursdays
between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
* Residents and businesses with more than five acres have
expanded irrigation hours, between 12:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. or
4:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. on their designated irrigation day.
* Residents and businesses in Lee and Collier counties are
limited to one-day-a-week watering during specific four-hour
watering
windows directly associated with their unique street
addresses.
* Hand-watering with one hose fitted with an automatic shut-off
nozzle is allowed for 10 minutes per day for landscape stress
relief and to prevent plant die-off.
* Low-volume irrigation, including the use of drip and microjet
systems that apply water directly to plant root zones,
is not
restricted but should be voluntarily reduced.
* Additional watering days and times will be allocated for the
establishment of new lawns and landscapes.
* No restrictions apply to other outside water uses, such as for
car and boat washing, pressure cleaning of paved surfaces,
decorative fountains and water-based recreation (e.g. swimming
pools, water slides).
* Golf courses must reduce their allocated water use by 45
percent.
"Our lawns do not need to be watered more than
once a week during the dry season, and with seasonal rainfall to
help, it should be more than enough to maintain a healthy lawn",
added Buermann.
The new, mandatory restrictions apply to all water from
traditional sources, including water from public utilities,
private wells, canals, ponds and lakes. Users of 100-percent
reclaimed water are exempt from the restrictions but are
encouraged to conserve water voluntarily.
Because jurisdiction in certain counties is shared with other
water management districts, the SFWMD has coordinated with these
agencies to simplify implementation and enforcement. Residents
of Orange and Osceola counties should adhere to any water
restrictions set by the St. Johns River Water Management
District. Residents of Polk, Highlands, and Charlotte Counties
should adhere to the water restrictions set by the Southwest
Florida Water Management District. However, golf courses,
nurseries, and agricultural users District-wide should follow
SFWMD water use restrictions.
Restrictions Make a Difference
Implementing water use restrictions has already proved effective
during the continued regional water shortage. Based on data
reported by 46 public water utilities in Broward, Palm Beach,
Martin, St. Lucie, Collier, Lee and Miami-Dade counties, an
estimated 11.7 billion gallons of potable water was saved since
March 22, when restrictions first went into effect, through June
30. Savings were most pronounced on non-watering days. For
example, one day per week landscape irrigation restrictions
instituted in Broward and Palm Beach counties saved an estimated
130 million gallons a day of potable water.
Current Conditions
Surface water and groundwater levels across much of the District
remain unseasonably low and already are showing signs of decline
with the start of the dry season in November. The water level in
Lake Okeechobee, the source of water for the Florida Everglades
and the primary back-up water supply for five million South
Floridians, is at its lowest elevation ever recorded for the
month of December. At 10.16 feet above sea level this morning,
the lake level already is so low that water from the lake cannot
be used to replenish the regional supply. Even with average dry
season rainfall, water managers expect the lake level to drop
over the coming months below its all-time low of 8.82 feet above
sea level, recorded on July 2, 2007. ( Click here to view chart
of Lake O low levels and Hydro Graph of Lake O )
Our water resources are all interconnected and our goal is to
ensure we have sufficient water to meet regional demands during
the dry season, said Carol Ann Wehle, executive director of the
SFWMD. With a full six months of dry season weather ahead of us
and the subsequent water level declines that are typical of
South Florida s winter and spring, we are heading into uncharted
territory.
For additional information on the water shortage, irrigation
restrictions or water conservation, call the SFWMD s toll-free
Water Conservation Hotline at 1-800-662-8876, visit
www.sfwmd.gov or contact a
regional SFWMD service center. Helpful water conservation tips
also are available at
www.savewaterfl.com .
(Click here for Q & A)
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