Starting Dec. 1, residents in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties will only be able to water their lawns once a week.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District announced the restrictions in a news release Tuesday. It declared a “Modified Phase I Water Shortage” due to dry conditions in the region and water supply concerns.
The release said Tampa Bay Water couldn’t refill C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir — which holds 15 billion gallons of water — this summer due to lower-than-normal rainfall, leading to extra restrictions in the area.
Here are the days and times to water your lawns across Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties. These times may vary if your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect:
- If your address (house number) ends in:
- 0 or 1, water only on Monday
- 2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
- 4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
- 6 or 7, water only on Thursday
- 8 or 9, and locations without a discernible address, water only on Friday
- Properties under two acres may only water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
- Properties two acres or larger may only water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
- Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) is allowed at any day and any time
Dunedin will continue its one-day-per-week watering schedule, according to the release.
Other restrictions will be in place throughout Southwest Florida from Nov. 21, 2023 through July 1, 2024. They forbid “wasteful and unnecessary” water use but won’t change watering schedules for most counties, according to the release. Twice-per-week watering schedules will stay in effect except where local governments have placed stricter measures.
The restrictions apply to all the following counties:
- Citrus
- DeSoto
- Hardee
- Hernando
- Hillsborough
- Manatee
- Pasco
- Pinellas
- Polk
- Sarasota
- Sumter
Citrus, Hernando and Sarasota counties, and the city of Venice will remain on one-day-per-week watering schedules.
The announcement comes as the Tampa Bay region continues to experience a drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor recently reported that this is the driest year-to-date in many areas in Sarasota, Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
The water management district, according to the release, also received lower than normal rainfall during the rainy season. It said water levels in resources like aquifers, rivers and lakes are starting to drop.
