close
close
cegivel

Irrigation restrictions are lifted in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties

Monicel
Irrigation restrictions are lifted in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties

If you live in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties, your watering restrictions have been lifted, but that depends on where you live.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Board of Directors voted Tuesday to rescind the one-day-per-week watering order issued in November 2023. Residents in those two counties will now be able to water two times per week, according to a press release.

Some cities and counties in the Tampa Bay region maintain once-a-week watering restrictions by local ordinance. They include:

Southwest Florida Water Management District map showing which counties are subject to water restrictions. Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Sarasota counties are subject to local once-a-week watering restrictions, as are the cities of Dunedin, Tampa, Longboat Key, Sarasota and Venice. Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto and parts of Hillsborough, Lake, Highlands and Charlotte counties are under district water conservation measures year-round (twice a week), as well as cities by Dunnellon, The Villages. , and Gasparilla Island.

Southwest Florida Water Management District

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Board of Directors voted to rescind the one-day-per-week watering order issued in November 2023.
  • Sarasota County
  • Pasco County
  • Citrus County
  • Hernando County
  • cover up
  • Sarasota
  • Dunedin
  • Long boat key
  • Venice

Learn more about watering restrictions and schedules here.

According to the statement, the restrictions were issued due to below-normal rainfall during the 2023 rainy season. But the district said it received a lot of rain this year, including Tropical Storm Debby. The data also shows some areas received as much as 10 to 15 inches of rain from Hurricane Milton.

Tampa Bay Water’s 15.5 billion-gallon CW Bill Young Regional Reservoir is currently full, according to a news release. In part, this is because residents save water and heavy rains from Debby, Helene and Milton.

“The audience has increased very well this year. They worked with us, they helped conserve water by following the one-day-a-week restrictions, and that helped us fill the reservoir,” said Warren Hogg, Tampa Bay Water’s chief science officer. “We continue to ask to people who only water when needed, and once a week or once every two weeks is more than enough. Your garden just got a foot of rain last week. You probably won’t need to water for a while “.

Rain from the storms also increased river flows and allowed Tampa Bay Water to supply the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant, the release said.

The water provider encourages Tampa residents to continue to conserve water, skip watering cycles when rain is forecast and use only the water needed in homes. Likewise, the water district encourages residents to continue to monitor the weather and only water their lawns on the designated days.

Related Posts