Swiftmud: west-central Florida on water shortage alert

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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All of the Bay area is under drought conditions.

BAY NEWS 9 -- Despite some recent rainfall, a continuing drought is keeping the 16 counties of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as Swiftmud, on a water shortage alert.

Swiftmud has identified four possible levels of water shortage, beginning with "moderate" and increasing in intensity through "severe," "extreme" and "critical."

The District's color-coded Water Shortage Alert Map graphically identifies the status for each county in the District.

More Information

Lawn watering has been restricted to one day per week and Swiftmud is asking local governments to strictly enforce watering rules.

Swiftmud has also imposed numerous additional restrictions on the use of water throughout its 16-county area, which includes all the counties in the Bay area.

Additional restrictions:

Restricting the new construction and turfgrass replacement establishment period to 30 days total

On days 1-15, beginning with the day of installation, the new or replacement turfgrass may be watered every day of the week. On days 16-30, the new or replacement turfgrass may be watered approximately every other day.

Reducing the 60-day allowance for new plant establishment (other than sod and other forms of new turfgrass).

During days 31-60, plants and shrubs may be watered approximately every other day.

Restricting the time for hand-watering or micro-irrigation for non-lawn landscaping to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Reducing the time aesthetic fountains and waterfalls may operate from eight hours to four hours per day
Limiting the use of unattended line flushing by water utilities
Requiring water utilities and other local enforcement officials to increase their enforcement efforts, including requirements to respond to citizen complaints and issue citations without having first issued a warning

During the cooler winter months, Swiftmud is urging residents to consider skipping a week of lawn irrigation, especially if it has just rained.

Lawns go dormant during the winter months and don't need as much water. With outdoor irrigation accounting for as much as 50 percent of residential water usage, skipping a week of water can result in a significant water savings.