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 Governing Board 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 twice a week, according to a news release.
Some cities and counties in the Tampa Bay region are keeping once-a-week watering restrictions by local ordinance. They include:
- Sarasota County
- Pasco County
- Citrus County
- Hernando County
- Tampa
- Sarasota
- Dunedin
- Longboat Key
- Venice
Read more about watering restrictions and schedules here.
The restrictions were issued due to below-normal rainfall during the 2023 rainy season, according to the release. But the district said it received plenty of rainfall this year, including from Tropical Storm Debby. Data also show some areas got up to 10 to 15 inches of rain from Hurricane Milton.
Currently, Tampa Bay Water's 15.5-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is full, according to a news release. It’s in part due to residents saving water and heavy rainfall from Debby, Helene, and Milton.
“The public stepped up beautifully this year. They worked with us, they helped conserve water by following the one-day-a-week restrictions, and that helped us refill the reservoir,” said Warren Hogg, chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water. “We continue to urge people, only water when you need to, and once per week or once every two weeks during the winter is more than enough. Your yard just got a foot of rain last week. You probably don'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, according to the release.
The water supplier is encouraging Tampa residents to keep conserving water, skip irrigation cycles when it’s forecast to rain and only use the water needed inside homes. Likewise, the water district encourages residents to keep watching the weather and only water lawns on their assigned days.
