Water Restrictions on Tap: Total Area Rainfall 3.5 Inches Below Normal Since October

By Nicholas Azzara, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Jan. 9–MANATEE — With only days remaining in 2006, regional water authorities were only asking people to conserve water.

Later today, they’re expected to require water conservation.

Southwest Florida Water Management District director David Moore is likely to accept staff recommendations to implement Phase II water use restrictions in the 16-county area that includes Manatee County during a 1:30 p.m. meeting in Brooksville today.

If the restrictions are approved, homeowners with lawn irrigation systems would be limited to irrigating lawns one day a week, either before 8 a.m., or after 6 p.m.

Since October, the Manatee-Sarasota area received almost 3.5 inches under its normal rainfall, bringing the 2006 deficit to more than 10 inches. Though January has seen a few rainy days, the shortage continues into 2007.

“There’s below normal stream flow measured in the Hillsborough River and the Peace River, and according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all 16 counties were experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions,” said district spokesman Michael Molligan. “The concern is where we’re going to be in March, April and May.”

The district last declared a Phase II water shortage during a severe drought in May 2000 and restricted water use for 18 months. The area is not as dry as it was then, Molligan said, but there is cause for concern since it’s only the beginning of the dry season. Molligan said the area would require 140 percent of the normal rainfall through June to get water levels back to where they should be by the start of the rainy season.

The water management district relies on local governments to enforce water restrictions. In Manatee County, the duty falls under the watch of Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Homeowners who water more frequently than allowed could be issued a warning on first offense, said Manatee County sheriff’s Maj. Chuck Hagaman.

After that, a homeowner is issued a notice to appear in court and a judge determines a fine amount.

Deputies on patrol can initiate a warning if they see a violation, Hagaman said, but that’s not the main enforcement tool.

“We primarily rely on complaints,” he said. “We encourage neighbors who see a pattern to let us know.”

Molligan said irrigation restrictions aren’t mandatory for homes connected to a reclaimed water supply. Still, those homeowners are strongly encouraged to irrigate only once a week.

Manatee County Commission Chairman Amy Stein said commissioners may discuss further water use restrictions during a board meeting today.

From October through December, the area received about 3.5 inches fewer than normal, making soil even more parched during an already arid season. BayNews 9 Chief Meteorologist Mike Clay doesn’t foresee any major rains drenching the area in the next seven to 10 days but his extended outlook calls for above average rain in January and February.

Though that’s good news for the district, it will do little to influence Moore’s decision today.

“We’re getting some of the above-normal rainfall they’ve been forecasting, but there’s no guarantee it will continue,” Molligan said.

Locally, water levels are actually a little above their expected low levels for this time of year, according to John Zimmerman, Manatee County’s water manager. Both the Manatee River reservoir in Myakka and Lake Manatee, the county’s two main water supplies, are above normal for this time of year.

“It’s typically dry this time of year,” Zimmerman said. “If it gets really, really dry and we don’t get that little wet season, it could get to be a problem.”

Other coastal counties have experienced a similar, typically dry winter, but coastal reservoir levels are doing well, Zimmerman said. The dry conditions have put a crunch on inland counties, particularly reliant on steady rain.

“We had normal rainfall in coastal areas, but the rainfall deficit in inland areas is quite a bit higher. That’s causing a downfall for the entire system.” Zimmerman said.

Local farmers weren’t particularly concerned about the restrictions, since they have had to turn to alternative sources of nourishment for their crops in recent years, said Billy Heller Jr., chief executive officer at Pacific Tomato Growers.

“We’re heavily regulated anyway,” Heller said. “You do the best you can with what you have. That’s the nature of agriculture. If it’s dry, it’s dry. You deal with it.”

Bob Spencer, the owner of West Coast Tomato, agreed. His company uses drip irrigation, which cuts down on water use significantly.

“We’re already operating very efficiently,” Spencer said. “There’s not a lot more we can do to cut back on what we’re using.”

Nicholas Azzara, county government reporter, can be reached at nazzara@

HeraldToday.com and 745-7081.

Water restrictions

Phase II: Severe Water Shortage.

Lawns and Landscaping Use, including Cemeteries

A. Supplemental irrigation shall be restricted to the hours of midnight to 8 a.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight for properties less than 2 acres in size.

Properties two acres or greater may continue to irrigate during the allowable hours of 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

B. During the months of December, January and February, lawn watering shall be reduced to one application per week, if needed, in accordance with the following schedule:

–Addresses with a “house number” ending in 0 or 1 may only water on Monday.

–Addresses ending with a 2 or 3, on Tuesday.

–Addresses ending with a 4 or 5, on Wednesday.

–Addresses ending with a 6 or 7, on Thursday.

–Addresses ending with an 8 or 9, and locations for which an address cannot be determined (such as common areas associated with a subdivision), on Friday.

Conservation tips

–In the winter, lawns only need to be watered about once every two weeks. A heavy rain will suffice for up to two weeks.

–Install water-efficient sprinklers and a rain sensor switch to override your system when it rains.

–Place a shutoff nozzle on your hose to control the flow of water. This way, you only use the amount of water that you need.

–If you don’t have an automatic timer on your sprinkler system, use a kitchen timer or stopwatch as a reminder to turn the water off.

–Run dishwashers only when they’re fully loaded. Set washing machines to the appropriate water level for the size load you’re washing.

–Limit shower time to five minutes and install low-flow shower heads to conserve.

Tips suggested at www.watermatters.org [http://www.watermatters.org]. For more conservation tips, call the Manatee extension of Florida Yards and Neighborhoods, at (941) 722-4524.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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