The Southwest Florida Water Management District board is expected to approve stricter outdoor watering restrictions on Tuesday in response to an ongoing drought affecting the region’s underground aquifer.

The new Phase 2 restrictions would reduce lawn watering to once per week for properties under one acre, down from the current twice-weekly limit. Several areas including Tampa, Dunedin, Venice, and counties including Pasco, Hernando, Sarasota, and Citrus already operate under once-weekly restrictions.

If approved, the restrictions would take effect February 8 and would allow watering only before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. The restrictions would not apply to irrigation using reclaimed water.

Chuck Carden, general manager of Tampa Bay Water, addressed the issue during a recent Hillsborough County Commission meeting, noting the severity of the drought conditions.

According to data from January 6, drought indicators across the district’s coverage area show concerning trends. In northern counties, the 12-month rainfall total ranked at the fifth percentile, while southern counties were at the fourth percentile and central counties at the eighth percentile. Multiple drought indicators across all three regions were classified as either critically abnormal, extremely abnormal, severely abnormal, or moderately abnormal.

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