Tampa Bay residents will be living with strict water limits for at least three more months after regional officials voted to keep emergency drought restrictions in place through the heart of summer.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday to extend the Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage order, which had been set to expire July 1. The new deadline is Oct. 1.
The order requires residents across Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, and Sumter counties — along with parts of Charlotte, Highlands, and Lake counties and the city of Dunnellon — to limit lawn watering to once a week. Unless a city or county already enforces stricter hours, watering is only allowed between 12:01 a.m. and 4 a.m. or between 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. The rules apply even to households on private wells.
Car washing at home is restricted to a resident’s assigned watering day and requires a hose with a shutoff nozzle. Restaurants may only serve water to customers upon request.
District officials cited worsening drought conditions in extending the order. The agency reported a rainfall deficit of 11.4 inches for May alone, and said water levels in rivers and lakes across the region continue to drop, with many now classified as severely abnormal.
To shore up supply, the district has also issued emergency orders allowing increased withdrawals from regional water sources, including additional draws from the Peace River and continued lowering of water levels in the Tampa Bypass Canal to help replenish the Hillsborough River Reservoir.
Violations carry fines starting at $100 for a first offense. Since the water shortage began Dec. 1, more than 430 Tampa Water Department customers have been cited for breaking the watering rules.
Residents can find their assigned watering day, based on their address, through their local city or county water department.
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