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Water District Eases Rules On Replacing Lawns

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 16, 2008

TAMPA - Water regulators today loosened restrictions on replacing lawns, allowing people to water grass plugs or new sod daily for the first 15 days and three days a week for the following 15.

The decision by the Southwest Florida Water Management District's governing board relaxes a restriction imposed in October that banned residents in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties from replacing their lawns. The ban did not affect new lawns.

The rules apply only to those three counties, where water supplies are the most strained by erratic summer rains that have left rivers near record low levels. Wellfields are being pumped at near capacity to make up for the lack of surface water.

Under the rules, sod for replacing lawns or for new construction can be watered daily for the first 15 days. From days 16 through 30, even numbered addresses can water lawns Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; odd numbered addresses can water Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Although the rules relax the October ban on replacing sod, they tighten rules for new construction. Before today, new lawns could be watered daily for the first 30 days and every other day for the next 30 days.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731.

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