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Watering Rules To Relax For Shallow Well Owners

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE cwade@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 1, 2009

TAMPA - One week after imposing the toughest watering rules in the state, Tampa wants to ease restrictions on city residents who use shallow wells to keep their lawns green.

Brad Baird, director of Tampa's water department, said the proposed changes would allow private well owners within the city limits to water once a week using sprinklers.

"They really don't have an impact on the city's drinking water system," he said.

The city council is expected to vote on the proposed changes at Thursday's meeting.

Last week, the council approved tough new watering restrictions for city residents aimed at conserving Tampa's strained drinking water supplies amid a three-year drought.

The new rules go into effect Friday and will allow only hand-watering of lawns one day a week. The restrictions will last indefinitely, until enough rain falls to ease the drought.

The changes affect an estimated 140,000 residential and commercial customers in the city and unincorporated areas of Hillsborough County served by the city water system.

There are an estimated 2,500 private residential water wells within the city limits.

Councilman Charlie Miranda, who voted in favor of tightening watering restrictions, said he, for one, supports giving residents with privately owned wells a pass on the rules.

"The fact is they're not paying for our water," he said. "Why should they be restricted?"

Baird said well owners - who draw groundwater for irrigation - wouldn't be exempt from water use restrictions imposed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, but would be excused from the more stringent hand-watering rules passed by the council last week.

On Tuesday, the district approved tough new watering restrictions that cut the hours sprinklers can run and ban pressure cleaning and noncommercial car washing.

But shallow well owners in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties will be exempt from the ramped-up restrictions, considered the most stringent in Swiftmud's history.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679

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