TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Swiftmud not easing tough watering rules

ADVERTISEMENT

By NEIL JOHNSON

njohnson@tampatrib.com

Published: June 24, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - The state's toughest watering restrictions will remain in place through July.

Rainfall has been too hit-and-miss and forecasts too uncertain for the Southwest Florida Water Management District's governing board to follow a staff recommendation to relax rules that were set to expire June 30.

Board members weren't convinced that a slackening of the rules was in order and voted unanimously Tuesday to leave things unchanged until their next meeting, July 28.

Member Hugh Gramling of Hillsborough County moved that the regulations remain in place another month as a conservative approach to see whether the typical summer rains begin.

Before the vote, Gransville Kinsman, the district's head of hydrologic data, said some forecasts call for average or above average rainfall this summer and fall. But other outlooks presage a summer with below-normal rainfall.

It would take 120 percent of normal rainfall over a year - or more than 60 inches - to mitigate the drought, Kinsman said.

The Hillsborough and Alafia rivers rebounded quickly after unseasonable rain in late May but have fallen this month, said Dave Moore, the district's executive director.

"It looked like we'd turned the corner," he told board members. "Now, some of our surface supplies are significantly diminished."

The board's decision means Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco remain under the most restrictive regulations among the 16 counties covered by the water management district. Residents in those three counties have the least amount of time to water lawns and are banned from car washing except at commercial carwashes, among other rules.

The district imposed tougher rules for the Tampa Bay area after a reservoir went dry in March and to limit environmental damage from pumping at well fields.

District staff had recommended some rules be relaxed for the Bay area, including allowing residents to wash their cars once a week.

The staff recommended rules for other counties remain basically unchanged until Sept. 30.

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

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT