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County Watering Fine Rises To $143

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

Published: March 25, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - Lawn-watering scofflaws will soon feel the effects in their wallets.

Pasco County officials Tuesday set the fine for first-time watering offenders to $143 with court costs.

The change adds $100 to the previous fine, a change commissioners said was needed to impress upon property owners the seriousness of the drought conditions facing the Tampa Bay area.
Repeat offenders will get ticketed $260 for a second offense and $500 for each subsequent offense.

The new fine for first-time offenders brings Pasco in line with Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The three counties get their drinking water from Tampa Bay Water, a public utility created to alleviate the region's fights over water supplies.

With Tampa Bay Water's new reservoir in Hillsborough County dry, the utility expects to depend increasingly on groundwater, much of it under Pasco County, to slake the region's thirst.

State and local water officials hope stricter enforcement will reduce demand and the amount of water that must be pulled from the ground.

Pasco County has written more than 900 tickets for illegal watering since it stepped up enforcement late last year. This month, county officials began patrolling neighborhoods on Saturday and Sunday, looking for violators.

Pasco still allows lawn-watering once a week, depending on a person's address. Commissioners said Tuesday that Pasco may face steeper limitations similar to the ban on automatic sprinklers Tampa put in effect last week.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201.

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