November 8, 2024

By Staff Reporter     Link to Post

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board has rescinded its Modified Phase 1 Water Shortage Order. The move eliminates the one-day-per-week watering restrictions for unincorporated Hillsborough County. Current year-round rules now allow watering twice per week on designated days. 

For residents who live in Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace, it’s important to research that municipality’s watering restrictions.   

The water management district’s governing board declared a Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order in November 2023. It voted to extend that order in February and again in June and August as the water resources and public water supplies continued to recover from below-normal rainfall during the 2023 summer rainy season. 

However, the district’s 16-county region has received above-average rainfall during the 2024 summer rainy season, which includes rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby. Provisional data show the district also received up to 10-15 inches of rainfall in some areas from Hurricane Milton. Lakes, streams, ponds, wetlands and aquifer levels have improved, and Tampa Bay Water’s 15.5-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is nearly full. 

All properties in unincorporated Hillsborough County follow year-round watering days and hours. Residents should know their lawn watering days and hours to avoid getting a fine:

• Addresses ending in 0, 1, 2 and 3 — Monday and/or Thursday.
• Addresses ending in 4, 5 and 6 — Tuesday and/or Friday.
• Addresses ending in 7, 8 and 9 — Wednesday and/or Saturday.

 Locations with no address (common areas) and locations with mixed addresses (such as office complexes and shopping centers) can water on Wednesday and/or Saturday. 

All watering must be done between 12 Midnight-8 a.m. or between 6 p.m.-12 Midnight, and only once on designated days. Reclaimed water for irrigation can be used any day of the week but is prohibited between the hours of 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn more at www.hcfl.gov/waterrestrictions.

Property owners should reprogram their automatic irrigation timers to adjust to their assigned two day a week schedule. Get free help with adjusting your automatic irrigation timer from a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ program coordinator by contacting Will Stone at 813-744-5519, ext. 54133, or stonewi@hcfl.gov.

Learn more about watering rules for reclaimed water, new sod, landscaping, car washing and more by visiting www.hcfl.gov/water.