TAMPA, Fla. — It may have been a rainy winter, but that doesn't mean it's time to stop conserving water.
Tampa Bay area leaders have extended lawn watering restrictions until July 1 for Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco county residents.
The restrictions were initially put in place back in December as ponds dried up and drought conditions worsened.
Leaders said the once-a-week watering restrictions were necessary because Tampa Bay Water, the area's main supplier, was "unable to completely refill the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir" after lower-than-normal rainfall over the summer. That reservoir is still reportedly about 8.5 billion gallons below normal capacity.
At the time, there was a 9.2-inch rainfall deficit in the region. After above-average rainfall this winter, there's still a deficit of about 7.4 inches.
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That's why Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas county residents will have to stick to watering their lawns once a week. The day you can turn your sprinklers on depends on your address.
If your address (house or business number) ends in...
0 or 1, water only on Monday
2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
6 or 7, water only on Thursday
8 or 9, water only on Friday
Locations with no street address or mixed street addresses can water on Fridays.
All watering must be done either between midnight and 8 a.m. or between 6 p.m. and midnight, and only once on your designated day.
Residents who violate the lawn-watering restrictions could be slapped with a $100 fine for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.
And the fines aren't an empty threat. In 2023, Hillsborough County residents were fined a total of $24,595 for not following the water restriction rules.