Put down the hose – water supply is low

South Florida water managers want residents to think twice before turning on their lawn sprinklers.

A water shortage warning has been issued for more than 8 million people living in the South Florida Water Management District, which runs from Orlando to Key West.

The last time the water district issued such a warning was in 2011, said Pete Kwiatkowski, water shortage manager.

“We are asking residents to take it pretty seriously,” he said.

Residents won’t notice much of a change in requirements now, but tougher rules could be coming if dry conditions persist, said Alan Garcia, director of Broward County Water and Wastewater

Services.

Most homes and businesses in Broward and Miami-Dade counties are allowed to water only two days a week. Exceptions exist for users of reclaimed water and properties with newly planted lawns. Watering is prohibited from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We are trying to remind our customers that the county does have a twice-aweek watering restriction,” Garcia said. “This is the dry time, and we do need to conserve water.”

In Broward County, firsttime violations can carry a fine of $125, and repeat violators could be fined $250, Garcia said. First-time violators are often issued warnings, he said.

Palm Beach County is on a three-day-a-week watering schedule except in Lantana. That city has stricter rules and is on a twiceweekly watering schedule.

Since the Nov. 1 start of the dry season, rainfall in the 16-county South Florida Water Management District has been more than 6 inches below normal.

“The purpose of this warning is to urge South Florida families to voluntarily conserve more water,” said Dan O’Keefe, chairman of the water district’s governing board. “This effort will help your water supply last through the remainder of the dry season.”

Lake Okeechobee — the backup water supply for South Florida — is just below 12 feet, about a foot below where it should be this time of year, Kwiatkowski said.

If people don’t voluntarily use less water, mandatory restrictions could be put in place, officials said.

Residents could be prohibited from washing cars at home or have fewer days to water their lawns, Garcia said.

Last week, wildfires fueled by dry conditions prompted Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency.

Forecasts predict hotter and drier conditions than normal in Florida during the coming months. Florida wildfires have already burned 250 percent more acreage during the first three months of this year than during the same time period last year.

The water district’s governing board also voted last week to temporarily bar open burning and campfires on its lands.