One day a week watering starts Nov. 7

Read Article on the St. Johns River Water Management Blog

Originally posted Wednesday, November 3, 2010

With the upcoming change on Sunday to Eastern Standard Time comes a change in the days allowed for lawn and landscape irrigation. Between Sunday (Nov. 7) and March 13, 2011, irrigation throughout the region within the St. Johns River Water Management District is limited to no more than one day a week.

Irrigation has been allowed no more than two days a week since 2006. The move to one day a week is part of increased efforts to conserve our water resources and coincides with the reduced need for irrigation during the cooler months that are typically associated with Eastern Standard Time.

Beginning Nov. 7, if your address ends in an odd number, you can water on Saturdays, and if your address ends in an even number, you can water on Sundays. Nonresidential irrigation can occur on Tuesdays. Watering can only occur before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Some exceptions apply to the rules, and all of the details are on our watering restrictions web page.

Being able to water on a certain day doesn’t mean you have to water. Being aware of rainfall and the reduced water needs of your lawn in the coming months can sometimes eliminate the need for watering much or at all.

So, why are weekend days designated for watering when that’s when many people want to work in their yards? Not everyone has an automatic in-ground irrigation system, and those who use hoses with sprinklers need some weekend time for irrigation. If you want to work in your yard on Saturday morning and your yard is showing signs of needing water and your watering day is Saturday, you may want to water Saturday evening after you complete your yard work.

Why do we limit irrigation? It’s estimated that about half of residential water use goes toward irrigation, and, in many cases, it’s used inefficiently. Freshwater is a finite resource in Florida, and increased conservation will delay the need to implement some expensive alternative water supplies in the future.

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