West Central Florida extends 'extreme' watering rules after reservoir falls 6 billion gallons short

West Central Florida residents will need to keep conserving water for a while longer.

After months of unusually dry weather depleted local water sources and left a key reservoir starting the rainy season billions of gallons below normal, officials decided to keep the region's "extreme" outdoor watering rules in effect.

What's happening?

Unless steady rainfall returns, most of West Central Florida will stay under a Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage through Oct. 1, according to WUSF. 

The Southwest Florida Water Management District said May came in 11 inches below normal for rainfall, while rivers and lakes also remained unusually low. To make matters worse, Tampa Bay Water's primary reservoir entered the rainy season roughly 6 billion gallons below its typical level.

WUSF reported the order impacts over a dozen counties in the West Central Florida area around Tampa and Sarasota. Unless local governments already have stricter rules, outdoor watering can happen only between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Residents may water only on their assigned weekday, based on the last digit of their address.

Why does it matter?

Lawn watering, washing cars at home, running decorative fountains, and even serving water at restaurants are now more tightly restricted as officials work to preserve limited supplies. When reservoirs, rivers, and lakes fall this low, communities can face growing pressure on drinking water systems, landscaping costs, local ecosystems, and municipal budgets.

Worsening extreme weather can strain the basic resources people rely on every day, including safe water, stable food production, healthy landscapes, and affordable utility service. Prolonged heat and drought can also harm public health, raise fire risk, threaten community safety, and create added financial strain for businesses and families already facing rising costs.

What's being done?

The restrictions still allow some limited flexibility. As WUSF reported, residents may still use micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, or hand watering for plants and shrubs on any day, but only before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. WUSF reported that properties at least one acre in size are limited to watering before 4 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Other rules are aimed at curbing unnecessary water use while easing pressure on residents. Pressure washing connected to painting or sealing is still allowed, and homeowners associations cannot require landscaping replacements or other appearance-related changes that would increase water use. WUSF also reported that noncommercial car washing is limited to a household's assigned lawn-watering day and requires a hose with a shutoff nozzle.

To help protect available supplies, officials also renewed three emergency orders, WUSF reported. One lets Tampa Bay Water lower levels in parts of the Tampa Bypass Canal so it can continue supplementing the City of Tampa's Hillsborough River Reservoir, another allows increased Peace River withdrawals for the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority. The third lets the City of Punta Gorda temporarily take up to an extra 2.2 million gallons a day from Shell Creek.

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