Water flows into a 5 million gallon reservoir operated by the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority. The water is transported from the water supply authority’s larger reservoir, which holds up to 6 billion gallons of water. (Emily Andersen/Suncoast Searchlight)
Southwest Florida water restrictions extended until October
The governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District voted unanimously Tuesday to extend its Modified Phase 3 water use restrictions until the beginning of October.
The restrictions originally were set to expire on July 1.
The district, which covers several counties in Southwest Florida, including Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto, initially declared a water shortage in November. It then escalated the shortage to the current phase in April, the third-highest level in the district’s four-phase drought response system, triggering stricter limits on outdoor watering times and more aggressive enforcement.
Phase 3 water restrictions limit outdoor watering to once a week, set specific hours when irrigation is allowed, limit aesthetic fountains to four hours per day and require restaurants to provide water to patrons only upon request. They also require municipalities to issue citations for first offenses without any prior warnings — though a previous Suncoast Searchlight report found that enforcement was not even across Sarasota County municipalities.
The decision to extend the restrictions was based on a recommendation from district staff after a presentation by the district’s hydrologic data manager, Tamera McBride.
McBride said that, as of the end of May, the district had a rainfall deficit of 11.4 inches compared to the average 12-month total — an improvement over the 13.7-inch deficit the region faced in April when the current restrictions took effect but far below regular water levels.
In May, the district received 5.2 inches of rain, up from the 3.7 historical average for the month, but June has been drier than expected so far, McBride told the board.
“Water levels in the district’s water resources, such as rivers and lakes, are continuing to decline, and many are severely abnormal. Moreover, public water supplies are extremely low,” a press release about the extension states.
The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, which supplies the majority of Sarasota County’s water, had between 7 and 8 months’ of water supply available as of May 17 — based on its usual output of almost 1 billion gallons per month — according to data that Katie Gilmore, the authority’s director of development, presented during a June 5 board of directors meeting.
The authority usually tries to keep about 12 or 13 months of water on hand, but it has been limited in its ability to collect water from the Peace River during drought conditions this year. Officials are confident they can refill during this year’s rainy season, though.
“We do feel we’ve been able to manage the drought,” Gilmore told the board during the June 5 meeting.
The SWFWMD board also voted Tuesday to allow the district’s executive director, Brian Armstrong, to rescind the Phase 3 order before its Oct. 1 expiration date if water levels return to normal before that time.
The ongoing drought also caused Sarasota County to issue a burn ban on April 19, which will likely restrict firework usage during the upcoming July 4 holiday season. Under the ban, only “licensed pyrotechnic contractors with the appropriate permit,” can set off fireworks, according to the county’s website. Barbecue grills and barbecue pits are allowed to be used, as long as the total fuel area is less than three feet across and two feet tall.
