Water Restrictions

Dried mud on a pond's bank in the Westchase area of Hillsborough County, Florida, has become common to the area. Tampa has received less than 11 inches of water in the last 12 months, and conditions are expected to continue into the summer.
Tampa Bay Online

Tampa Limits Water Use

Officials in Tampa, Florida have tightened water usage restrictions, citing continuing above normal temperatures, below normal rainfall, extremely low river flows and declining surface water storage at the local reservoir.

Irrigation is limited to once per week, and homeowners' associations have been asked to suspend any requirements for residents to resod dying lawns.

Tampa Bay Water (TBW), the region's main supplier of drinking water, declared a Phase 3 water shortage on May 10; the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which regulates water use in a 16-county region that includes Tampa, cited the TBW declaration as pretext for upping watering restrictions in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The restrictions take effect immediately and will remain in place until July 31, and likely beyond that if conditions don't improve.

Zebra mussels are a small, invasive freshwater mussel that can block pipelines, clog the municipal water supply intakes and accumulate pollutants and toxins.

North Texas Faces Water Shortage

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) Board of Directors voted May 29 to return to Stage 2 of their emergency response plan for drought conditions. Consumers with sprinkler or irrigation systems may water their lawns and landscapes no more than two days per week, as needed, from June through September

Lake Texoma, 28 percent of the NTMWD water supply, remains offline due to an infestation of zebra mussels. NTMWD does not expect to resume pumping water from Texoma until a pipeline extension is complete after the summer of 2013.

Under the restrictions, sprinkler or irrigation systems are prohibited from operating between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm.

Addresses in Carson City that end in odd numbers are authorized to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Even numbers get Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Carson City Water Restrictions In Effect

Water restrictions in Carson City, Nevada, went into effect June 1, and residents are asked to adhere to the guidelines from the Carson City Public Works Department.

From June 1 through September 30, watering is not allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. No one is allowed to water on Mondays, and days when watering is permitted are determined by even or odd addresses.

Exemptions are available for Carson City licensed commercial gardeners or commercial caretakers who are on site while watering is taking place, and for some new plantings or gardens with approval of an irrigation plan.

Residents can call 775-887-2355 or go to www.carson.org for more information.