PalmBeachPost.com

Water officials to ease limits

By ROBERT P. KING

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

April 10, 2008

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/04/10/m1a_water_0410.html

Get set to loosen the shackles on your sprinklers April 18 - unless you live in West Palm Beach, Lantana or Lake Worth or around Lake Okeechobee.

South Florida water managers conceded Wednesday that two months of drenching rains have eased the region's drought, which as recently as December had appeared headed toward a hydrological apocalypse making conservation a way of life. Those regulations could take effect as soon as July and also would limit lawn sprinkling to two days a week.

The move to relax the once-a-week restrictions follows two consecutive months in which the district spurned pleas from utility managers in south Martin County to ease the limits there, even though coastal canals and well fields were flush with water.

"I think we're two months late," said Melissa Meeker, a district board member from Stuart.

District employees said Wednesday they have seen similar improvements in water levels throughout South Florida and the Treasure Coast following heavy rains since early February.

Even drought-shriveled Lake Okeechobee has halted its alarming plummet, although it remains almost 4 feet below its average for this time of year.

The relaxed limits would take effect April 18.

They would allow watering on Wednesdays and Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses, and on Thursdays and Sundays for even-numbered addresses.

But one-day-a-week restrictions would remain in place for communities that draw water from especially hard-hit reservoirs or wells.

Those would include West Palm Beach, Lantana and Lake Worth, as well as communities that draw their water from Lake Okeechobee.

One-day-a-week restrictions also would remain in place in the towns of Palm Beach and South Palm Beach, which get their water from West Palm Beach's utility.

Along with the loosened restrictions for residents' lawn sprinkling, the district would reduce the watering cutbacks it has imposed on commercial users such as golf courses and nurseries.

But in the Glades, sugar farmers and other growers around Lake Okeechobee would have to continue with their existing 45 percent reductions.

Proposed watering rules

Pending approval by water managers today, these relaxed restrictions would take effect April 18 in most of South Florida, including Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties:

Odd-numbered addresses: Watering allowed on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Even-numbered addresses and properties with no address: Watering allowed on Thursdays and Sundays.

Hours: To be announced today.

Exceptions: One-day-a-week limits would remain for customers in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, Lake Worth and Lantana, as well as communities that draw from Lake Okeechobee.

Source: South Florida Water Management District