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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Helped by a recent heavy rainfall, state water officials unanimously approved a plan to put off drastic limits on water usage that would have affected businesses.
The rain last week temporarily staved off the need for strict, never-used "Phase Three" water limits, which would have restricted some commercial car washes and limited lawn watering to one day a week.
"We're still in a critical situation, and in a month if it hasn't rained we could be back to where we were 10 days ago," said AnEta Sewell, director of communications for the South Florida Water Management District Board.
Last week, nursery owners, car wash operators, swimming pool contractors and other water-related business owners voiced their concerns to water district officials. Some filed an administrative petition arguing businesses could be unnecessarily hurt by Phase Three limits.
According to a report in the Miami Herald, landscape company owners complained they could lose their jobs if Phase III restrictions were approved. The landscaping industry alone could have taken a $392 million hit, and golf courses could have lost up to an $85 million, according to the report.
Instead of the strict Phase Three rules, the new restrictions set out March 27, 2001, for south Florida keep existing limits on lawn watering by sprinklers, and even allow a few more hours per week when homeowners can water plants using low-volume, hand-held hoses.