As a period of record drought ends in Florida, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board today lifted the mandatory water ban that has been in effect in that area since April, 2, 2001.
"Mother nature has provided us a reprieve and that has allowed us to drop mandatory restrictions," said Trudi Williams, governing board chair. "However, South Floridians need to do the right thing and continue with sound water conservation measures. Today we are asking our local governments to assist in implementing year-round water conservations packages."
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The year-round conservation recommendations include limiting lawn watering to three days a week and asking that no watering be done between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when temperature and evaporation are highest.
"The recent water shortage proved that South Florida lawns can be successfully sustained on less water," a press release from the SFWMD stated. "The district is asking that residents continue to follow a reduced lawn-watering schedule that helped conserve billions of gallons of water during the prolonged drought."
At today's meeting, the board also authorized the creation of an internal team to develop a long-range water conservation plan. Eight existing employees have been redirected to implement this program, which will explore advanced water-saving technologies, such as moisture-sensing soil probes used by the agricultural industry.