{"id":62240,"date":"2026-02-05T17:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T22:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=62240"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:54:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T22:54:02","slug":"once-a-week-watering-limits-in-polk-county-starting-feb-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/02\/05\/once-a-week-watering-limits-in-polk-county-starting-feb-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Once-a-Week Watering Limits in Polk County Starting Feb. 8"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Southwest Florida Water Management District voted on January 27 to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swfwmd.state.fl.us\/business\/epermitting\/district-water-restrictions\">limit lawn irrigation to\u00a0<strong>one day a week<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<strong>Feb. 8 through July 1<\/strong>. The rule applies countywide, including to homes on private wells.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"a6994c\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"158\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/images-1.webp?resize=320%2C158&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62241 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #a6994c; aspect-ratio:2.0255167639204825;width:478px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/images-1.webp?w=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/images-1.webp?resize=300%2C148&amp;ssl=1 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restrictions are part of the board\u2019s decision to declare a modified&nbsp;<strong>Phase II \u201cSevere\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong>water shortage. The move bumps the region up from the Phase Iwater shortage order&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swfwmd.state.fl.us\/the-newsroom\/2025\/district-declares-phase-i-water-shortage\">issued on Nov. 18<\/a>, which only prohibited \u201cwasteful and unnecessary\u201d water use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">District leaders say conditions have continued to worsen since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The region finished its rainy season well below average, with a&nbsp;<strong>13-inch rainfall deficit<\/strong>&nbsp;for the year. Water levels in aquifers, rivers, and lakes have continued to fall and public water supplies in the Tampa Bay area are below normal levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dry weather has also prompted area fire departments to issue&nbsp;burn bans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outdoor irrigation accounts for more than&nbsp;<strong>50% of household water use<\/strong>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swfwmd.state.fl.us\/the-newsroom\/2026\/district-declares-modified-phase-ii-water-shortage\">district officials say<\/a>. Reducing lawn watering is one of the fastest ways residents can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the standard schedule, watering days depend on the last digit of the house number in your address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>0 or 1:<\/strong>\u00a0Monday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2 or 3:<\/strong>\u00a0Tuesday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>4 or 5:<\/strong>\u00a0Wednesday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>6 or 7:<\/strong>\u00a0Thursday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>8 or 9<\/strong>\u00a0and properties without a clear address: Friday<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unless a city or county already has stricter rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Properties under two acres may water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Properties two acres or larger may water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Violations could result in a citation and fine from the city or county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Low-volume watering \u2014 including micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, and hand watering \u2014 is still allowed any day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can still pressure-wash once a year, or when getting ready to paint or seal. Decorative fountains are limited to eight hours a day, and washing your car at home is allowed only on your assigned watering day. HOAs can\u2019t require extra watering to keep up appearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swfwmd.state.fl.us\/business\/epermitting\/district-water-restrictions\">The district\u2019s website<\/a>&nbsp;outlines policies for new lawns and plants, cemeteries, reclaimed water and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Local utilities will be responsible for enforcement. The district has directed them to review their procedures, track enforcement activity, and report back as dry conditions continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For tips on saving water, residents can visit&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swfwmd.state.fl.us\/residents\/water-101\/homeowners\">WaterMatters.org<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Southwest Florida Water Management District voted on January 27 to\u00a0limit lawn irrigation to\u00a0one day a week\u00a0from\u00a0Feb. 8 through July 1. The rule applies countywide, including to homes on private&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"14","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDJcL2ltYWdlcy0xLndlYnA_Zml0PTMyMCUyQzE1OCZzc2w9MSIsInR4dCI6Ik9uY2UtYS1XZWVrIFdhdGVyaW5nIExpbWl0cyBpbiBQb2xrIENvdW50eSBTdGFydGluZyBGZWIuIDgiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJmb250IjoiIiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTYzMDQwNjYxfQ.Qj55w4WR1dJotJcP61sm5jC9g1hoI1LkckQQbLnXEP4MQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":62241,"url":"http:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/images-1.webp","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[13538],"class_list":["post-62240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-once-a-week-watering-limits-in-polk-county-starting-feb-8"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62240"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62242,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62240\/revisions\/62242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}