Politics & Government

New Port Richey Water Restrictions Change Little Under New Plan

While some Tampa Bay area residents will see their number of days to water shrink in coming days, New Port Richey water customers won't see many changes.

When the Southwest Florida Water Management District enacts Phase III watering restrictions March 13, customers of the City of New Port Richey aren't likely to notice too many changes.

The city was already observing Phase II restrictions, which means residents here are currently on the one-day-a-week watering schedule now being requested by the district.

Sherman Applegate, the city's public works director, said New Port Richey always adopts the water management district's watering policies.

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Other parts of the Bay area are curently on a two-day-a-week schedule, which means their customers will notice changes when the new rules kick in March 13.

Applegate said New Port Richey water customers who obtain reclaimed water for irrigation are not under the restrictions.

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"Customers who are connected to reclaimed water may irrigate anytime they wish," Applegate said.

The water management district’s decision to tighten restrictions on potable water users throughout the Bay area was prompted by several factors:

  • Rainfall amounts were 3.5 inches below normal in the Tampa Bay area in January and February
  • The ongoing renovations at Tampa Bay Water’s C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir, which is causing the agency to rely solely on its desalination plant and regional wellfields to meet the water demands of residents throughout Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Under the new Phase III restrictions, New Port Richey water customers will be asked to follow the same schedule they do now when watering their lawns. The restrictions enable potable water users to irrigate their lawns before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on their designated day. Properties can be watered in zones, but a zone can only be watered once during the designated day; not both in the morning and evening.

Here’s the watering schedule:

End Number of Address
Day of the Week 0 or 1 Mondays 2 or 3 Tuesdays 4 or 5 Wednesdays 6 or 7 Thursdays 8 or 9 Fridays

Locations without addresses or mixed addresses

Fridays

The water management district offers the following information on specialty watering cases while the new restrictions are in place:

Landscape Watering

  • Handwatering and microirrigation of flower beds, shrubs and other plants (other than lawns) can be done on any day, if needed, but is limited to allowable watering hours.

New Lawns & Plants

  • New lawns and plants have a 60-day establishment period. On days 1-30, they may be watered any day of the week. During days 31-60, they may be watered three days a week. Even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Odd-numbered addresses may be watered on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Rights-of-way and other “no address” locations may be watered on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.
  • Except on the day of installation or when sprigs are being grown, establishment watering must be done during allowable watering hours.
  • Be able to supply proof of installation date upon request.

Fountains

  • Fountains and other aesthetic water features may only operate four hours per day. The regular hours of operation can be selected by the owner, but must be posted.

Vehicle Washing

  • Car washing is limited to once per week on the designated watering day for the location.
  • Fundraising car washes cannot be scheduled after the effective date of these restrictions.
  • Commercial car washes, including mobile detailing businesses, may still operate on any day.
  • Fire engines and other emergency vehicles may still be washed on any day as needed.
  • Boats can be rinsed and boat engines can be flushed after each use.   

Other Water Uses

  • Restaurants shall only serve water upon request.
  • Other than athletic play areas, including golf, football, baseball and other athletic fields, all lawn and landscape areas must comply with the once-per-week restrictions.

Deed Restrictions & Community Standards Enforcement

Homeowners associations and other entities must suspend any requirement to replace lawns, pressure wash or engage in other activity that increases water use during this water shortage declaration.

For more information about watering restrictions in New Port Richey, visit public utilities online.


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