Residents in the Tampa Bay region will be under water restrictions starting Feb. 8 due to a rainfall deficit.
Southwest Florida Water Management District said its governing board has voted to restrict residents to one day per week of watering from Feb. 8 through July 1.
Multiple counties are also under burn bans due to high drought conditions, which are designed to prevent rapidly spreading wildfires.
Tampa Bay 28 has covered multiple wildfires in the Tampa Bay area in recent months.
Here's everything you need to know about the water restrictions and burn bans.
WATER RESTRICTIONS
Meteorologist Greg Dee broke down the drought conditions and explained the reason behind the new restrictions
The district said the area is at a 13-inch rainfall deficit compared to the average 12-month total.
The modified phase 2 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.
Restrictions apply if your address (house number) ends in the following:
...0 or 1, water only on Monday
...2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
...4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
...6 or 7, water only on Thursday
...8 or 9*, water only on Friday
* and locations without a discernible address
The district said properties under 2 acres may water only before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Properties over two acres may water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. (unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect).
Find information on specific counties and cities below:
- Unincorporated Hillsborough County
- Tampa
- Plant City
- Temple Terrace
- Unincorporated Pinellas County
- St. Petersburg
- Clearwater
- Pasco County
- New Port Richey
- Citrus County
- Manatee County
- Polk County
- North Port
BURN BANS
Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County extended an emergency burn ban on all outdoor open burning for the fourth consecutive week on Feb. 4.
By law, the order can be in effect for no more than seven days. If conditions persist, the order can be extended
More information can be found here.
Pasco County
Pasco County is under an Emergency Burn Ban for all areas of the county. The mandatory burn ban went into effect on Jan. 28 and will not expire until it’s rescinded.
The Florida Forest Service said it will also not issue any outdoor burn authorizations on Feb. 6 due to extremely dry conditions and wind.
Polk County
Polk County enacted a burn ban on Nov. 25 and said it will repeal the ban when conditions are deemed safe.
The ban includes Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Lakeland and Winter Haven.
More information can be found here.
Citrus County
Citrus County has been under an Emergency Burn Ban since Nov. 15.
The Florida Forest Service said it will also not issue any outdoor burn authorizations on Feb. 6 due to extremely dry conditions and wind.
More information can be found here.
Hernando County
Hernando County has been under a burn ban since Jan. 8 for all unincorporated areas of Hernando County and the City of Brooksville.
More information can be found here.
Sarasota County
Sarasota County has been under a burn band since Oct. 8.
More information can be found here.
This is an ongoing list and Tampa Bay 28 will provide updates as more information is provided.
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