A Times Editorial

Water guzzlers need attitude adjustment

It is becoming a spring tradition in Pasco County, like the departure of seasonal residents and the onset of hot weather: the arrival of the water guzzlers.

Their chirping isn't a sign of nesting, it's a signal of discontent and aggravation. The water guzzlers are being cited for overuse and they are angry about it.

It is unfortunate, but the volume of tickets written by Pasco County Code Enforcement indicates some people still don't adhere to the philosophy of conserving water. The lust for flourishing Floratam brings with it an avoidable financial penalty for the homeowner and, more imperatively, the waste of a resource: drinking water.

A change in public attitude will be required. Once-a-week watering restrictions aren't going away any time soon as Pasco County correctly declined to lift the limitations when the opportunity arose.

But more public education is required. As Times staff writer Saundra Amrhein reported, Code Enforcement officers are writing 300 tickets a week, a more than 50 percent increase over this time a year ago.

Joe Gross, the assistant zoning and code enforcement director, also said that the number of repeat violators is increasing. That is remarkable considering county commissioners quadrupled the fines last year in an attempt to encourage conservation. The cost for a second offense is $258, up from $38 for first-time violators.

The message apparently had been working until the end of March. Demand for potable water was down from a year ago, but a recent eight-week period, coinciding with a dry spell and the onset of the growing season, saw demand up nearly 40 percent compared to earlier in the year.

Aggressive enforcement stretched beyond potable water. Officers ticketed about 200 people during a two-month period for overuse of reclaimed water in the central part of the county.

That is hard for some homeowners to accept. Reclaimed water, highly treated wastewater used exclusively for irrigation, was touted originally as a limitless, low-cost watering alternative. Demand, however, sometimes exceeds production and reclaimed water also is restricted as a result. Next year, Pasco County intends to install meters and begin charging a per-gallon cost for the reclaimed water now available for a flat monthly fee.

While the collected fines can help offset the cost of increased enforcement, Pasco County should consider using some of the proceeds for its own public education campaign about the need for conserving water.

Tampa Bay Water and the Southwest Florida Water Management District promote conservation. Pasco County could do likewise.

The periodic reminders inserted in the Pasco Utility Department's monthly bills are a good start, but the escalating tickets for illegal watering show a greater emphasis is required, particularly in light of the volume of homes serviced by private utilities or their own wells.

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