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To conserve water, rules must apply to all

The last time the Southwest Florida Water Management District forced the 16 counties in its jurisdiction to limit lawn watering to one day a week, as it will beginning next week, was in April 2000. That restriction lasted 18 months. During that time, residents who had witnessed the damage of a severe drought became painfully aware of the need to conserve Florida's most precious natural resource.

They took meaningful steps to conserve water, including landscapes designed for plants and grass that require less water. And, under the threat of stepped-up enforcement of the rules, they became accustomed to the curtailed watering schedule.

Then the rains came and Swiftmud, as the water district is commonly known, told counties and municipalities the effects of the drought had been overcome and they could revert to twice-a-week watering. Unfortunately, the Hernando County Commission jumped at the chance to do just that, while also questioning if Swiftmud had exaggerated the severity of the water shortage.

That decision was shortsighted and showed a lack of substantial commitment to water conservation. The commission should have followed the example of most counties to the south and retained the one-day-a-week watering rule. Doing so would not have prevented the upcoming re-imposition of the restrictions, but it certainly would have precluded residents and business owners from having to readjust their watering habits, and eliminated the need for local governments to re-educate the pubic.

It is easier on consumers and the water supply to not alter watering schedules once they are in place. Every time the rules change, it needlessly confuses residents and, from an enforcement standpoint, that is a significant problem because violators can claim - many legitimately - that they were unaware of the changes.

Switching back and forth not only frustrates residents, it causes them to question the credibility of the governments whose leaders can't seem to make up their minds about the ongoing need to conserve to offset cyclical dry weather patterns.

This county has undergone sustained residential and commercial growth. The strain that places on man-made infrastructure - roads, schools, sewers, public services - gets many of the headlines. But the adverse impact on our most precious commodity, water, is too often overlooked.

While Swiftmud focuses on restricting residential use, it historically has been too lenient on major water users, including county governments, who pull much more than their allotted amounts. Agricultural uses and businesses, especially golf courses that are not using reclaimed water systems, draw millions of gallons of fresh water each day from the aquifer, often in sizeable violation of their permitted allotments.

The response from Swiftmud is not to crack down on these abusers, but to rewrite the permits to allow them to use more water, as Hernando County is now seeking to do after exceeding its cap all last year.

If Swiftmud truly is interested in conserving the dwindling water supply, it must apply the same standards to all users.

Homeowners in violation of local watering ordinances should not be fined for a first offense - $100 in Hernando County - when the biggest users, and wasters, of water escape any meaningful penalty from Swiftmud.

That said, the County Commission must be prepared to enforce the watering regulations. But it should explore using a portion of the money it collects from violators to fund an aggressive public education program about how to get the most out of once-a-week watering.

People who understand the need will meet the challenge.

The more restrictive rules, which limit watering to between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., Monday through Friday, will be in place until at least July 31.

The commission should not wait until then to discuss permanently switching to the once-a-week schedule.

[Last modified January 10, 2007, 20:32:29]