It's been a tough dry season in 2017.

  • Polk County sets watering restrictions for residents
  • Water utilities seeing reclaimed water shortages due to brush fires
  • Residents asked to cut back reclaimed water usage

With brush fire after brush fire and burn bans in effect for many areas, now water utilities are starting to feel the impact including record shortages for reclaimed water, typically used to irrigate lawns.

Water utilities are tightening up water restrictions, and that means residents may have to pay the price.

Polk County sent a warning out Monday to its 3,400 reclaimed water customers in the southwest portion of the county. The county feared it was going to run out of reclaimed water if people kept watering their grass more than twice a week, as mandated by the current watering restrictions.

"We're asking our customers to conserve where they can, so we don't have to go to any more drastic measures,” said Marjorie Craig, Director of Polk County Utilities.

Officials with Polk County Utilities said they've already stepped up enforcement of the restrictions.

"We have folks that will go around and issue tickets if you're not irrigating on your appropriate days,” Marjorie Craig said.

So far, Craig said residents have heeded the warning, and cut back their reclaimed water usage—which has allowed the County's reclaimed water tanks to build back up to more than half full.

According to our Bay News 9 weather experts, the current drought conditions in the Bay area are something we haven't seen since back in 2010.

"We've had below normal rainfall since about the time Hurricane Matthew almost hit the state,” said Chief Meteorologist Mike Clay. “That kind of got us into a dry pattern and we've been in that during the winter and the spring. So we are technically in a drought. But that's not that uncommon because we just had five wet years."

Our drought index shows extreme drought conditions in the eastern portion of Polk County, severe conditions throughout the rest of the Bay area, and moderate drought conditions in Citrus County. The drier than usual dry season is causing homeowners to worry about their grass. 

"I'm concerned because I don't want to have to pay to have my yard re-sodded," said Tim. "It's struggled quite a bit with all the drought recently. I try to water it a couple times a week, keep it alive so it doesn't die off before we get some rain."

According to our meteorologists, the rainy season is expected to start in June.  

Until then, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has asked residents in the Bay area to avoid wasteful and unnecessary water use.

Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa have twice per week watering restrictions, related to your house number.

Hernando, Pasco, Brooksville, Dunedin, and Longboat Key have one day a week watering restrictions.​