It is officially springtime and that means many residents working hard to make their yards look great and that means watering them.
However, St. Johns County reminds all residents that watering also comes with responsibility and that means following the regulations in place to make sure water is used wisely.
St. Johns County has watering restrictions in placed that are designed to ensure the efficient use of water for landscape irrigation.
The restrictions allow enough water to establish and maintain healthy landscapes year-round without excess use coming into play.
The mandatory restrictions specify the times when watering may occur, the amount of water that may be applied, and the days when watering may occur for residential and nonresidential locations.
Depending on the time of year determines how the regulations fluctuate, including during Daylight Savings Time, which is the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, when addresses ending in an odd number or homes with no address at all water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while addresses ending in even numbers are assigned to water on Thursdays and Sundays.
Non-residential properties are designated to water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Regardless of what time of year it is or the type of address, the county only permits watering when needed and never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun and its heat is at its peak.
The 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. time period is a steadfast rule that must be applied even for non-landscape irrigation, such as vegetable gardens, playgrounds, football and soccer fields, agricultural crops and nursery plants.
Irrigation limitations apply to water withdrawn from ground or surface water, from a private well or pump, or from a public or private utility.
Sprinklers and irrigation systems can be installed to help provide convenance for homeowners and help in the regulation of water by way of automatic monitoring.
However, the county also advises checking irrigation systems regularly for leaks and adjusting sprinklers to make sure only lawns are being watered and not driveways, sidewalks or roadways.
Installing a rain sensor on irrigation controllers can go a long way in helping monitor excess water usage by gathering a moisture reading of the yard and not activating the system while it is raining or following recent rainfall.
Although much of the focus can concentrate on outdoor water usage, indoor use is also an area that can affect whether water regulations are met.
According to the St. Johns County Utility Department, 14% of indoor usage is lost to leaks, which is why the department created the water usage customer portal, which is a tool where residents can view usage statistics, compare their usage against temperature and rainfall amounts, and receive custom usage alerts via email and text message if necessary.
A customer portal account can be created by going to www.sjcfl.us/track-water-usage and entering one’s account number on their current water bill to get started.
