What this means for homeowners....
- Even-numbered addresses (based on the last number of the address), may only irrigate on Sundays.
- Odd-numbered addresses (based on the last number of the address) may only irrigate on Wednesdays.
- All landscape irrigation is prohibited between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to reduce evaporation.
Golf courses within Lee County shall implement a management plan that reduces the total irrigation by 15% of their monthly allocation. Until we get rain on a consistent basis, golfers may experience more dry spots on the golf course than normal resulting in brown turf.
The why....
It’s important to protect aquifers in Lee County because they provide the drinking water supply. Limited rainfall throughout the dry season has led to decreased groundwater (water beneath the surface) levels in aquifers in Lee County.
- From September 2019 through March 2020, Florida's southwest coast received only 14.72 inches of rainfall, 66% of average, for a deficit of -7.64 inches.
- More specifically, the southwest coast of Florida received 0.27 inches of rainfall in the month of March, only 12% of average.
- The U.S. Drought Monitor report published on April 14, 2020 indicates that Lee County remains in “Moderate Drought.”
- Groundwater levels at most monitoring stations in Lee County have continued to decline over the past seven days.
- The current rainfall deficit, extreme heat and decreasing surface and groundwater levels are expected to continue throughout the remainder of the dry season, which typically ends around the end of May.
Here is a link to all the details of the current order: https://www.sfwmd.gov/content/lee-county-irrigation-restrictions