TAMPA, Fla. — Most of Tampa and the surrounding area are still under a moderate drought, according to the National Weather Service. This is due, in part, to a drier-than-normal rainy season.
Because of the ongoing drought, abnormal rainy season and a "significant" rise in water usage by Tampa residents, city leaders are urging residents and business owners to "use water wisely."
Data shows customers within the city's limits are using about 4 million gallons of water more each day than they were at the same time last year, leaders with the city's water department said. Average daily drinking water demands have also been rising over the past three years.
In millions of gallons of water per day (MGD), the numbers for the last three years are as follows:
- 2021: 79 MGD
- 2022: 80 MGD
- 2023: 84 MGD (to date)
In order to help offset the increased demand for water, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said for the second time this year, the city is buying additional water from Tampa Bay Water.
"To meet the increased demand for water, for the second time this year, we have started buying additional water from our wholesale water provider, Tampa Bay Water," Castor said in a statement. "Water is an invaluable resource and we must all play an active role in conserving it to ensure Tampa can meet the needs of its growing population."
To help people save water, and potentially lower utility costs, the city's water conservation staff will host a series of free, virtual workshops to provide helpful and practical advice regarding water use and conservation, saving on utility costs and improving landscapes through sustainability.
The first virtual workshop is from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 21. After this first free session, workshops will be offered through mid-November.
City of Tampa utility customers can sign up for the free webinars now by clicking the links below:
Thursday's first workshop wasn’t highly attended, but it was highly informative.
“In my recollection, working for the department for 10 years, I have not seen us purchase twice,” said the city’s environmental specialist, Julia Palaschak.
The first webinar, all of which are free to the public, was an hour’s worth of Florida-friendly landscaping hacks to help people grow their own water-wise gardens. Several tips were aimed at stemming the need for watering grass since irrigation makes up about half of our water consumption.
Ideas ranged from growing your own food to storing water and saving money.
“There's lots of ways you can collect that rainfall and use it through those dry seasons,” Palaschak told webinar attendees. “Anytime there's a gap in rainfall go to the rain barrel and start getting your bucket full of water.”
Conservationists say it's most important to learn how to use water seasonally — especially when it comes to irrigation.
For example, in the fall, you only need to water the grass about 60% as much as you would during the summer. And in the winter, during shorter cooler days, that number drops even further to about 20%.
As our population grows, water managers would also like to see residents taking on more personal responsibility.
That also means educating the public about irrigation and landscaping alternatives.
“You can have that beautiful yard. You can have the lawn,” Palaschak said. “But understand how you irrigate Florida for a Florida-friendly landscape.”
The city is planning at least two more of these webinars aimed at water conservation.