Irrigation Schedules Change in March
Residents in Sumter County and the Marion County portion of the Villages should amend their irrigation system to comply with the modified phase III water shortage which reduces irrigation to one day per week. The irrigation schedule for residents in Lake County changes during daylight saving time and residents are given additional flexibility in determining when to water.
A Modified Phase III Water Shortage issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District took effect on March 10, 2012 for residents in Sumter County and also for residents in the Marion County portion of The Villages. Please check your irrigation timer to ensure that the system is set to only irrigate once per week in accordance with the below table. Watering must be done before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on your scheduled day to comply with the water restrictions. For a printable summary of the restrictions, click here.
| Addresses with house numbers | May only irrigate on |
Ending in 0 or 1 |
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday |
Residents in the Lake County portion of The Villages must comply with the rules of the St. John's River Water Management District. From the second Sunday in March through to the first Sunday in November, the water restrictions allow for twice-per-week watering, which gives residents additional flexibility for determining when to water in accordance with the schedule below. Watering must be done before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. on your scheduled days.
| Addresses with house numbers | May only irrigate on |
Ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 |
Thursday/Sunday Wednesday/Saturday |
Residents are encouraged to water only if their lawn and landscape needs it and turn off their irrigation system if it has rained or if rain is predicted in the next 24 hours. Some of the signs that a lawn needs water include: blades folded in half lengthwise, footprints remaining on the lawn for several minutes after walking on it, and the top few inches of soil being dry. As you change the time in your irrigation timer, it is a good idea to replace the 9-volt battery to ensure that you don't lose your settings in the event of a power outage.