New Tampa water regulations and how a rain barrel can help save money and water
Remember when we were suffering from drought? Back when we longed for rain drops to quench our gardens, or heck, wash our cars? Tampa City Council has eased the ban on lawn sprinkling, which ends Monday June 1st. City dwellers will fall in line with Hillsborough County residents abiding by SWFWMD’s emergency restrictions; allowing lawn sprinklers to run once a week from midnight to 4 a.m.
Our city once had the strictest regulations in the state; Council members had the foresight to see beyond the immediate crisis, to address our dwindling water supply. We all know water is one precious commodity, more expensive by the 12 oz bottle than gasoline is by the gallon. By initiating tough regulations, City Council was preparing us, forcing us, to change our water guzzling ways. Forestalling the implementation of ration cards, tandem showers, and sky high rates. Okay, maybe the latter is more likely but one thing is for sure: water rates will rise as supply diminishes. Not to mention as our aquifer falls lower and lower, so does the surface; so we should be in for some major sinkhole action. Council members Mulhern and Miranda voted against lifting the ban, with Mulhern correctly stating that, “A three-year drought is not solved by two weeks of rain”, and Miranda resigning from the Water Board in disgust.
I miss the drought and the restrictions. Okay, so I’m lazy – for months my crunchy weeds, um, I mean lawn, didn’t need mowing but beyond my front yard and personal issues, the drought and its dire circumstances prompted discussions of conservation. Read the rest of this entry »
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