If the recent rain had you ready to fire up the sprinklers more than once a week, hang on. The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to extend Modified Phase III Extreme Water Shortage restrictions through March 31, 2027. That keeps one-day-a-week lawn watering in place for Manatee and Sarasota counties and much of the region. It’s the second extension of the current order, and the rules themselves haven’t changed, including for residents who water from private wells.
The reason isn’t this month’s radar. It’s the last two years of it. Two below-average summer rainy seasons left the region with a 12-month rainfall deficit of 15.4 inches through August. Rivers, lakes and public water supplies haven’t fully recovered, and the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir was only about half full as of Sept. 20, at 7.87 billion gallons. Recent storms water the topsoil, but refilling a regional system takes sustained, above-average rainy seasons.
The practical takeaway: know your day. Your assigned watering day depends on where you live, and some cities and counties have stricter rules than the district’s baseline, so check with your local government before you set the timer. Snowbirds arriving for the season should do the same, since enforcement and schedules vary by address. With the order running through the end of March 2027, spring is the earliest possible change.
Do you know which day your address is allowed to water? Check with your city or county and tell us on our Facebook page, we’d love to hear how your lawn made it through the past two dry summers.
