Just in time for the dry season and Water Conservation Month, Tampa Bay Water has rolled out a public awareness campaign designed to reduce outdoor water use. The “Water Smarter” campaign asks residents to take specific actions to reduce outdoor water use in April, May and early June when area water use typically increases.
“Regional water demand typically spikes in May and June,” said David Bracciano, Tampa Bay Water’s demand management coordinator. “Those spikes are directly attributed to lawn watering. In fact, up to 50 percent of all water used during the spring dry season is used for outdoor watering.”
The Water Smarter campaign asks residents to take three specific actions to save water:
The campaign features a mix of publicity, social media and paid advertisements. A key element of the campaign is a landing page, tampabaywater.org/watersmarter, which features a zip code look-up tool. Residents can simply enter their zip code and the tool will take them to the water restrictions for their city or county.
This spring, conservation is of utmost importance. Our region’s water savings account, the C.W. Regional Reservoir, is out of service for renovation. River flows remain below permitted withdrawal thresholds after months of below-normal rainfall. With no available source of supply, the region’s surface water treatment plan has been shut down; the seawater desalination plant is operating at its maximum sustainable capacity and wellfield production is ramped up.
For more water conservation tips or to see the Water Smarter campaign, go to tampabaywater.org/watersmarter.
