Welcome to H20 Weekly

Welcome to H2O News

Issue # 025

H2O News is an on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities about the world's water on a need to know basis. Articles or headings are followed by links that will take you to the complete article you are interested in.

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New Water Events

1. South Florida now has the area’s harshest landscape watering restrictions (landscapeonline)
2. Irrigation Association named July Smart Irrigation Month
3. June is National Oceans Month
4. Florida water limits have been mandated

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1. South Florida now has the area’s harshest landscape watering restrictions of all time.
Across Georgia, however, landscapers get an exemption to restrictions. Thousands of other water districts and municipalities across the U.S. set their own rules, which are getting stricter.

With drought common across the South, the Southwest and elsewhere, many communities are facing a brown-lawn summer. On the other hand, parts of Colorado received near-record snowfall that will keep sprinklers busy there throughout the season.

The Florida limit calls for a 30 to 45 percent water-use reduction by the combined efforts of commercial, golf course, landscaping and residential water users.

Georgia Landscaping Exemption
The good news in Georgia is that landscapers have an exemption to the watering limits—at least some of the time.

Commercial outdoor water users who are exempt from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) watering schedule include: Sod producers, ornamental growers, retail garden centers, construction sites and car washes.

Also exempt in the Peachtree State are activities such as hydro-seeding, watering-in of pesticides and herbicides on turf and power-washing. Irrigation contractors are allowed outdoor water use during irrigation system installation and as needed for proper maintenance and adjustments only.

Georgia outdoor water users such as professionally certified or licensed landscapers, golf course contractors and sports turf landscapers are exempt from watering restrictions only during installation of landscaping and for 30 days following installation.

South Florida Trickles
The South Florida restrictions for large users like cities, golf courses or farms are different than those for residents. Homeowners will be allocated specific times for watering while commercial restrictions will calculate cut back on overall water usage. These rules vary from those for residents because of the larger areas and systems that are regulated. Thus, users such as golf courses or farms are required to reduce overall use, by 30% under Phase II restrictions, and by 45% under Phase III—instead of having designated days and hours.

Many are also required to make frequent reports on the quantities they are using, and are subject to fines if they do not meet goals or make reports.

Interestingly, Florida water recycling systems that use 100% reclaimed water are not subject to the restrictions.

Sources: http://turfgrass.com/, The (Bainbridge, Ga.) Post-Searchlight, The Colorado Springs Gazette.
http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/8963

2. The Irrigation Association named July Smart Irrigation Month
to provide tips about smart irrigation practices and new technologies. This presents the perfect opportunity to educate your customers, potential customers, and other community members on the importance of water-efficient irrigation.

WaterSense offers myriad resources to help irrigation partners promote water efficiency. In the next few weeks, keep an eye out for your copy of the Tool Kit for Irrigation Professionals to arrive in the mail, complete with a CD with several customizable educational materials.

Specifically, you can customize the "Watering Can Be Efficient" brochure to promote Smart Irrigation Month to your clients. Personalizing this brochure is as easy as 1-2-3.

It's As Easy As 1-2-3.

Download the brochure HERE
(This brochure will also be provided as a Quark file on the CD enclosed in your Toolkit.)

3. June is National Oceans Month
The President has proclaimed June 2007 as National Oceans Month._ Especially during National Oceans Month, we underscore our commitment to being good stewards of the oceans and recognize all who are dedicated to making our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes cleaner, healthier, and more productive. By continuing to work together, we can conserve and enjoy the splendor of these magnificent waters now and for generations to come. A number of ocean-related activities are underway during the month of June, including a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the National Estuary Program. The proclamation is available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070531-6.html.

4. In Florida water limits have been mandated in Counties from Key West to Palm Beach requiring golf courses, nurseries and other thirsty businesses to cut back on usage by percent.

The mandate affects Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and eastern Palm Beach counties. Towns and farms around Lake Okeechobee also face more severe rationing and potential crop losses that could easily run into the tens of millions of dollars.

Water managers have already printed up citation books and said they will train city and county workers to enforce the rules. First-time violators typically receive a warning, but blatant or repeat rule-breakers can face civil penalties potentially up to $10,000 per day.

The mandatory cuts are similar to those imposed during the drought of 2001, but later dropped. This time, water managers warned, they may stick.

The district said several factors forced the cuts:

• 2006 proved the sixth driest year on record, with 40.75 inches across the region—nearly a foot less than normal.

• Lake Okeechobee, main source for nearby towns and farms and a backup for the Everglades and coastal cities, is four feet lower than average. Today, it stood at 10.798 feet.

• Levels are plunging in canals and the marshy Everglades conservation areas.

Source: Miami Herald

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Thanks for reading! If you have suggestions or ideas for articles send them along.

“Use it where it falls”

Lorne Haveruk C.I.D., C.I.C., C.L.I.A
Editor, H20 News
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