Less rain in Sarasota means more restrictions on water use

Despite the recent rain, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is restricting water use in the area starting today.

Lawn watering will be limited to once a week, down from the prior twice-a-week permission, until Aug. 1.

Residents can water lawns before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., per the new regulations, and only on specific days of the week based on their addresses.

Public information officer Susanna Martinez Tarokh said the restrictions went into effect because, technically, the area is in a drought.

Hydrologists with Swiftmud, as the organization is typically known, said there has only been 10 inches of rainfall since Jan. 1 in the 16-county coverage area.

In typical years there is 22.5 inches of rain by June — leaving the region 12.5 inches short for 2017, Martinez Tarokh said.

The tighter regulations could be lifted sooner than the Aug. 1 deadline — pending more rainfall.