§ 28-503. Year-round water conservation measures and restrictions.

(a)

General requirements. The year-round water conservation measures and restrictions contained in this article section are applicable to all water users, including end users served by public or private water systems. The water conservation measures and restrictions contained herein shall be effective throughout unincorporated Hernando County. The water conservation measures and restrictions herein are intended to be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any water conservation measure(s), restriction(s) or order(s) of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, including those provisions set forth in F.A.C. chs. 40D-21 and 40D-22, as such provisions may be amended or renumbered from time to time.

(b)

Wasteful and unnecessary. In addition to the specific restrictions enumerated below, the following wasteful and unnecessary water uses are prohibited:

(1)

Allowing water to flow from an unattended hose, unless that water is discharge from a functional water-to-air air-conditioning unit, residential reverse osmosis treatment system, or similar device.

(2)

Hand watering a lawn on an otherwise restricted day or more than once a day, except when used for spot treatment or other practices specified in this article.

(3)

Hosing down a driveway or other impervious surface to remove grass clippings or other debris that can be removed with a broom or other dry methods.

(4)

Hosing down a building or other structure to remove cobwebs or other material that can be removed with a broom or other dry methods.

(5)

Allowing water to flow from a broken sprinkler head, outdoor faucet, or other malfunctioning plumbing or irrigation system component.

(c)

Irrigation uses. The following requirements shall apply to all lawn and landscape irrigation:

(1)

The irrigation of established lawns and landscaping is allowed only as follows: properties under two (2) acres may water from 12:01 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.; properties with two (2) acres and greater may water from 12:01 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. to 11:50 p.m. on each allowable watering day. A user may irrigate established lawns and landscaping during only one (1) of the specified time periods on any allowable watering day.

(2)

Irrigation of established lawns and landscaping shall be limited year-round as follows:

a.

Once per week watering restriction. Irrigation of established lawns and landscaping shall be limited to once per week as follows: at addresses ending in the number zero (0) or one (1) only on Mondays; at addresses ending in the number two (2) or three (3), only on Tuesdays; at addresses ending in the number four (4) or five (5), only on Wednesdays; at addresses ending in six (6) or seven (7), only on Thursdays; at addresses ending in the number eight (8) or nine (9) or locations with no addresses, only on Fridays. Users are prohibited from irrigating established lawns and landscaping when rain has occurred on the applicable property within the last twenty-four (24) hours.

b.

Modification to once-per-week watering restriction for established lawns and landscaping as initiated by the board of county commissioners.

1.

When water supply conditions warrant, the board of county commissioners, upon their own initiative or at the request of the utilities director, may schedule and conduct a public hearing, following notice and advertising, and adopt a resolution granting a modification to the irrigation schedule above by restricting the irrigation of established lawns and landscaping to twice per week; provided, however, such modification to the irrigation schedule does not conflict with the then-current conservation measures, restrictions and orders of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

2.

In the event that the board of county commissioners adopts a resolution under this provision, the board shall advertise a summary of the action taken and the period covered. At a minimum, public notice shall be provided on the county's website, published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation, and advertised in any other appropriate medium designed to educate individuals in the affected area(s). At the option and judgment of the utilities director, a notice may be included in the mailed utilities bills.

3.

Any resolution adopted by the board pursuant to this provision shall be temporary in nature and may not exceed one hundred eighty (180) days in duration.

(3)

Irrigation systems may be operated during restricted days and/or times for cleaning and maintenance purposes with an attendant on site in the area being tested. Irrigation systems may routinely be operated for such purposes no more than once per week, and the total run time for each zone shall not exceed ten (10) minutes during the test.

(4)

Irrigation for the purpose of watering in insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides is restricted to designated days and times for that address, except for applications by a professional who is in the business of applying such products for remuneration, so long as a chemical advisory marker containing the day, month and year of application is posted on the landscape, and where such watering is required by the manufacturers or by federal, state, or local law; however, such watering shall be limited to the minimum necessary and shall only be accomplished during the hours allowed above unless immediate watering is required by the manufacturer.

(5)

Low-volume micro-irrigation (i.e., drip irrigation, misters, soaker hoses) or hand watering (using a hose with a self-canceling or shut-off nozzle, or both) of trees, shrubs, landscaping beds, flower beds, vegetable gardens and other nonlawn plant material shall not be restricted by days of the week; however, such low-volume micro-irrigation or hand watering shall be limited to the minimum necessary and only during the hours allowed above.

(6)

Lawns may be spot treated without regard to the normally allowable watering days or times. Lawns may only be spot treated by hand watering or other targeted, manual means.

(7)

In order to promote necessary rhizome repair, extra watering of turfgrass may occur on any day of the week for a fourteen-day period after vertical mowing has occurred. An entire zone of an irrigation system may only be used for extra rhizome repair watering if the zone in question is for an area that contains at least fifty (50) percent turfgrass recovering from vertical mowing. If a zone contains less than fifty (50) percent recovering turfgrass, or if the recovering turfgrass area is typically not watered by an irrigation system, only the recovering turfgrass is eligible for this fourteen-day exemption. Targeted watering may be accomplished by hand watering, or any appropriate method which isolates and waters only the recovering turfgrass.

(8)

New turf grass (sod, plugs, and sprigs) and new landscaping are exempt from day-of-the-week restrictions for the first sixty (60) days after installation; days one (1) through thirty (30) may water daily. From day thirty-one (31) through day sixty (60) of this establishment period, irrigation is limited to one (1) application on each of three (3) specified days, except as otherwise provided herein. The three (3) allowable days shall be as follows: even-numbered addresses may provide establishment period irrigation on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and odd-numbered addresses may provide establishment period irrigation on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, however, such watering shall be limited to the minimum necessary, shall only be accomplished during the hours allowed above, and is limited to only new turfgrass and new landscaping. Users shall curtail irrigation when rain has occurred in the past twelve (12) hours.

(d)

The rules, regulations, and orders promulgated from time to time by the Southwest Florida Water Management District which are more stringent than the provisions of this article are hereby adopted by reference and made part hereof and shall be subject to the same enforcement and penalty provisions of this article. In the case of the more stringent rules, a petition for variance shall be filed with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

(e)

The utilities director shall have the authority to promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to water use restrictions not less restrictive than those promulgated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Any user who violates such rules or regulations or who refuses to comply with a directive from an officer enforcing such rules and regulations shall be deemed to have violated this article.

(Ord. No. 2011-13, § I, 7-19-11)