Three weeks ago many homeowners in southeast Orlando found their lawn sprinklers had run dry. The city, which has control over the reclaimed water valves that thousands of residents are hooked up to, had to shut off the water because demand had doubled from 6 million gallons a day to 12 million to hydrate landscapes alone.
Segments of reclaimed water have been in place since 1987, but demand in the southeast area never fully kicked in until about five years ago. The city started having a little trouble meeting demand during the last two dry seasons, said Orlando Public Works Manager Alan Oyler. “We saw peak demand increase by 100 percent during this dry season and did not have the water supply to cover it, so we controlled demand. We did a time-out for everyone,” he said.
Now irrigation times and days have been set by neighborhoods in the southeast and usage rates have returned to about 4 million gallons a day. Because residents are concerned about what brown lawns might mean to their property values, Vista Lakes Homeowners Association President Ron Cumello said they are currently hatching a back-up water plan.
He plans to ask St. Johns River Water Management District if they can pump water from their lakes to supplement Vista Lakes’ supply. “We are struggling to keep our common areas watered, but the vegetation has not completely died,” Cumello said. “[Limiting water supply] is a big decision for government to make because of the investment people have in landscaping, but they have to balance that with water levels. We might have to write off that investment, but we hope it does not come to that and the rainy season comes.”
Only a small percentage of Orlando’s population is hooked up to the reclaimedwater system, which collects wastewater, cleans it and returns it to rivers, lakes and wells that supply developments with water for their lawns.
The rest of the population uses drinking water to make sure lawns and landscapes are plush and green. In fact, nearly half of all the city and Orange County’s drinking water goes back into the ground. Environmentalists have been concerned over water supply for many years but only recently — and especially after SJRWMD announced a groundwater usage cap after 2013 — have government and citizens taken the issue more seriously. That cap means any additional water needs will have to be quenched from surface water.
Even though many water customers have embraced green ideas like buying water-efficient appliances such as clothes and dish-washing machines and lowflow toilets and faucets, Oyler said this dry season has been the worst as far as water consumption. The Orlando Utilities Commission experienced an increase in demand from 76 million gallons a day to more than 100 million gallons, mainly from irrigation use.
“People are going to have to change their concept of landscaping,” Oyler said. “We can no longer afford to spend half of our tight water budget on our lawns.” Orlando is waiting until SJRWMD implements its rule-making process (which should happen this summer) to enact any laws or ordinances of their own. Last Monday was the first time a proposed plan for limiting water usage was brought before the Orlando City Council.
Orange County water customers are limited to watering their lawns twice a week, but on any days they choose. This makes it difficult for the water police to catch violators. Five county employees enforce irrigation rules. If they see waste, they give a series of warnings until finally handing out code-enforcement tickets.
Oyler said the city will soon establish mandatory lawn-watering restrictions, specifying two days during the week for irrigation during the summer and one day a week during the winter. These will be consistent with county days to make enforcement easier. “We have some folks who believe the two-day-a-week watering rule is currently mandatory and adhere to it, and we have other folks who sunk a large chunk of money into their plush landscaping and will water their stuff regardless.”
UCF Stormwater Management Academy Director Marty Wanielista said some people seem to be open to water-saving measures like planting drought-tolerant plants in place of water-guzzling St. Augustine grass or installing a stormwater- retaining roof.
“Anything that can keep people from using their drinking water on their lawns is going to improve the situation drastically,” he said. “I think people, by in large, know about the need to protect our water supply. It is good to see more interest on the political level as well. As far as enforcement goes, it will depend on the goodwill of the people.”
Lake Nona has already implemented changes in irrigation development like reducing water usage on roadway medians to avoid waste. The sprinklers along Lake Nona Boulevard use 20 percent less water.
“Water affects our neighborhoods, our golf courses, and the way we do business, but we will be here for the 20-year build out so we want to be good stewards of the land,” said Lake Nona Property Holdings spokesman Rob Adams. “Water conservation is a big part of developing the remaining 3,000 acres here. It is a big part of our development plan.”
