Mother Nature has not produced enough rain in the past several weeks to convince the Southwest Florida Water Management District to relax its declaration of a Phase III Water Shortage.
Watering restrictions will remain in place in The Villages through Oct. 1.
Under the water shortage order, lawn watering is reduced to once-per-week and allowable watering hours are reduced to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Micro-irrigation and hand watering of non-lawn areas are still allowed any day, if needed. Additional details regarding the watering of new lawns and plants, reclaimed water and other water uses can be found at WaterMatters.org/restrictions.
A 10 percent surcharge added to water usage as of June 5 remains in place.
“The incorporation of these rates promotes water conservation in the event of a water shortage, and they were also critical during the development and approval of the rate schedules and water use permits with SWFWMD,” The Villages District Office said in a statement on its website.