St. Johns County's Water Restrictions Aren't Going Away Anytime Soon, District Says

St. Johns County homeowners are still limited to watering their lawns just once a week, and the district managing the region's water supply says there's no relief in sight. The St. Johns River Water Management District's Phase III Extreme Water Shortage Declaration, first issued in May, remains in full effect, and the district's Director of Water Supply and Assessment says the drought behind it is still getting worse in places, not better.

Clay Coarsey, who tracks water shortages for the district, said St. Johns and Duval counties are both more than 15 inches below their 12-month average rainfall. That deficit is squeezing the Floridan Aquifer, the underground water source that stretches from Georgia and South Carolina down through Central and West Florida. Some springs west of Duval County, in Alachua County, have already started drying up because of it.

September brought some rain to North Florida. It wasn't enough. "That one month hasn't made up for the 11 months prior deficit in rainfall," Coarsey said. He estimated the region needs roughly 30 additional inches of rain over the next three months, on top of normal seasonal totals, just to bring aquifer levels back to where they should be.

What's still restricted

For St. Johns County residents, the rules haven't changed since the declaration took effect. Landscape irrigation is limited to one day a week, with no watering allowed between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The schedule runs by address:

The restrictions cover more than sprinklers. They apply to private wells and pumps, ground and surface water, and water delivered through public or private utilities. New sod and landscape plantings face added limits, as do certain non-essential commercial and industrial water uses. Pressure washing and other aesthetic water use are restricted too. The one exemption is for irrigation systems running on 100% reclaimed water, though blending reclaimed water with a restricted source voids that exemption.

County officials describe the current drought as the most severe stretch of Extreme Drought (D3) conditions recorded in Florida since the U.S. Drought Monitor began tracking in 2000. Neal Shinkre, Director of the St. Johns County Utilities Department, has said water conservation protects the aquifer and keeps service reliable, and that small steps like fixing leaks and adjusting sprinkler timers add up.

What residents can do now

Officials are asking residents to go beyond the mandatory schedule. Recommended steps include:

• Watering only in the early morning or late at night, when less evaporates
• Checking irrigation systems for broken or misaligned heads
• Installing rain sensors so systems skip a cycle after it rains
• Holding off on new sod or heavy landscape planting until conditions improve

Coarsey noted that fall offers a small advantage: shorter days mean less evaporation and less demand from plants, so rain that does fall this time of year soaks into the ground more effectively than it would in summer. That's a modest edge against a deficit the district says built up over roughly the past year.

The district has not said when Phase III might be lifted. It will keep watching rainfall, groundwater levels and river flows to decide whether additional restrictions are needed if dry conditions continue. For now, the one-day-a-week schedule stays in place for every address in St. Johns County, with no exceptions for a quick green-up before fall planting season.

For more on local irrigation rules and reclaimed water options, visit the St. Johns County water conservation page.

Stay with St. Johns Community Website for updates on this developing drought, and follow us on Facebook for alerts as they happen. Have a question about the watering schedule for your street, or seeing something we should look into? Join the conversation in our Community Forum. For more coverage like this, visit our alerts and news sections.