“Fall back” your clocks and irrigation timers this weekend

at
District's Fall Back campaign
falling back campaign flyer

When “falling back” — turning your clocks back an hour — it’s also time to change your irrigation system timer to water your lawn only on your designated watering day.

PALATKA, Fla., Nov. 2, 2022 — Starting Sunday, Nov. 6, residents across the 18 counties of the St. Johns River Water Management District should reset their automatic sprinkler systems to water no more than once a week.

“Outdoor irrigation accounts for nearly half of most Floridians’ monthly water bill,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Mike Register. “Lawns and landscape plants require less water during this time of year. By only providing the amount supplemental irrigation required, we can conserve water and help meet our water supply needs while maintaining healthy lawns and landscapes.”

Public water supply is the largest category of water use in the District’s region — about 569.5 million gallons of water a day. Most of this water is for residential water use—you and me using water in our homes. Improving landscape irrigation practices can save water, improve your landscape and help protect water quality at the same time.

Overwatering can encourage mold and fungus, weaken grass roots, and promote weeds and undesirable insects. Water is wasted when broken or misdirected sprinkler heads spray water onto sidewalks and pavement, and water runoff from oversaturated yards often carries fertilizers, debris and nutrients into natural waterways, which leads to poor water quality.

Because lawns need significantly less water in Florida’s winter months, watering restrictions are in place to ensure that water used for irrigation is used efficiently. During Eastern Standard Time (early November through mid-March), landscape irrigation is limited to no more than one day a week on the following schedule:

  • Saturday at addresses that end in an odd number or have no address
  • Sunday at addresses that end in an even number
  • Tuesday at non-residential addresses
  • No irrigation is allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

More information and water-saving tips can be found at WaterLessFlorida.com. To learn how your neighbors across the District are saving water, visit our Water Less Heroes series here.

Join the conversation at #sjrwmd #waterconservation.