Since 2010, Hernando County residents have lived with the full-time restriction of watering only one day a week. Whether that policy should continue came up for debate during the Dec. 3 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, when the BOCC heard a presentation on the subject from county utility director Gordon Onderdonk.
“I think one day is unreasonable and I think we should look at it and say OK, and we could put more people on monitoring it and educating the people that are out there,” Commissioner Steve Champion said. “And change some of the rules where we can actually catch the water that God has given us. I don’t think the government or Hernando County should control it. If it comes out of the sky, who are we to tell them that they can’t reuse it?”
The ordinance originally enacting the once-a-week restriction was approved on July 27, 2010, with the purpose of promoting long-term sustainability of the water supplies of the county through water use efficiency during times when no water shortage has been declared.
Prior to that ordinance, the county allowed watering twice a week with a per capita rate as high as 185 gallons per day. The BOCC briefly raised the limit back to two days a week in the second half of 2011 and during a six-month period, the county pumped 284,000,000 more gallons than the previous year.
A water shortage was declared in Feb. 2012, restoring the once-per-week restriction that has remained in place. Going back to 2018, the per capita rate had decreased to 123 gallons per day, but it had increased to 136 last year. The county’s current water-use permit is based on a per capita rate of 128 gallons per day and the rate can’t exceed 150 per the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). New homes in new subdivisions are averaging 170 gallons per day and some are over 200.
Champion acknowledged the data but felt there were ways to control irrigation, which is responsible for nearly 60 percent of the water usage, including cisterns, installing irrigation wells or using micro-irrigation techniques.
“The science says the water is here. It never goes anywhere; it’s here. It gets recycled; that’s just nature. Most of it’s Earth’s water,” Champion said. “When the water goes on the ground that night, it goes exactly where it’s supposed to, right back into the ground, into the aquifer and it’s pumped back up again.
“So if it is a little higher and you are following the rules, and you’re watering at night and you’re not doing it in the middle of the day, you’re not getting as much evaporation. I don’t understand why they can’t consider that.
“… The rules have to change because this looks like government control; that’s all it is. It’s government control and then who are they to limit what you pump out of the ground? I just don’t understand if you’re putting it right back in the ground.”
He pointed to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties not having permanent once-a-week restrictions and wondered why Hernando County had to deal with such a limitation. Pasco and Citrus counties also have year-round, once-a-week restrictions.
“If it’s such a great idea, tell SWFWMD to get off their tail and make it one day a week for everybody,” Champion said. “Why do we have to be more restricted? Why does Hernando County have to be less free because we chose to take the high road?
“… This county is out of control with government control. It’s getting worse every day and stuff like this is unacceptable. And you know what, there’s a lot of people out there that think the same way I do. We need to talk to people and ask them what they think about it, because they don’t like it.”
Onderdonk said that each county is unique based on a wide variety of variables used to determine per capita rates.
“Some counties where the water table is just a couple feet below the surface, they don’t have to water as much. The soil characteristics could be a lot different,” Onderdonk said. “Demographics can affect that. How old is the area or how growing is the area as far as new subdivisions with covenants and restrictions, the aesthetics, the level of service they want to have their subdivision to look like. All those things come into play.”
Given that watering twice a day would raise per capita rates in the county well past SWFWMD’s 150 limit, Onderdonk said it would simply be unsustainable.
“I just think it’s a very dangerous thing to be considering,” Commissioner Jerry Campbell said. “I appreciate Commissioner Champion bringing it up because I’m just like you. I want less government. I want the government to get out of the way of my business and all of these residents’ business. But we have a duty to protect our resources.
“I think it’s a health-and-safety issue in the future. We don’t want to be at a point where we’re spending good money just to get back to where we are today where we’re being conservative and we’re being mindful and we’re being responsible. I’d hate to see us have to then get fines just to get back to where we are today.”
This was only a presentation, so no action was taken by the BOCC. However, the Board approved putting together a committee to begin the process of renaming the Hexam Water Treatment Plant, the Mark K. Morgan Regional Water Treatment Facility.
The plant was one of many projects Morgan worked on during his 30-year career as an engineer with the county.
“We’d like to honor the dedication and accomplishments that Mark provided to the county by naming this facility in his memory,” Onderdonk said. “I had the honor to work with Mark approximately seven years. Not only was he an excellent county employee but he was the epitome of ethics and integrity as far as professional engineering.”
