© 2024 WLRN
MIAMI | SOUTH FLORIDA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
In South Florida, where the Everglades meet the bays, environmental challenges abound. Sea level rise threatens homes and real estate. Invasive species imperil native plants and animals. Pesticides reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, but at what cost? WLRN's award-winning environment reporting strives to capture the color and complexity of human interaction with one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet.

Boy, Our Yards Are Dry: South Floridians Urged To Conserve Water

David Adam Kess
/
Via Wikimedia Commons
A walkway in Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center in Boynton Beach in December, 2016. Officials say they're concerned about abnormally dry conditions in Palm Beach County this dry season.

South Florida residents and businesses are urged to conserve water through May, when the dry season ends. That’s because the current dry season has been, well… really, really dry.

 

The South Florida Water Management District reports rainfall has been only 41 percent of what the region normally sees from November to February. The district says November 2016 was the driest month since regional record-keeping began in 1932.

 

"Water conservation is important all year but especially now to help sustain the regional water supply," Dan O'Keefe, chairman of the district's governing board, said in a press release. "Extremely dry conditions set in early in the dry season and have not let up."

 

District officials say they're particularly concerned about dry conditions in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties and along Florida's southwest coast. They encourage residents and businesses to cut back on watering their lawns and plants; to water only when the sun's down; and to follow local irrigation requirements.

 

Officials also recommend short showers and checking pipes, sinks and toilets for leaks. Water conservation measures, they point out, save money as well as water.

 

The last time South Florida received heavy, widespread rain was during Hurricane Matthew in October.

More On This Topic