Punta Gorda limits lawn watering to once a week to conserve water

The Punta Gorda City Council tackled a significant issue during their monthly public meeting on Wednesday morning: water usage.

Recently, the city was placed under a boil water notice, prompting the council to pass a new ordinance restricting residents from watering their lawns once a week.

“By imposing a one-day-a-week limitation, we can prevent our water system from being over-stressed and keep up with the demand,” said Greg Julian, Punta Gorda City Councilmember.

The boil water notice and new restrictions raised concerns among residents about the city’s water supply.

“We’re not running out of water,” Julian said. “We’re limited by the state as to how much we can take out of the Shell Creek on a given day. Then in combination with our reverse osmosis wells and filtration system, we blend that so we can bring it to the EPA-accepted level of quality…we need to expand our reverse osmosis system to keep up with the growing demand in the community with new residential developments and commercial developments.”

City council members emphasized that watering less frequently is acceptable.

“I think that this is a good testament, and a lot of citizens are going to realize, ‘Hey, I don’t have to water as much as I am; my lawn is still looking great,'” said Melissa Lockhart, Punta Gorda City Councilmember. “And I think this might change the mindset of a lot of citizens who just didn’t know any better. They just set up their irrigation system and let it go.”

Leaders stressed the importance of using less water, especially during the dry season.

“Water conservation needs to be at the front of all of our residents’ minds, and this will help us deliver water efficiently to people’s homes when needed,” said Melissa Reichert, interim city manager.

For more information on the Punta Gorda water restrictions and conservation methods, click here.

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