South Florida to start fining water violators as drought worsens

March 1, 2001—The drought situation in South Florida has taken a turn for the worse, with officials warning of fines for water use violations. Starting Thursday, police can fine violators $75, the Miami Herald reported.

The South Florida Water Management District said the move is justified by the severity of the drought, the worst one in over 100 years.

Miami-Dade and Broward Counties have put restrictions on residents three months ago. Since then, thousands of warnings have been issued.

South Florida now is under PHASE 2 restrictions for water use. PHASE 2 restrictions limit lawn watering and car washing to two days per week: Wednesdays and Saturdays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. for addresses that end in an odd number; Thursdays and Sundays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., for even-number addresses.

Hand watering (with a hose with a shutoff nozzle) is allowed on the above days from 5-7 p.m. The restrictions apply to water supplied from utilities, individual wells and surface water sources such as canals, lakes, ponds and rivers.

To read more about the drought in South Florida, visit the Miami Herald newspaper at http://www.miami.com/herald/ or the Southwest Florida Water Management District at http://www.sfwmd.gov/.