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Tampa Bay area water restrictions extended through March 2027

By
FOX 13 News
Tampa Bay
Published September 22, 2026 10:08 PM EDT
Published September 22, 2026 10:08 PM EDT
article

The Brief

    • The Southwest Florida Water Management District extended the Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage. 
    • This is the second extension to the order as the region still hasn't replenished its water supply from the lack of rain this summer.

TAMPA, Fla. - Water restrictions in the Tampa Bay area will remain after the Southwest Florida Water Management District extended the "extreme" water shortage through March 31, 2027. 

Tampa Bay area water restrictions

Why you should care:

According to SWFWMD, all residents within the Bay Area will still only be able to water their lawn one day a week. SWFWMD's governing board voted to extend the Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage through March 31, 2027 due to ongoing drought conditions throughout the region. 

This is the second extension to the order as the region still hasn't replenished its water supply from the lack of rain this summer. SWFWMD officials said Tampa Bay Water’s C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir only has 7.87 billion gallons in storage as of Sept. 20 — half its storage capacity.

Modified Phase III Water Shortage details

Dig deeper:

Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, SWFWMD said watering hours will remain reduced from midnight to 4 a.m. or 8-11:59 p.m. Properties less than one acre can only use one of these windows. Properties one acre or larger can only water before 4 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

SWFWMD restrictions apply to Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties. Residents are encouraged to conserve water wherever possible. 

Residents should check with their city or county for specific days and times. The following is SWFWMD's standard schedule: 

  • If your address ends in 0 or 1, water only on Monday
  • If your address ends in 2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
  • If your address ends in 4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
  • If your address ends in 6 or 7, water only on Thursday
  • If your address ends in 8 or 9 (or doesn't have a discernable address), water only on Friday

Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs, which includes using micro-irrigation, soaker hoses or hand watering, is allowed any day, but is limited to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

For more information, click here. 

The Source: The information in this story was released by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), which detailed the Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage extension. 

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