Call us today to earn how you can host your own show on MoneyWatchf1000 772-336-5597 7 www.its-sold.neti SELLER'S ASSISTANT CONSIGNMENTS TUTORING WORKSHOPS BUY/SELL FROM 1 PIECE TO ENTIRE ESTATES Call Loli Cooper at 561.627.7535! "I'll sell it for you or I'll teach you how." Regulations From page Al water usage almost in half. Once a week may not seem like enough, espe- cially in Florida, but dur- ing the dry season, home- owners should not need to water their lawns more than that, and if it rains, they should not have to do it all, said Jesus Rodriguez, a public information offi- cer for the SFWMD. "People tend to grossly over water their lawns," he said. Over the course of an average year, residents should not water their lawns more than 15 to 20 times because Mother Nature will take care of the rest, he said. However, Mother Nature has not taken care of her child, Earth, this year. "We've got water levels across the district that we've never seen before," said Mr. Rodriguez. SFWMD follows a regu- lation schedule put forth by the Army Corp of Engi- neers, and lakes and water conservations areas are below regulation levels, he said. Lake Okeechobee is about 2 feet below where it should be and 5 feet below historic levels for this time of year, said Mr. Rodriguez. . In Palm Beach, Broward and Miami, the problem is the areas are built out so much there's no water storage, so water from -lakes and canals is what residents use, said Mr. Rodriguez. Having no storage has played into the call for restrictions. "It's a decision to try and stretch the supply we already have because we don't have a back-up or a back-up to our back-up," said Mr. Rodriguez. Even water conservation areas to the west, such as the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refugee, are all well below their prescribed elevations, he added. The supply will most likely need to be stretched until May, which marks the end of the dry season. If conditions do not improve, the restrictions may possibly get tighter, said Mr. Rodriguez. A full phase III includes restricted water use for washing cars and boats and other recreational activities, as well as pres- sure cleaning. The district started with lawn water- ing, since it's an area where reduced use can have a significant impact. "(Landscape irrigation) is by far the single largest water usage category," said Mr. Rodriguez. "As much as 50 percent of each house- hold's potable (drinking) water winds up on their lawns," As an example of how much water is used for irri- gation purposes alone, Jeff SiCHIC READ &- Spiritual Advisor with 40 years experience! "I do what others only claim to do" Advice on Love Marriage Business Problems, Card, Palm & Psychic Readings Phone Readings Chakra Balancing Available for Parties Callt for an 4ppoinf/mentf NOW 561.744.3338 561.840.9905 US Hwy 1 Jupiter S 12224 US Hwy 1 Juno Beach Aike's Aeuminum Speciaeties Phone: (561) 848-7188 M Fax: (561) 848-0115 Family Owned and Operated Since 1992 Beauty is a Gift... Beautiful ceramic pots Individually designed " and hand-crafted to accent any garden,. L Any combination. Pt.-. -i.^ ~ - .i^- -iws iss 'u Natal, town manager of Juno Beach said the town uses 106,000 gallons per year. The town also has unmetered wells, he said. Residents and business- es in Palm Beach, Okee- chobee, St. Lucie, Martin, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Hendry and Glades counties will have two "watering windows" starting in mid-January. Odd-numbered street addresses can water lawns on Mondays between 4 and 8 a.m. or 4 and 8 p.m. Even-numbered street addresses take their turn during the same hours on Thursdays. Although the start date was arbitrarily chosen, the days and times for the addresses have been worked out for years as part of the district's com- prehensive water shortage plan. The plan was derived from conversations with stakeholders, such as nurseries and utilities. For instance, utilities officials were concerned about usage during peak times, and the possibility that if everyone was water- ing their Idwns between four and eight on a given day and there was a fire, there would not be enough water to fight the fire with, said Mr. Rodriguez. Another aspect of the comprehensive plan allows for extra watering time for new lawns and landscaping when modi- fied phase III restrictions are in place. "It's a perfect example of working with nurseries, because how are people going to sell plants if resi- dents can only water them one day a week?" asked Mr. Rodriguez. "We don't want to dis- courage anyone from buy- ing new plants," he added. Residents who have new installations can water up to six days a week. If the new installations have been in place for 30 days or less, and the area is less than 5 acres, they can water every day except Fri- day between 2 and 8 a.m. If it's more than 5 acres, they can start watering at midnight. Installations that were put in between 31 and 60 days beforehand can be watered Monday, Wednes- day, Thursday and Satur- day with the same hours as above. "Code enforcement offi- cers will be out looking for people breaking restric- tions, so people with new installations should be ready to show the docu- mentation that the land- scaping is new if need be," said Mr. Rodriguez. Municipalities' code enforcement units will be in charge of fining resi- dents who do not comply, he said. Residents in Juno Beach will be given one warning before receiving a citation for noncompliance, said Mr. Naftal. As for businesses, such as golf courses, that hold permits from the SFWMD, they answer to the district. Golf courses have been given an allotted water usage per month, which varies at each course. The modified phase III restric- tions calls for all golf courses in the affected areas to decrease their usage by 45 percent. "That really is a substan- tial cutback if your busi- ness is about keeping the lawn green," said Mr. Rodriguez. It's especially substantial for the course at the North Palm Beach Country Club because its reduction is actually more than 45 per- cent, based on a scale on the district's Web site regarding soil type and other factors, said village manager Jimmy Knight. The course currently uses any where between 400,000 and 700,000 gal- lons a day, and will have to cut back to about 57,000 gallons a day, he said. . Since the courses are permitted by the SFWMD, their staffs have to report water usage on a weekly basis. At the end of the month the district tallies the reports to make sure they are complying, said Mr. Rodriguez. In North Palm Beach's case, the maintenance of the country club was out- sourced to International Golf Maintenance based in Champions Gate, Fla., in October, so IGM will have to observe the course's water use, said Mr. Knight. It can be rather expen- sive for courses that do not follow the restrictions. Municipalities charge fines ranging between $25 and $125 for people who do not comply. Since the golf courses are the permit holders, the state allows the district to seek up to $10,000 per offense, per day, said Mr. Rodriguez. The only residents or businesses somewhat off the hook for the time being are those that use 100 per- cent reclaimed water, which is recycled waste water that has been highly treated. This kind of water is predominatelyl used' by golf courses, said Mr. Rodriguez. Courses or neighbor- hoods that use reclaimed water, such as the Semi- nole Golf Course, Sea Oats and Oak Harbour in Juno Beach, do not have to fol- low the restrictions. However, even these res- idents and busiriesses should not get out of hand with their use. Others living in areas where the restrictions apply should also try to conserve water by only running their dishwashers and washing machines if they have a full load, said Mr. Rodriguez. "I think part of the mes- sage (of the restrictions) is to use your water wisely," he said. ATTENTION EMPLOYERSf If you are having trouble filling your current positions Hometown News is here to help you! Advertise in our dynamic employment section and reach qualilty applicants for your business. Call Hometown News Classified TODAY ! 5.N TE:T 1 l'E Iwwb ss r atc- om 7 Replace FREE ESTIMATES Windows and Ooors 125 Miller Way, Lake Park, FL 33403 Lic #17386 Lic # U20484 M linGw rd Mike Sanicky