A severe drought is tightening its grip on parts of North Florida.
Tuesday, the St. Johns River Water Management District declared a “moderate” water shortage for Duval County and parts of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, and Marion Counties.
Officials are now urging residents, businesses, and farmers to voluntarily reduce water use.
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Duval County is more than 10 inches below average rainfall in some areas. Clay Coarsey, Director of Division of Water Supply Planning and Assessment at the St. Johns River Water Management District said it issued a voluntary shortage order to stretch water supplies before mandatory restrictions are necessary.
“That’s one of the reasons we’ve ordered this voluntary restriction, is to have this period of time stretch as long as possible before we have to go into mandatory restrictions,” Coarsey said. He added that Central Florida has not received its normal rainfall over the past six months.
For some residents, conservation is already part of daily life. Isaiah Kelly said turning off the faucet while brushing teeth saves money and helps everyone. “That helps every person every day. It helps save on your water bill and it’s more money in your pocket,” he said.
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Other families, already impacted by wildfires, are paying close attention to the drought. Sheri Sorrells of Callahan said her household talked about the fire risk and welcomed recent rain. “We actually talked about that. We couldn’t have a fire the other night. We live in Callahan. We were happy that there is rain today,” she said. She added that her family relies on a well, so local shortages don’t affect them directly.
Wednesday’s drizzle is not enough to replenish declining groundwater levels across North Florida. Officials warn that if dry conditions continue, voluntary restrictions could soon become mandatory.
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