April is Water Conservation Month

April in Florida…
It’s an ideal time to enjoy a little fun in the sun and to remind Floridians about the importance of water conservation.
The state Legislature designated April as Water Conservation Month because April is in the dry season, typically the time when water needs are most acute and temperatures begin to climb. Although Florida receives an average of 52 inches of rainfall per year, 60 percent of that annual rainfall is from June through September.
If you haven’t thought about conserving water, now is a great time to start! On average, about 50 percent of home water use is for outdoor irrigation. One way to reduce your water consumption is by practicing Florida-friendly landscaping techniques. Florida-friendly landscaping, established by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences for the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program, is a commonsense way to landscape that conserves water and protects the environment. Florida-friendly landscaping emphasizes the following nine principles:

• Right Plant, Right Place — Plants selected to suit a specific site will require minimal amounts of water, fertilizers and pesticides. Group plants according to their maintenance needs.

• Water Efficiently — Irrigate only when your lawn and landscape need water. Efficient watering is the key to a healthy Florida yard and conservation of limited resources.

• Fertilize Appropriately — Less is often best. Over-utilization of fertilizers can be hazardous to your yard and the environment.

• Mulch — Maintaining a 3-inch layer of mulch will help retain soil moisture, prevent erosion and suppress weeds.

• Manage Yard Pests Responsibly — Unwise use of pesticides can harm people, pets, beneficial organisms and the environment.

• Recycle — Grass clippings, leaves and yard trimmings recycled on site provide nutrients to the soil and reduce waste disposal.

• Reduce Stormwater Runoff — Water running off your yard can carry pollutants such as soil, debris, fertilizer and pesticides that can adversely impact water quality. Reduction of this runoff will help prevent nonpoint-source pollution.

• Protect the Waterfront — Waterfront property, whether on a river, stream, pond, bay or beach, is very fragile and should be carefully protected to maintain freshwater and marine ecosystems.

• Attract Wildlife — Plants in your yard that provide food, water and shelter can sustain Florida’s diverse wildlife.

Incorporating these simple steps will not only save water, but will help protect the environment for future generations. For more information about how you can conserve water inside and outside your home, please visit the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s web site at WaterMatters.org.

Spring Irrigation Maintenance

Click on the photo above to view video.

Florida-Friendly Fertilizing

Sometimes Florida yards need fertilizer to help keep them healthy, but applying too much fertilizer, too often or at the wrong time can cause water pollution. 

Recent studies have shown that rising nitrate levels in many local water bodies can be traced to fertilizer. Nitrate is a form of nitrogen that is found in inorganic fertilizers. When fertilizer is needed and applied correctly, the lawn absorbs the nitrogen. However, fertilizers applied improperly can run off lawns and into local water bodies, harming water quality and threatening the plants and animals that depend on clean water for survival.

You can help protect water quality while having a beautiful lawn. Learn more with steps 1–5 or by ordering our free Do-It-Yourself Guide to Florida-Friendly Fertilizing. 

Fertilizer applications vary depending on grass species, your location in the state and your desired level of lawn care. For more detailed information, visit University of Florida/IFAS.

Know When to Apply Fertilizer

To prevent fertilizer from washing into water bodies, it’s important to know the right time to fertilize. Follow these tips before fertilizing:

• Consider the time of year, climate, soil type and, most important, type of grass and health or condition of the lawn before applying fertilizer.
• Fertilize only when the grass is actively growing. For instance, during the winter, grass is dormant in many areas of Florida; therefore, fertilizer is not necessary. Fertilizer applied when grass is not growing wastes your money and time, since it will not be beneficially used by the grass. Instead, it will leach through the soil or run off and pollute nearby water bodies.
• If your lawn has problem areas, find out if this is related to a pest, soil or environmental problem such as excess shade or the uneven distribution of irrigation water. These problems should be corrected and not just masked by fertilization.
• If your household uses reclaimed water, check with your utility to determine if your reclaimed water has nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which are also in fertilizer. If so, you may not need to fertilize as much.
• Do not fertilize if rain is predicted in the next 24–36 hours or when a heavy rain, tropical storm, hurricane or flood is predicted.

For more information check out http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/yards/fertilizing/ 

To Flush or Not To Flush

Photo from Columbia News Service

Pharmaceuticals are now attracting attention as a potentially new class of water pollutants. Drugs such as antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control pills, seizure medication, cancer treatments, pain killers, tranquilizers and cholesterol-lowering compounds have been detected in varied water sources. 

Where do they come from? Pharmaceutical industries, hospitals and other medical facilities are obvious sources, but households also contribute a significant share. People often dispose of unused medicines by flushing them down toilets. These drugs can pass intact through conventional sewage treatment facilities, into waterways, lakes and even aquifers. Further, discarded pharmaceuticals often end up at dumps and land fills, posing a threat to underlying groundwater. For more info click here.

Manatee County Sheriff's office is now offering a safe way to dispose of your medication. The drop off location is the front desk of the Sheriff’s Office located at 600 301 Boulevard West, Bradenton.  The front desk is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   

Reduce your pollution by disposing of your medications properly!

The Invasive Air Potato

Photo from Okeechobee UF/IFAS Extension

Stephen Brown, Lee County Extension Agent, did a great job on this video describing the air potato vine.  Click here to view video.

For more information visit:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag112

http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/environment/air_potato.html

http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/parks/air_potato.html

http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/133

Ten water-wasting irrigation problems (And their easy fixes!)

Staying on top of irrigation system problems will prevent wasting water and loss or damage to landscapes. The most important action to take to help maintain an irrigation system is to conduct regular inspections while the system is running.

1.      Problem: System is watering during rainfall or after sufficient rainfall.
Fix: Install a rain sensor that will automatically turn off the system during rain events to reduce overwatering. (It is a requirement by state law SB494 that all systems have a rain sensor and that they are tested and operating properly).

2.      Problem: Sprinklers on large turf areas do not provide uniform water distribution.
Fix: Adjust sprinkler heads to create head-to-head coverage and add heads where needed.

3.      Problem: Small areas of turf are deteriorating and are difficult to maintain.

Fix: Convert the areas to plant beds and use drought-tolerant plants suitable to the conditions.

4.      Problem: System is watering turf and plants on the same zone for the same duration and with the same amount of water.
Fix: If plant materials in beds are established, irrigation should be shut off altogether or the more appropriate low-volume irrigation should replace the current high-volume irrigation system.

5.      Problem: Broken sprinkler heads are noted.
Fix: Check sprinkler heads on a regular basis and replace broken heads as soon as possible.

6.      Problem: Sprinkler heads are spraying onto driveway or sidewalk.
Fix: Change nozzles from 180 degree spray to 90 degree spray or adjust spray pattern.

7.      Problem: Sprinkler head is spraying directly into the ground.
Fix: Straighten the sprinkler head.

8.      Problem: Sprinkler head distribution is blocked by plant material.

Fix: Remove or trim plant material to reduce blockage.

9.      Problem: Sprinkler heads are watering a plant-less mulch area.
Fix: Cap these sprinkler heads.

Problem: Sprinkler head appears to be clogged or is not popping up.
Fix: Flush out the head and replace the nozzle if necessary.

Information above provided by Sylvia L. Durell, Senior Communications Coordinator,

Southwest Florida Water Management District