Water, Water Everywhere But Not A Drop To Spare

South Florida has moved into a summer-like weather pattern. It's hot and humid and we're getting rain just about every day.  Our canals are up and they say Lake Okeechobee's levels are increasing too.  After reaching a a low of 8.82 feet in July 2007, the lake's back up to 10.32 feet...a fraction above the level it was back in April of 2007. That's good news.  Still, it should be somewhere around 14 feet so there's a ways to go before the lake's back to normal.

Amazingly, this good news has resulted in our government announcing that water restrictions have been relaxed...from watering once a week to now, twice a week.  I could hardly believe my ears.  Why not leave things as they were?  The restrictions could and should remain forever as far as I'm concerned, but certainly at least until the lake is back up to its normal level. People are used to them now and I haven't seen one brown lawn.  Nobody's suffering, not even the grass.

Talk about short-sighted! Are Americans that unable to be deprived in any way for any length of time or is it just that we're never asked to?    

Comments

[sandy kessler]

oddly we are on restrictions here?I had a water leak, and replumbed I felt so guilty

[CountryDew]

I think we're far too pampered in the U.S. I agree that the restrictions should have stayed. I know I'm still taking timed showers at my house (we're on a well) even though we've had rain. Until we've received about 24 inches of rain over and above what's normal for the present, I will continue to do so...

[Rob]

Up here in the northland, we have odd even watering bans. Odd numbered houses water on od days, even numbered houses on even days. Works here as we have plenty of lakes. yet I do detest mowing the lawn, therefore I do as little wtering as possible.

Which leads me to wonder about this lawn businees. We strip away native plants in our urban areas and resod with grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass not native here. We then spend a fortune watering and mowing the lawn to look like a golf course. But if we plant the tall native grasses, the city will fine the residence for too long of grass. Seems odd to me. I never fully understood the necessity of watering lawns.