by David Ball
Staff Writer
While recent reports of pharmaceuticals found in drinking water supplies have captured national attention, Jacksonville is facing its own dilemma of a shrinking water supply, and what’s left being diverted to Central Florida.
Tuesday, Council member Ray Holt met with Council Vice President Ronnie Fussell to address issues of water conservation — specifically how to curb area homeowners associations from forcing residents to plant only St. Augustine grass, reported to be one of the “thirstiest” grasses and requiring more watering than other lawns.
The issue first came up at last Thursday’s meeting of the Jacksonville Waterways Commission, which discussed the City’s proposed groundwater resource management ordinance that increases regulation of lawn and turf fertilization, promotes “Florida Friendly” landscaping and other issues regarding water health.
Holt even admitted he belongs to a neighborhood association that requires residents to have a St. Augustine grass lawn.
“It’s killing me in the summer when I have $200 and $300 water bills,” he said last week.
But it turns out, Holt can go ahead and replace his grass. He said Jason Teal of the Office of General Counsel found a Florida statute that states as of 2001, such associations can not prevent a homeowner from having a “xeriscape” bare lawn or a Florida-Friendly yard.
“You can’t have a contract that is in violation of the law,” said Teal. “Any requirement passed after 2001 wouldn’t be legal.”
So, Holt said the City now needs to get the word out to homeowners associations and residents, even by possibly sending City staffers to resident meetings.
Fussell said Citizens Planning Advisory Committees should already have e-mail contacts with most of the homeowners associations and can send out notices.
“There’s a lot of resources to get the word out,” he said. “JEA has $7 million in advertising money, maybe they can use it to promote conservation.”
Teal said the water resource ordinance already has a large public outreach component, and “all these issues should work and dovetail together.”
Residents of Northeast Florida will likely be inundated with promotional messages to conserve water, as the St. Johns River Water Management District just launched a multimedia campaign to heighten awareness of the importance of conserving and provide tips on how to conserve.
The $2.5 million campaign (with nearly $500,000 coming from community partners like local municipalities) directed to water users in the District’s entire 18-county jurisdiction is the latest in a series of yearly campaigns first launched in 2002.
Linda Burnette, the District’s director of communications and government affairs, said early campaigns focused mostly on raising awareness. From 2005-07, the message was focused more towards outdoor irrigation, and the District in 2006 implemented a rule limiting lawn and landscape irrigation to only two days a week.
“This year, we’re going back to really working hard to educate people on the need to conserve water both inside and outside the home,” said Burnette. “Through our research completed this fall, we learned it was important to help people understand they can conserve water and money, and that is important in these economic times.”
Burnette said she was glad to hear Jacksonville City Council members are addressing the types of lawns residents are encouraged to have.
“That’s one of biggest water wasters in our area, with people overwatering lawns,” she said. “I’m very glad they had that discussion. There was limited discussion at our governing board meeting (Tuesday), and I don’t know the average homeowner understands they are legally not required to have a certain type of grass. That is very very important message to get out.”
Burnette said the District’s radio, TV and newspaper advertisements will start showing up this week and on the campaign’s own Web site, Floridaswater.com.