Our watering restrictions are mandated by South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and we “MUST” follow them. On April 18th, SFWMD instituted phase II restrictions with timeframe's we have never seen before.

Because of these different restrictions we are currently experiencing low pressure in some areas of the community. This is due to the hours “MANDATED” by SFWMD. The reason for the low pressure is primarily because the mandated hours allow residents to water their lawns at the same time all of the common areas are scheduled to be watered. Over the past two years, we have made it a practice not to water the common areas during the same times residents are allowed to water. This approach has solved the problem in the past and will work in the future.

To resolve the current situation the Board of Supervisors is recommending the below watering times for the residents of Gateway. If every resident voluntarily switches to these times, it will help the entire community.

NEW RECOMMENDED WATERING TIMES:
EFFECTIVE MONDAY, MAY 19th, 2008

Thursdays and Sundays house numbers ending in:
0 – 12:00 A.M. – 4:00 A.M.
2, 4 - 4:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.
6, 8 – 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Wednesdays and Saturdays house numbers ending in:
1 – 12:00 A.M. – 4:00 A.M.
3, 5 – 4:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M.
7, 9 - 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

No watering on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays
Common areas watered between 8:00 P.M. and 12:00 A.M.

We are working with SFWMD to develop annual standard pre-set watering times for Gateway. Having a standard set of times simply means if SFWMD announced Phase I or Phase II restrictions we would already know the times and they would become common place. We believe this approach will provide more consistency, create less confusion regarding “when can I water my lawn”, lower costs for communications, printing, postage, and most importantly provide better pressure for all of our customers.

Until we gain approval from SFWMD to have standard pre-set times we urge each and every resident to follow the recommended watering times.

Why not stay on one-day a week watering…we are by no means out of the severe drought situation. Just have a look at our lakes and you can see they are down a couple of feet.

It’s up to every resident to do their part and save water.

SFWMD WATERING DAYS:

12:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and/or 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on your designated day.

Odd numbered addresses - Wednesdays and/or Saturdays
Even numbered addresses or no address - Thursday and/or Sundays

"Continued One-Day-A-Week Watering Recommended"

NO RESIDENTIAL WATERING IS ALLOWED:
Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays

HAND WATERING IS ALLOWED:
Hand watering of your lawn and stressed plants will be allowed for
10 minutes per day using a single hose with an automatic shut off nozzle.

CAR OR BOAT WASHING:
Vehicle washing is not restricted however, it’s best to pull your car over a grassy area
to avoid runoff. Watering cans may also be used anytime.

Please Note: Water restrictions are mandatory and will be enforced by Lee County code and law enforcement agencies. Fines will range from $25 - $125 for the first offence. Commercial fines can be up to $10,000 per day.