Tampa Bay Drought: Save Water, Keep Greens

0:00It's April 20th. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Tampa Bay News today, local news powered by AI. The Tampa Bay area is locked in one of the worst droughts in 50 years, hitting hard during April, the driest month, and water conservation month. Officials just tighten rules to once a week lawn watering, based on your house number, and only before 4 a.m. or after 8 p.m. for smaller. Spots. Tampa Bay Water just handed out their Community Waterwise Award to residents David Cope and Michele Bert. Their yard rocks 88 plant species, and about 300 plants total, all kept lush with micro irrigation, mulch, and 360 gallon. Rain barrels catching runoff, no waste from evaporation. Folks like this couple show you can beat the drought and still have a yard buzzing with birds dropping new plants as surprises. But the dry spill amps up wildfire risks big time from April through June, the peak season here in Florida. Meanwhile, rebates make it easy to upgrade, think 100 to 200 dollars back on a new low

1:01flow toilet, or sprinkler fixes, for customers in, places like Pinellas and Hillsboro counties. Simple indoor moves help too, like shutting off the faucet while brushing teeth. Even with a sprinkle of recent rain, experts say we're nowhere near out of this mess, but the rainy season kicks in come June. Time to step up those water saving habits, and keep our greens thriving without draining the supply.