Lawn watering restrictions are in place in Northeast Florida due to the drought. | St. Johns River Water Management District
Published on April 8, 2026 at 11:52 am
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Q: As a drought continues in Northeast Florida, residents have been advised to limit their water consumption. And they’ve been warned that their water pressure could be low because of high demand.
But what about heavy water users like golf courses? Do they face the same restrictions?
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That was the concern of Jacksonville Today reader Jonathon A.
Jonathon asked:
“Are there any mandates or safeguards set against the higher users like golf courses or bottled water companies?”
A. Water restrictions ordered by the St. Johns River Water Management District apply to all permitted users, including some businesses such as golf courses. But there are conditions.
The restrictions have been in place for months. The water management district declared a moderate water shortage in Duval and four other counties in February due to the drought. The district then increased the order in March to a more severe category — a ““Modified Phase II Severe Water Shortage.”
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That order covered parts of Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns counties.
In short, landscape irrigation is limited to one day per week. The order also states that all commercial, industrial and institutional water users — including golf courses — should restrict water use to “the minimum required to protect efficiency of the operation and prevent damage to equipment.”
The full water shortage order, including requirements for commercial users, is on the district’s website.
There are exceptions, however.
Many golf courses, business parks and housing developments use reclaimed water, which is highly treated sewage wastewater, processed to make it safe for non-drinking uses like irrigation, industrial cooling and wetland restoration.
Those users would not be subject to the same rules — unless the reclaimed water is supplemented with other sources, such as potable water, said Ashley Evitt, spokeperson for the water management district.
That might be the case if the water user had an insufficient supply of reclaimed water. The business would then be subject to the restrictions, Evitt said.
For example, St. Johns County utility customers have a reclaimed water conservation schedule, which means specific watering days and times based on subdivision and address. Details can be found at SilverLeaf Reclaimed Water Schedule – St. Johns County.
Similarly, JEA has a reclaimed water conservation schedule for Nocatee’s four watering zones, each assigned watering days as allowed by the current water shortage order. On those days, customers still have access to outdoor potable water from their spigot.
The water management district says about 61% of all wastewater treatment flows in its 18-county region were reused for multiple purposes as of 2023. Those uses included landscape irrigation for golf courses, parks, highway medians, playgrounds and residential properties.
Reclaimed water also is used in decorative ponds and fountains; industrial uses such as cooling; fire protection; and wetlands creation, restoration and enhancement.
The Water Management District is recognizing April as Water Conservation Month. As of last week, the entire state of Florida was classified under some level of drought. Portions of northern and southern counties are experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
April is typically one of the driest months of the year in Florida, when landscape irrigation demands are often highest.
