Water Conservation in Residential Irrigation: A Case Study in the Southwest Florida Area.

Soils in Florida are dominantly sandy. This physical property makes soils prone to have a very limited water-holding capacity which is a risk for the development of healthy turfgrasses on landscapes if adequate water supply is not applied. However, estimated residential irrigation in the area showed to be above the theoretical irrigation requirements calculated by a soil water balance equation. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to determine the theoretical irrigation requirements for different soils at different locations in Southwest Florida, from 2001 to 2007; and (2) to compare the theoretical irrigation requirements to irrigation amounts estimated from monthly water billing records for the same time span and area. Preliminary results showed that, in the Tampa area, an average of 35% of households over irrigated, results that can be affecting the future viability of Florida’s water resources.