About 22 million people already live in Florida, and it’s expected to grow to 33 million by 2070. Those who irrigate lawns tap into the same water, much of it from the Floridan aquifer.
Many cities and counties, and all water management districts, impose irrigation restrictions to try to conserve the limited supply of water on which we all rely.
Thanks partly to funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, newly published research by University of Florida social scientists found that nearly 40% of residents who are supposed to follow irrigation restrictions believe those rules are voluntary.
“That’s a major disconnect and helps explain why compliance remains a challenge, despite policies,” said study co-author John Diaz, a UF/IFAS associate professor of agricultural education and communication. “It’s a reminder that enforcement alone isn’t enough — awareness and communication are critical.”
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To improve compliance, residents can start by confirming what the rules are in their area and then take small steps to follow the regulations -- like setting irrigation timers or using rain sensors, said Diaz, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Plant City office.
To learn about local guidance, residents can check city and county websites, pay attention to flyers in their water bills and look to others for education about irrigation restrictions. Who teaches those rules? People who work for water management districts, utilities and UF/IFAS Extension agents, among others.
“But beyond tools, what really motivates people is understanding the positive impact of their actions — saving money, protecting local water supplies and doing what’s right,” Diaz said. “When we focus on those benefits and normalize conservation in our neighborhoods, we make it easier for everyone to turn the sprinkler off at the right time."
The study also showed that conserving water must come from within each person. Specifically, you must have confidence in your ability to follow these rules, said Laura Warner, a UF/IFAS professor of agricultural education and communication and corresponding author of the study.
For their study, Warner and her colleagues surveyed 2,651 Floridians in an online poll and found several factors play important roles in whether they obey irrigation rules.
Included among those factors was whether respondents thought others around them would approve of them complying. Those “others” include family, friends, neighbors and others whose opinions they value.
Other factors that influence whether people comply with water restrictions:
• If they’ve followed irrigation restrictions in the past.
• If they follow them now.
These findings give researchers insight into how to galvanize residents to follow water restrictions.
“We want our education and communications to develop people’s confidence in operating their system so irrigation runs only on allowed days,” Warner said. “We also want to enhance their understanding of the good things that will happen if they comply -- like having a healthy lawn because it isn’t over-watered.”
“Part of our goal is to figure out the best way to communicate and educate,” Warner said. “With nearly half of those surveyed being unaware of these rules, it is clear that we need to find more effective approaches.”
ABOUT UF/IFAS: The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.