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Utilities director warns of continued high water use despite restrictions; staff to begin enforcement after public confusion
Summary
Utilities Director Tom Spencer reported reservoir levels below average and said peak daily water use recently topped 9 million gallons despite watering restrictions. Staff attributed the spike partly to a published weekly summary that contained incorrect guidance; enforcement will follow the educational phase.
Tom Spencer, Punta Gorda’s utilities director, told the Utility Advisory Board on April 28 that the city remains in a drought pattern and that staff will move from education to enforcement after a recent misinformation incident that likely contributed to a spike in water use.
Spencer said the reservoir level as of April 27 was 4.97 feet, well below the long‑term March average, and that March rainfall was 0.46 inches — 1.71 inches below normal. He reported the plant saw average water withdrawals of about 6.5 million gallons per day in March and that, despite the city’s watering restrictions, his team observed a recent peak in distribution of “over 9,000,000 gallons a day.”
"With the watering restrictions in place, unfortunately, we still saw peak usage, just recently of over 9,000,000 gallons a day," Spencer said. He told the board that an earlier version of the weekly highlights contained inaccurate information about allowable watering; that version was corrected on the city website and Facebook, and staff believes the erroneous notice contributed to the spike.
Board members expressed frustration at the mixed public messaging. One member said they had received heated complaints from residents who read the incorrect weekly summary and relied on the city’s website for rules; another welcomed Spencer’s announcement that staff would begin enforcement measures after the education period.
Spencer also noted regional actions: Charlotte County is conducting a free‑chlorine conversion that Punta Gorda is not participating in, although Punta Gorda continues to receive about 1,000,000 gallons per day from the Peace River Water Supply Authority while maintaining its own rechlorination and ammonia adjustment at the plant.
The utility director warned that drought conditions persisted — at the time, drought.gov showed a portion of the county in severe drought — and urged compliance with the city’s once‑per‑week watering restrictions. Staff said enforcement would start soon and that public communications will be clarified to prevent further confusion.
