Pasco County highlights conservation, rebates as dry season begins

On a recent Pasco County podcast, county and regional water officials urged residents to conserve water as the dry season approaches and outlined rebate programs and technologies to lower household and commercial water use.

On the Pasco podcast, Mike Carballa, host, said water conservation is timely with the dry season beginning and World Water Day approaching. Phoenix McKinney, Pasco County water conservation coordinator, and Amelia Brown, program manager for Tampa Bay Water, described conservation strategies, incentive programs and new technologies that can reduce demand on potable supplies.

The officials emphasized irrigation as the single largest source of avoidable household water use. McKinney said many irrigation systems are “not efficiently designed” or maintained and that homeowners frequently “set it and forget it,” causing overwatering. Brown noted that weather-based irrigation controllers and properly zoned systems can cut waste by adjusting run times for temperature, humidity and recent rainfall.

Both speakers described locally available incentive programs. McKinney said Pasco County partners with Tampa Bay Water on a rebate program funded in part by the regional water management district; rebate amounts discussed in the podcast ranged from about $40 up to $40,000 depending on the customer and project. The Tampa Bay Water program manager described pilot projects such as an in-tank toilet insert called AquaMizer, which “reduces the flush volume by half” and is cheaper than full toilet replacement. McKinney also noted a separate retail rebate for WaterSense-certified toilets in the range of $40 to $100.

Officials also described outreach and technical resources: the Florida Friendly Landscaping program (extension service), Tampa Bay Water’s Waterwise program, and county staff who can visit properties to review irrigation systems and rebates. McKinney encouraged residents to check pascocountyutilities.net for program details and to request on-site help.

On supply-side issues, Brown said Tampa Bay Water’s drinking-water portfolio is mostly groundwater and river withdrawals, with a desalination facility providing a small fraction of supply. She highlighted climate-related variability: the region experienced a prolonged drought with reservoir levels unusually low, followed later by heavy storms that added a different set of management challenges. Brown said Tampa Bay Water models the potential impacts of climate change on timing and quantity of supply and works to improve infrastructure resilience.

Both speakers outlined practical household steps: walk an irrigation run to check for broken or misaligned heads; replace a worn toilet flapper (a low-cost fix); and reduce shower time by 30 seconds to save roughly a gallon. McKinney offered an illustrative estimate presented on the podcast: if every customer in the county savings area saved one gallon per person per day, that would amount to roughly 30,000,000 gallons a month. The podcast framed that as an example of how modest individual changes can add up.

Officials discussed utility-side measures as well, including leak detection, targeted pipe replacement, and more intelligent distribution flushing to limit wasted water while maintaining safety. Brown said Tampa Bay Water and member governments are open to piloting new technologies for commercial kitchens and other high-use customers.

The county did not take any formal action during the podcast; the program served as public education and outreach. McKinney and Brown directed listeners to county and Tampa Bay Water resources for details on eligibility, funding limits and how to apply for rebates.

For more information, presenters pointed listeners to pascocountyutilities.net and to Tampa Bay Water’s Waterwise resources.