In Florida, you get used to seeing water everywhere. We have beaches on three sides, and the inland is nearly flooded with lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Despite all of that, we’re technically in a drought. The nice weather folks on TV still talk about being 8 inches low on rainfall every month. I try to remember that during our thunderstorms every afternoon.
Even though we’re starting to get our afternoon thunderstorms, people still like to water their lawns. Actually, it’s not so much people as organizations. Every day, every night, you see sprinklers running. Technically, the St. Johns River Water Management District only allows you to water your lawn two days a week. They even have an advertising campaign to remind us, It Takes Two.
So what did I see today that’s like most every day? Sprinklers running during a downpour. We’re getting drenched from the sky, but automatic sprinklers keep running. Not only do the sprinklers run, they often miss the grass. When I went to SunTrust today in Heathrow, the sprinkler was aimed at the parking lot instead of the grass.
Of course, there’s another problem with this picture. It’s stupid to water in the rain, but what if the system is on a timer? A schedule doesn’t know when it’s going to rain, so the timer just turns the sprinklers on and off – right? Well, it’s not supposed to work that way. Florida law requires rain sensor devices on automatic lawn sprinkler systems.
Florida Statutes, Part VI, Chapter 373.62: Water Conservation; automatic sprinkler systems. — Any person who purchases and installs an automatic lawn sprinkler system after May 1, 1991, shall install, and must maintain and operate, a rain sensor device or switch that will override the irrigation cycle of the sprinkler system when adequate rainfall has occurred.
This particular SunTrust was just built last year. So why the hell doesn’t it use a rain sensor? It’s not just SunTrust, though. I saw the same thing in the City of Lake Mary and the Heathrow International Business Park. Why the hell can’t they obey the same rules as the rest of us?
