JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lawns and gardens will need extra care as temperatures soar this weekend, but a drop in reclaimed water pressure might make it more difficult.
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JEA customers in Nocatee, neighboring St. Johns County areas, and Southern Duval County received an automated phone call on Friday. The message stated, in part:
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“Due to the hot summer conditions, you may notice lower than normal water pressure in your irrigation system. We understand this can be frustrating and are actively working to address the issue. Our teams are aware of the low reclaimed water pressures, and are diligently working to identify and implement operational solutions to improve service.”
How does the heat, which might edge 100 degrees this weekend, affect water meant for lawns?
READ: City Rescue Mission opens cooling centers due to high temperatures
“With the extreme heat we’ve been experiencing in the past couple weeks and no relief from rain, customers are using more reclaimed water to irrigate their lawns,” a JEA spokesperson said when asked about temperatures and pressure issues. “JEA is producing and delivering more reclaimed water than ever before.”
JEA recommends those experiencing the problem to adjust their irrigation schedules to between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. This will avoid peak demand, which is typically from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Why did the automated message just go out to customers in St. Johns County and Southern Jacksonville?
It’s because these communities are serviced by reclaimed water. JEA said reclaim is produced and delivered by JEA, and peak demands for irrigation systems impact the supply of that water.
JEA expects the low-pressure issue to last throughout the weekend and “intermittently in the future.” But it said it does have plans to improve service.
“JEA also has long-term plans and projects in place to further increase production, capacity, and storage to better meet the demand of our rapidly growing southern service territory.”
Aside from adjusting your sprinkler times, JEA recommends hand watering outside peak periods.
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