Lakewood Ranch HOA hopes to reign in unnecessary irrigation

All around Steve Ayers’ yard there are hints of what some may consider an obsession with rainfall and irrigation.

In flower beds and under oak trees, yellow cups made for measuring rain dot the landscape. An irrigation pressure reader hides in a front yard bush, and he even has a weather station positioned at the corner of his lanai roof.

“I’m not the typical resident,” Ayers admits.

As one of five ad hoc irrigation committee members for the Country Club Edgewater Village Association, Ayers is keen on solving some of the community’s irrigation-related issues. The Country Club Edgewater Village Association is the homeowners association for residents in the Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts 2 and 5 portions of the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

With the support of Braden River Utilities, the ad hoc committee has seen improvements in using less irrigation water throughout the district.

And with rainy season in full force, supervisors are considering what can be done to minimize water usage at a time when irrigation isn’t actually needed. Florida yards require about an inch of water per week — a requirement that’s been satisfied naturally since late May.

Even so, in June, the districts used 47 million gallons of water, which cost the CDD $57,000.