OUC warns customers to cut back on excessive water use during drought

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orlando Utilities Commission has seen a dramatic uptick in water use as possibly the driest spring in Florida’s history continues to dry out residents’ yards and kill grass.

During a normal day during this time of year, officials said OUC pumps about 87 million gallons of water. On Wednesday, the utility company pumped 107 million gallons.

While OUC is not concerned about its ability to meet the water demand, it wanted to warn customers that they may see drastically higher water bills if they use excessive amounts of water.

“We are concerned about our customers,” OUC spokesman Tim Trudell said. “We believe they are going to start to see some high bills that correlate with high water usage.

“Maybe they’re not thinking about (that) right now. Maybe they’re just thinking about their yard being a little brown, or not what it usually looks like.”

Officials reminded customers that they should not be watering their yards between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and in unincorporated Orange County residents can be cited for violations.

Cox Media Group