After an unusually dry rainy season and a significant rise in water usage, the City of Tampa Water Department is urging residents and businesses to use water wisely. Starting this month, water conservation staff will be hosting a series of free, virtual workshops to provide customer's with practical advice on how to save water, lower utility bills, and improve the health and sustainability of their landscapes.

Data shows, as a whole, customers within the City of Tampa, are using an average of 4 million gallons of water more per day than they were this time last year. The average daily annual demand for drinking water in millions of gallons of water per day (MGD) is provided below:

• 2021: 79 MGD
• 2022: 80 MGD
• 2023: 84 MGD (to date)

"To meet the increased demand for water, for the second time this year, we have started buying additional water from our wholesale water provider, Tampa Bay Water," said Mayor Jane Castor. "Water is an invaluable resource and we must all play an active role in conserving it to ensure Tampa can meet the needs of its growing population."

The "Fall into Water Conservation" workshop series kicks-off this week and will be offered once a week through mid-November.

For more information about the workshops and to sign up, please visit the link below.