News

Alachua County under a phase two severe water shortage order

WCJB · last updated

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) — The Saint John’s River and Suwannee River Water Management Districts declared a severe water shortage throughout Alachua County on Wednesday.

County leaders are asking residents to do their part to conserve water.

Under a phase 2 water shortage order, streets, driveways, and sidewalks cannot be washed unless it is for safety reasons.

Homeowners’ associations cannot require extra watering for appearance.

The use of irrigation systems is limited to once a week.

Experts say the shortage is due to ongoing drought conditions and declining water levels from limited rainfall.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2026 WCJB. All rights reserved.

View full article

here today, more tomorrow

We’ve launched briefing.center with a focus on the press and media.

And we’ve added Citizen Cartwright, a daily quick-read news summary by veteran Washington journalist Linda Cartwright. We’ve also created a new voting rights knowledge center for Citizen Cartwright subscribers. (You can sign up for a dedicated morning email at citizencartwright.com.)

You can sign up here for full access to press and media and Citizen Cartwright on briefing.center.

You can use briefing.center as the center of your information management, or just one of your tools. We’re happy to discuss your information needs.

Sign up