SARASOTA COUNTY -- County residents who water their lawns on Sundays should take advantage of it while they can.

By next year, Sunday watering by residents with odd-numbered addresses will likely be switched to Thursdays in Sarasota, Venice and the county.

Between laundry and washing cars, residents use more water on Saturdays and Sundays than they do during the week, said Theresa Connor, Sarasota County's general manager for water resources.

"It puts a strain on the system," Connor said of Sunday watering.

Sarasota County is considering a proposal to make the switch, but it wouldn't go into effect immediately. Instead, the change will likely occur next year after a public-information campaign to make people aware of the switch.

The Sarasota County Commission will discuss the proposed changes Wednesday.

Only residents with odd-numbered addresses would be affected by the proposal. Residents with even-numbered addresses would continue watering on Tuesdays.

The new ordinance likely will include a hardship clause. For some residents, watering their lawns with a water hose is a laborious task best left to the weekend. Those residents can apply for a waiver that would allow them to continue watering on Sundays, Connor said. Residents who irrigate their lawns on automatic timer systems will not get a waiver and would have to make the switch.

Sarasota and Venice say they're on board for the switch, not only as a water conservation measure but to avoid confusion. Longboat Key has no plans to change from Tuesday and Sunday watering.

State rules limit watering to two days a week in Florida, which uses more water on a per capita basis than any other state. Sarasota, Venice, Longboat Key and the county, however, allow watering on only one day.

Only North Port permits watering on two days, although that may change soon.

"The resolution to enact one-day-a-week irrigation is pending," said Cindi Mick, North Port's utilities director. "The current drought conditions have obviously taxed the entire region's water system."

Like the other cities, North Port hopes to make its watering days jibe with the county's.

"It just makes sense that people don't have to worry about the municipality they live in," said Jan Thornburg, Sarasota's spokeswoman.

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