Last month, the South Florida Water Management District imposed mandatory restrictions on residential water use here, due to the low water level of Lake Okechobee, the primary source for water for all of South Florida.
These restrictions include the regulation of lawn watering and the washing of vehicles and boats. Offenders could be fined or jailed, officials say.
But there are currently no restrictions of the use of water by businesses. And the City is continuing to sell tons of water to visiting cruise ships.
In June 1999, the City was "busted" after Key West The Newspaper reported that the City was selling water to cruise ships for a profit. That's a no-no, according to officials at the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA).
The City is still selling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to the cruise ships, but now is adding only a "handling charge," said Assistant City Manager John Jones.
He said that, last year, the City of Key West used about 4-to-5 million gallons of water, down from 7 million before the start of the City-wide sewer improvement project.
"The water we sell to the cruise ships is equivalent to about one day's usage by the island in a year," Jones said.
But, he added, if the water situation worsens and more restrictions are imposed, the City Commission may be asked to decide if water sales to cruise ships should continue.
A large cruise ship may load as much as 500 tons; a smaller ship 250 tons.