Their household was one of 14 customers in DeBary to receive the March notices, mailed to customers that used more than 50,000 gallons a month for two months in a row, county officials said. It's the willful violators that county officials hope to rein in. For example, one home on Highbanks Road in DeBary that received a warning notice had four sprinklers running at noon on a Friday. It has been against the rules to water between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in Volusia and Flagler counties for years and outside watering is prohibited on Fridays in Volusia County, which only allows limited watering two days a week. Homeowners who know they don't use excessive amounts of water should check for leaks if their bill seems high.
Leaks are common and often it takes only a little sleuthing to find the source.
The average family uses about 350 gallons a day or 127,400 gallons in a year, according to the American Water Works Association. If a household uses more than that, it's likely they're either violating the water restrictions or have a leak, water officials said. To check for leaks, simply turn off all known water sources and watch to see if the water meter keeps running. If it does, there's a leak. The Hildebrands had to get the county to help them check their meter, because it was unreadable.