MIAMI — That lack of rain many have enjoyed for three months in South Florida — allowing near uninterrupted opportunities for outdoor activities — comes at a cost.

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) issued a Water Shortage Warning for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties on Friday, as well as Collier, Glades, Highlands and Lee counties amid continuing dry conditions and increasing water supply concerns.

According to the governing board, Miami-Dade, for instance, has received only 3.72 inches of rain since Nov. 1, which is a rainfall deficit of 3.71 inches. Groundwater levels have been declining in most of the Biscayne Aquifer monitoring stations and in the lower 10th percentile of historic levels.

“Without an increase in aquifer recharge, further decline in groundwater levels is anticipated due to water uses,” the SFWMD said in its alert to the Florida counties.

Little rain is in the immediate forecast.

The drought is continuing to worsen and is spreading across the entire state, even up to Georgia, Everglades Foundation Chief Scientist Steve Davis said.

Being in a ‘La Niña’ weather pattern year typically brings drier winters in the Southern U.S. It was drier than average during the last wet season, which set up an even drier than average dry season.

“There’s a memory within the system that leads to ever-lower water levels throughout the Everglades,” Davis said.

This is not the first time water levels in the Everglades have dropped significantly. However, the South Florida Water Management District notice says current levels are the lowest in more than a decade. This increases the risk of saltwater intrusion into the aquifer — a problem already intensified by rising sea levels.

This drop in water levels is worse than the previous water shortage years of 2007, 2009 and 2011 for this time of year, according to the SFWMD.

Sergio Balaguera-Reina, an ecologist on the University of Florida’s ‘croc docs’ research team, said that since the water is being preserved for people, areas of the Everglades remain very dry.

The airboat outfit that operates in water conservation area three, north of the Tamiami Trail, is completely dry, he said. Areas that he’d typically take out his airboat to survey alligators, “look like a dirt road,” Balaguera-Reina said. Davis said many airboat drivers in the area had to close shop.

Climate change is making the intense weather cycles happen more often, Balaguera-Reina said.

“After a dry event, we should have something that starts bringing more water to the system. But that is the dynamic that is broken because of climate change. What is happening now is that you can see climate events more intensified,” Balaguera-Reina said.

When the water dries out, the fish have limited places to go, and the wading birds eat the fish and so on, the scientists said.

“It’s going to be a tough season for gators. They’ll survive, but a lot of animals won’t,” Balaguera-Reina said.

In particular, Davis said he worries about the nesting and foraging for wading birds. The birds likely have chicks in their nests now, and once the water disappears, they can run out of food and the chicks are abandoned.

But in Everglades National Park, Davis said, 3.3 miles of a bridge restoration project on Tamiami Trail have allowed a steadier flow into the park.

“It’s not in as dire condition in the park and even down into Florida Bay,” Davis said. “So these projects are still being constructed, but that’s what restoration is all about — uncorking the bottom of the system of Tamiami Trail and bringing more water in from the top.”

That still doesn’t guarantee that if things continue to be extra dry, the Everglades won’t catch fire down the line, Davis said.

If the voluntary water conservation efforts aren’t enough, the South Florida Water Management District can issue mandatory water use restrictions.

Davis said it’s important to remember that the region’s water supply comes from the Biscayne Aquifer, which is recharged by the Everglades.

“I think so many of us take for granted, when we turn on the tap, that water is going to be there and that there’s this endless supply at the other end. And it’s not, it’s something that we need to protect, something that we need to conserve as much as possible,” Davis said.

How to conserve water

Here’s what experts at the SFWMD and Miami-Dade County suggest we do now before stricter measures, like restrictions, are mandated. These are tips that could, and should, become habits regardless of current or future droughts.

“Conserving water year-round is an integral part of managing and protecting South Florida’s water supplies for today and for our future generations,” the South Florida Water Management District posted on its Water Conservation page, along with tip on how to do so.

Carolina Maran, a division director for the South Florida Water Management District, said the division’s biggest ask is to limit the lawn watering to once a week.

“Keep monitoring the rain. If water levels are low in lakes around your house, we want to emphasize conserving,” Maran said.

•Watering yards. During the cooler winter months, lawns don’t need to be watered as frequently as in the steamy summer months. Most of the time, one day of watering per week is sufficient to maintain a healthy landscape. Another tip: water in the morning before 10 a.m. or late afternoon and evening after 4 p.m. when it’s cooler. That way the water has time to saturate the ground rather than evaporating or drying out quickly when peak daytime temperatures are in the 80s and 90s in Miami. If your local government institutes a landscape irrigation schedule, such as allowed days and times to water your yards, heed the ruling. Miami-Dade suggests an odd- and even-address watering schedule to help in conservation efforts, for instance.

•Install a rain barrel. Installing a rain barrel can be an affordable way to capture and store rain water that can be used to water your plants. Good for orchids, potted plants and landscaping you may have around your home. Miami-Dade County promotes the use of rain barrels for irrigation by offering workshops and rebates to homeowners who purchase rain barrels.

•Repair broken pipes and damaged sprinkler heads.

•Use mulch, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences suggested as one of its landscaping tips. Mulch retains soil moisture and also helps curb pesky weed growth.

•Turn the automatic sprinklers off for now. Watch your lawn, instead, the SFWMD suggests. Here’s how you can tell when your lawn needs watering: Grass blades are folded in half. Grass blades are blue-gray. Your footprint remains on the lawn.

•Install a rain sensor. This device recognizes when nature brings the water that your lawn needs and shuts off automatic sprinklers.

•Plant native or drought-tolerant vegetation that thrives in the native soil and local weather conditions. “Go native, and resist the urge to water it and just let it go brown during the dry season. It will come back, as nature intended, when the rains come,” SFWMD says in its water saving tips flyer.

•Golf courses use tons of water. Many of these tips, including mulching around trees and shrubbery and repairing leaks and using moisture sensors and rain sensors, can also help golf course operators do their part in a water shortage crisis. So can cutting back on roughs and non-playing areas.

There are plenty of other water gobblers and wasteful usage practices around the house and outdoors. More tips:

•Avoid washing cars and boats at this time. If you don’t use your pool often, consider holding off on filling it to the brim. Check with your pool maintenance service if you have questions on proper filling.

•When using the dishwasher or washing machine, run full loads to maximize usage of the water. You’ll also save money on those dishwasher detergent packets you slip into the dishwasher door’s feeder and laundry detergents since they won’t run out so often.

•Fix leaky toiletsas leaks are a big waste of water. Also, fix leaky faucets. Detect a leaking toilet by adding a few drops of food coloring to the tank. If the tank is leaking, color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes.

•Brushing your teeth — a must. Do you need a soundtrack of running water to get the chore done? Shut the faucet while brushing and turn it back on when you need to rinse. Same goes for shaving. Shut the water while trimming the unwanted hair.

•Shorten your shower. Doesn’t take forever to get clean. You can probably get the task done in less time it takes you to sing Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” in the shower. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Sense conservation program recommends keeping your showers to five minutes or less. “Opalite” is just under four minutes. Also, consider the “navy shower” where you shut the water off while shampooing and soaping.

•Home water meter. Check it to detect leaking pipes. Read your meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the readings are different, you have a leak, the SFWMD says.

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