Please don't flush, county utilities asks

It's water, water everywhere in Sarasota County.

"It's kind of scary because you don't know if it's going to flood," said Beverly Mishkin.

Despite flooded sidewalks and overwhelmed drains, for the most part life is going on as normal except for one big request brought on by all the standing water.

Sarasota County Utilities is asking residents not to flush whenever possible and save water wherever you can.

"Just kind of put some thought in to if it can wait running the dishwasher, those types of thing. If it can wait, hold off," explained Utilities Director Jody Kirkman. "Let's get through this storm period, kind of help us ride out this storm period.  With the rains we've received from Tropical Storm Debby, the rains have kind of placed a little burden on the system."

He's talking about the water treatment system that takes in waste water from your home.  It also takes in the water from many drains across Sarasota, reducing your own water usage is a preventive tactic to avoid a backlog and a spill.

"It's just a preventative.  This is the first time in my career we've actually asked people to take this preventative measure," Kirkman said.

It's not a requirement. Flush reduction may be a big request for some, but limiting water is doable for most.

"I just did my dishes a couple of days ago, so I should be okay," Mishkin said.

Once the drainage system catches up with the eight inches of rain that's fallen the alert will be lifted. The quicker Debby moves out the quicker that happens.