GROVELAND, Fla. -- A Central Florida city has threatened to shut off water to homeowners who fail to follow watering rules after the town's supply was nearly tapped dry.

"We'll go out and we'll shut people's irrigation systems off," Groveland Public Works Director Larry Walker said. "We'll just have to take control that way if we can't get some compliance by asking people."

A 700,000-gallon water plant stopped working on Thursday after an apparent spike in usage.

The tank dropped to critical levels and forced a boil-water alert, Local 6 reported.

A back-up well kicked in after water levels plummeted.

City officials said irrigation is not allowed to take place on Fridays, but some homeowners were not complying with the rules.

Local 6 showed a homeowner watering her lawn on Friday despite restrictions.

Also, a Groveland restaurant had a note posted in a restroom asking people not to wash their hands but to use hand wipes because of the water problems.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.