Well water woes are hitting a deeper level — the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer has reached a new record low, 91 feet below sea level, prompting concern from residents in north Cape Coral.
“We only use paper plates, plastic utensils,” longtime Cape Coral resident Renee Harvel said. “Try not to use too many pots, pans, because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to wash them. But if they’re saying the aquifer is at 135 feet, I’m at 145.”
Many residents in north Cape Coral do not have enough water pumped from their wells to take a shower, let alone water their lawns. They say the longer these issues persist, the more they consider moving.
“I have really good neighbors,” new mom Sherica Seilsman said. “They’ve been feeding water from their house into mine. So apparently, it’s not just the pump; it’s the water levels.”
Seilsman has had crews working to install a specialty pump in her well.
“Water goes to the deeper wells,” said David Cannestra, owner of Crystal Clear. “You have all this new construction going on, and they’re drilling their wells, you know, 200-plus feet.”
Staff with the South Florida Water Management District are working to declare a water shortage. They say there hasn’t been enough rainfall this year for the aquifer to recover.
If conditions persist for another two weeks, the city of Cape Coral, in coordination with Lee County, plans to limit the construction of new wells tapping into the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer.
“My opinion is that I believe citizens should have the right to the wells, and we should be able to go 800 feet down to the lower aquifer,” Cape Coral homeowner Joshua Krakow said.
The South Florida Water Management District is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the potential for additional restrictions, including a complete halt on irrigation.