Residents in northeast Cape Coral may soon be banned from watering their lawns entirely as worsening drought conditions prompt stricter regulations from the South Florida Water Management District.
The district voted Thursday to increase water restrictions, moving toward Phase Four measures if groundwater levels continue to drop. Those on private wells have already been under Phase Three restrictions since 2023.
The stricter rules would apply to those living between the Gator Slough Canal and northeast Pine Island Road. The new restrictions will only go into effect if the mid-Hawthorne aquifer drops two more feet below sea level and remains at that level for at least two weeks.
Many residents near Northeast First Place say they’ve already had to deepen their wells multiple times as new construction in the area puts additional strain on water resources. Some say this is the worst water shortage they’ve ever seen.
Renee Harvel said it feels like she’s camping in her own home.
“I’m going back to my mom’s to take another shower today,” she said Thursday. “This weekend is the laundromat.”
Harvel recently dropped her pump 160 feet deeper into the aquifer, but it hasn’t helped much.
“I really fear it’s going to get so low that eventually it’s going to turn into a giant sinkhole like in the Lakeland area,” she said.
Like Harvel, James Coleman relies on a private well and said his family won’t be connected to city water until 2030.
“Nobody should own a house that’s running you $250,000, and you can’t wash your own laundry in your house,” Coleman said. “That makes no sense. That’s not affordable. That’s not something our city should be promoting.”
Coleman said he has replaced his pump twice since 2014, costing hundreds of dollars each time.
“Why is it so hard to stay in the house that you put your blood and guts into?” he said.
On Thursday, the water district board approved a plan to move to Phase Four restrictions when necessary.
“That is where we would go to zero days of irrigation,” Mark Elsner said during the presentation to the board. “It’s a serious situation. We don’t know when that’s going to happen, but it may be in between board meetings.”
If implemented, the new rules would prohibit all outdoor watering in Northeast Cape Coral. The city would also limit permits for new and replacement wells. As of April 10, the aquifer was recorded at minus 91 feet — just two feet above the threshold that would trigger the ban.
Some board members questioned how the aquifer was allowed to decline so drastically.
“We’re spending a ton of money to improve the condition and quality of our water, and yet the zoning and permitting process seems to be at odds with what we’re trying to achieve,” said Jay Steinle, the Palm Beach County board member.
As the crisis deepens, many residents say they’re not sure if they’ll still be in the area by the time city water becomes available.
“We understand the water’s going down — nobody’s watering because of that,” Coleman said. “But at the same time, there needs to be fiscal and physical management, and that hasn’t happened. And we’re all paying the cost for it.”
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