Wells running dry in Cape Coral; here’s how to avoid a problem

Wells are running dry in Cape Coral.

WINK News received calls from residents saying they’re running out of water and are unable to do the most basic of things. The solution? A lot more rain, but our weather patterns aren’t going to dramatically change, so the more realistic fix for people in Cape Coral who rely on well water is to dig deeper.

That’s easier said than done – and expensive.

A lot of people have neighbors, but how many of us can call them true friends? Scott Smith can. His well water ran dry, and now he’s getting water from his neighbor and friend for the foreseeable future.

“We’re just trying to stick it out and stay calm and patient,” Smith said.

He told WINK News he has to have someone dig him a brand new well that will cost thousands of dollars and take a while.

“They said it’s probably about four weeks before the well driller can actually come out.”

Crystal Clear Water owner David Cannestra said wells running dry in Cape Coral is a problem he typically sees this time of year – the dry season. That’s why he created YouTube videos to remind people to check their wells.

As for why wells dry up, Cannestra said there are two primary reasons: the lack of rain right now and the city keeps growing.

“You’ve got a lot of people moving here and they have new construction being built, they’re drilling wells and those wells are going deeper. The ones usually from ’06, ’07, those are the ones that are typically going dry because they’re older wells.”

So what can you do to maintain your wells? Cannestra points to one simple test.

“Run all the water for five to 10 minutes, and if you see your water pressure going up or down, you can see it fluctuating, and if it fluctuates, you have a problem and therefore you need to address it before it becomes a bigger problem.”

The long-term solution is to get everyone in Cape Coral connected to city water, but that’s years away. The rain we received Sunday helped, but not nearly enough to make a big difference in aquifer levels, which always run low this time of year.