Water shortage warning raises concerns

Reporter: Elizabeth Biro Writer: Matias Abril
Published: Updated:

There are growing concerns over Southwest Florida’s water supply as the current drought has prompted the water management district to issue a warning.

Residents are being asked to take shorter showers and do less laundry, all the common sense ways to reduce water use.

The South Florida Water Management District isn’t concerned about the drinking water today, but a rainfall deficit of a foot in Fort Myers and two feet in Naples has the folks at the district warning us all about water usage.

While we still have a few days left of hurricane season, the dry season started on Nov. 1, and the season is underway, which means there are a lot more people here using water.

The warning asks us to conserve where we can because we do not expect the kind of rain that will add water to our aquifer.

Water managers have found ways to balance supply and demand during normal conditions. However, it remains unknown how they will manage in this below-average rainy season.

“Our aquifers rely on rainfall to replenish them in the rainy season. Well, the rainy season ended October 1 of this year, and so now we’ve got to wait until the next rainy season for that replenishment to occur,” said Sean Cooley, South Florida Water Management District Chief Communications Officer.

Because of water issues a year ago, the city of Fort Myers borrowed water from Lee County.

Some good news for now, the city’s tanks are all full.

“If nothing was done, and we didn’t get rain, and our aquifers weren’t replenished, then we would grow more concerned,” Cooley said.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson noted that his city is aggressively building new wells and monitors tank levels daily.

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