Understanding water restriction in Cape Coral

The City of Canals has water problems again.

In 2023, we told you how the South Florida Water Management District said the water in the Mid-Hawthorn aquifer is at record low levels.

Another year with low rain and more people moving to the city has not helped.

The city said the mid-hawthorn aquifer is critically low on water, and one reason is because the city hasn’t had much rain lately.

“The North One utility extension project is slotted to be completed in 2027, and that’s actually going to alleviate issues for about 75% of the affected area,” said Kaitlyn Mullen, a spokesperson for the city of Cape Coral. “The North 6u, E, P, is slotted to be complete by 2030, taking care of the remaining 25%. By 2030, the entire situation should be mitigated.”

WINK News spoke with one young Cape Coral girl who is taking the new restrictions seriously and said you should, too.

Don’t let 11-year-old Abigail Cantrell’s age fool you; she has a passion for the environment.

“It’s not like we can go like in Wall-E and go live into space. We need to save our planet,” said Cantrell.

In Cape Coral, that means conserving water.

While Cantrell played in the park with her grandmother and puppy Wendy, she had one thing on her mind.

“I’m trying my hardest to conserve water,” she said.

The South Florida Water Management District told WINK the mid-hawthorn aquifer is approaching record low levels and that’s why a one-day-a-week irrigation restriction is in place.

“If we use up all our resources, we don’t know what’s out there. We don’t know what’s gonna happen,” said Cantrell.

Swift-mud warns that if water levels keep dropping to the ‘significant harm threshold,’ more restrictions will follow.

“It makes me angry,” said Cantrell.

For now, the city wants everyone to do their part.

“Turn your water off while you’re brushing your teeth so the stream isn’t running. Take a shorter shower. You can brush your driveway off with a broom instead of using a water hose,” said Mullen.

“Snap out of it,” said Cantrell. “We need to save the world.”

Some have suggested that the city should put a moratorium in place on construction.

They said it’s not that simple, and in the long term, the utility extension project, connecting people to city water, should help.