Cape Coral Urges Residents to Conserve Water

April 7, 2023


The United States Geological Survey Drought Monitoring website has classified Cape Coral as currently experiencing a severe drought, and if adequate rainfall does not occur soon, our area may soon join Southern Lee County and Northern Collier County in an extreme drought condition classification.

Reducing water usage now is vital to protecting Cape Coral’s water resources. As the dry season persists, the City of Cape Coral encourages its residents to voluntarily conserve water by watering laws only once weekly. At a minimum, Cape Coral residents can do their part to reduce water consumption by optimizing their irrigation system for high efficiency and following the City’s year-round watering schedule. If you have water sensitive landscaping that needs extra water, we encourage you to water them by hand during the daylight hours. City ordinance allows watering by hand with a garden hose and cut off nozzle at any time of the day or night.

Current drought conditions are impacted by the lack of rain, record high temperatures, and the influx of new residents, recovery workers, and seasonal residents. Current rainfall is 5 to 6 inches below the seasonal average over the past 30 years.

Approximately two-thirds of the water that supplies the city’s irrigation system comes from the City’s 300 miles of freshwater canals. The City is currently pumping 16 million gallons per day into Gator Slough from Charlotte County to rehydrate the city’s freshwater canals due to extremely low levels.