CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Brittany Thomas, who lives in Cape Coral says her family never runs their sprinklers.
“We don’t water at all. We literally are waiting for the natural cycle of our seasons to happen we don't water we don't do any of that because every year our grass dies," said Thomas.
While this may not be the standard for other families living in Cape Coral, conserving water is something the city is urging everyone to do.
On Tuesday, Cape Coral City Manager Rob Hernandez issued a Water Shortage Advisory.
Kaitlyn Pearson, Communication Specialist for the City of Cape coral said the current two-day watering schedule remains in effect, and homeowners can still hand water any time of the day.
Pearson says the water canals in Cape Coral are declining quickly, which supplies more than 50% of the water used for irrigation.
She says all Cape Coral residents are encouraged to consider voluntarily adjusting timers to water only one day each week.
“We live in a city of +200,000, people so when you think about it, if every single resident here in Cape Coral just cuts back a little bit it's going to go a really long way,” said Pearson.
On Tuesday, Pearson says if conditions continue, the city could be forced to limit watering schedules to one day a week.
During the shortage, Pearson says code enforcement will be upping their efforts to make sure homeowners are not watering outside of their scheduled times.
Here are the penalties that follow if a homeowner is cited for watering outside their scheduled time.
- First violation: no fine.
- Second violation: $100 fine.
- Third violation: $200 fine.
- Fourth and subsequent violations: $400 fine. A dual water customer may also be disconnected and subject to a re-connection fee of $80. Re-connection of service shall be at the sole discretion of the City Manager or his or her designee.
