CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- As a drought continues in Southwest Florida, residents are now only allowed to water their lawns once a week. But is the city following the same rule on municipal property?
Some residents raised concerns that there is a double standard when it comes to the restriction. "I can't water, but they have their water running all day long and the roads are flooded," said one resident.
A few residents told Fox 4 they see sprinklers running on busy streets like Cape Coral Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard frequently.
Fox 4 went to City Hall for answers. Spokesperson Connie Barron tells us the city is abiding by the new schedule. However, there are areas exempt from the restriction, like some parks and golf courses. "If those ball fields or golf courses become severely damaged without irrigation, it will cost hundreds of thousands of [tax] dollars to replace," said Barron.
As for watering on the medians, Barron said the county maintains some roads, like Del Prado Boulevard. Cape Coral has already contacted the county about the once-a-week watering schedule, and it is up to them to update their sprinkler system.
If the dry conditions continue, the advisory may be upgraded to a level 2 water shortage, meaning no one can water their lawns at all. Barron said the city is optimistic they won't get to that level, if a plan to pump water from Charlotte County to the Cape works. Pumps will begin testing as soon as two weeks from now.
