Cape Coral remedies drought, starts pumping from reservoir

Cape Coral is part-way through a test run to pump water from a reservoir to combat a citywide drought, officials announced this weekend.

Some 8.5 million gallons per day are routed from the property at Southwest Aggregates in Punta Gorda into the freshwater canal system in the city.

Pending success, the city will pump up to 17 million gallons per day beginning Sunday for the next three months

“This reservoir project could provide the City of Cape Coral with another freshwater source to supplement the irrigation supply for our community,” City Manager John Szerlag said in a news release.

Cape Coral wants to build reservoir costing as much as $38 million

Cape Coral is operating under a temporary burn ban and a one-day only watering schedule for its irrigation water system. The burn ban prohibits open flames like fire pits or campfires but not outdoor grilling.  The city expects to release numbers Monday relating to the number of violations it has issued relating to the decrees.

The city partnered with South Florida Water Management District, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Department of Transportation to pump the water.

“We are extremely pleased with how the various agencies came together to secure the necessary permits required to move this project forward in such a short time frame,” Szerlag said.

The city also negotiated an agreement with the owners of Southwest Aggregates. The agreement is on Monday's City Council agenda.  It includes reimbursement of $140,000 to the owner for the costs of the pumping equipment used during testing.

“The reservoir will not solve our drought conditions overnight, and one-day watering restrictions will need to remain in place until we see the levels in the freshwater canal system trending in a positive direction,”  Szerlag said. “When we are confident the operation of our fire hydrants is no longer compromised by declining levels in the freshwater canal system, we can rescind the Stage I Water Shortage declaration and return to two-day watering.”

The penalty for watering violations goes from warning on first violation to a $100 fine, then $200 fine then $400 fine and possible disconnection from the irrigation system.

Cape Coral city manager issues advisory stage water emergency

Officials with the National Weather Service have said that although Southwest Florida will enter its rainy season in late May, it will take a few weeks of rain to pull it out of a Stage 2 drought.

The water from the reservoir property is being pumped into drainage ditches on the east and west sides of U.S. 41.

The water will flow south into the Gator Slough Canal, which feeds the city’s freshwater canal system in the north Cape.

The city has about 400 miles of canals, of which less than a third are fresh water.

If the reservoir project presents a viable long-term solution, the city will develop a plan that outlines the steps and costs to establish the reservoir as a permanent supplemental source, officials said.