CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Northeast Cape Coral residents are at risk of losing running water. South Florida Water Management District said it’s due to low aquifer levels.

Neighbors are urging the community to listen to irrigation restrictions so they don’t suffer.

“I guess there’s been numerous wells collapsing,” Michael Griffin said. He lives along NE 6th place.

Griffin and his family had to go without running water for months.

“We needed up buying a $250 watershed more storage to fill up at my daughter’s house to get through the times,” he said the last few months are comparable to camping in their house.

Finally, after months of delays, they deepened their well. But now there is another hurdle to jump through just to keep water running through their faucets.

“It’s a dry summer, and now we’ve got to worry about the winter times with more people moving here and using water,” he said.

It is a fear all residents have in the northeast side of Cape Coral.

“They came out with the new report that was just put out this specific area is looking at a severe water shortage,” Mark Knighton said. He is Griffin’s neighbor.

South Florida Water Management District issued a warning saying the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer is 15 feet lower than it has been in four years. It is a big problem since that is where New Cape Coral’s wells pull water.

“Because of the water table, because of the shortage of rainfall that we had,” Knighton said.

Every time Knighton turns on his shower, he worries there will not be any water coming out.

“Why are we not expediting putting the city water in,” he said.

The city plans to expand its utilities to this part of Cape, but not soon enough.

“Now its forecasted date is 2035,” he said.

It is going to take over ten years to install.

Until then, Mark and Michael hope the community listens to the water restrictions in place so they can keep their running water.

“I mean water in yards and stuff like that, I don’t think it’s necessary,” Griffin said. “I see people sprinklers on five days a week out here. Stop doing it.”

Hours for watering your lawns range from once a week. Times depend on the last number of your address. Some neighborhoods in the unincorporated areas of Lee County will only be allowed to water on the weekends.

Below is the schedule you will now have to follow:

For residents within the designated area in the City of Cape Coral, the irrigation requirements are:

• Addresses that end in 0 can irrigate on Mondays,12-4 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 1 can irrigate on Fridays, 4-8 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 2 can irrigate on Thursdays, 12-4 a.m.
• Addresses that end in 3 can irrigate on Wednesdays, 12-4 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 4 can irrigate on Sundays, 12-4 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 5 can irrigate on Saturdays, 12-4 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 6 can irrigate on Thursdays, 4-8 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 7 can irrigate on Wednesdays, 4-8 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 8 can irrigate on Sundays, 4-8 a.m. 
• Addresses that end in 9 can irrigate on Saturdays, 4-8 a.m. 
• For example, if your address is 123 Main Street, your address ends in 3 and can irrigate on Wednesdays between midnight and 4 a.m.

For residents within the designated area in unincorporated Lee County, the irrigation requirements are:

• Even-numbered addresses, installations with irrigation systems that irrigate both even and odd-numbered addresses within the same zones, such as multi-family units and homeowners’ associations, and rights-of-way or other locations with no address, can irrigate only on Sundays.
• Odd-numbered addresses can irrigate only on Saturdays.
• Landscape irrigation users located in unincorporated portions of
• Northeastern Cape Coral is prohibited from irrigating between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on their assigned day. 
• Low-volume irrigation (i.e., drip and microjet irrigation) shall be voluntarily reduced.
• Hand watering of existing landscape utilizing a self-canceling nozzle is allowed anytime for no more than 10 minutes per area for stress relief or to prevent plant die-off.

South Florida Water Management District said they will continue to monitor the aquifer as the dry season continues. This week, the water level has decreased by half a foot.