Home › News › Local news
In the Know Lee County: Well users subject to same water restrictions as rest of region
More Local news 
Share and Enjoy 
Q. I am a homeowner with an irrigation well (at least 200 feet in depth, not a shallow irrigation well). Are the number of days and length of time for my irrigating still restricted? I am not using treated water from the utility, which allows that needed water to be better used. I also think untreated water may be better for plants. In other states where I have lived, one could irrigate with well water but might need a special permit to do so; is that possible in Lee County? If I am willing to spend the money for a well to irrigate in this manner, why would my use of untreated water from that depth be limited?
Suzan Fritze/Bonita Springs
Suzan, I’ll give you the bad news first and then move on to the really bad news. Yes, you are under the same restrictions as everyone else. It turns out the 200-foot depth of your well is smack in the middle of the range of depths of Southwest Florida’s aquifers, according to Susan Sanders, spokeswoman for the South Florida Water Management District. Public utilities draw from aquifers that are anywhere from 100 to 300 feet deep, and your well is pulling from that same water supply, she says.
There’s no special permit you can buy, although you can apply for a variance. About 500 variances have been granted in the district’s 16 counties since emergency restrictions went into place in April, although they’re typically granted in unique circumstances. Charity car washes, for example, are allowed provided hoses with water-saving nozzles are used and other criteria are met.
Anyone who’s unsure when they are allowed to water can find out by going to http://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=1874,9496104,1874_19616129&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL and entering their Zip code.
And now for the really bad news: There’s a good chance water managers will tighten restrictions even more when they meet next week. Due to ongoing drought conditions the agency may reduce watering from two days a week to one when the district board meets Dec. 13.
- - -
Q. Karie, how can I find out if there is space available in the Southwest Florida International Airport long-term parking lot from Dec. 24 to Dec. 31? Is there a phone number I can call for that information?
Nina Anderson/Naples
A. Airport personnel don’t anticipate running out of long-term parking, Nina. Airport spokeswoman Barbara-Anne Urrutia says the facility’s 9,800 long-term spaces were never all filled at one time during the Christmas rush last year. However, anyone wanting to make sure there’s room can call 768-6296 for up-to-the-minute parking availability information.
- - -
(Karie Partington is the Bonita Springs Bureau Chief for the Daily News. E-mail questions for this column to her at kjpartington@bonitanews.com. Find a complete archive of the “In the Know” at naplesnews.com/intheknow/) ¶
Comments
This site does not necessarily agree with comments posted below. Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. Break our rules, and we will ban you. No exceptions, no second chances. Read our privacy policy & user agreement.
Post your comment
(Requires free registration.)