After three decades living along a freshwater canal in southeast Cape Coral, Rose Barton says she’s never seen water levels this low.”The first probably 20, 25 years — it stayed for most of the year,” Barton said from her home between Nicholas Parkway and Southeast 10th Terrace. “The last probably four or five years, it’s like this more than not.”Today, her boat sits firmly on the bottom of the canal — nowhere near launchable.”We’re only in December,” she said. “So yeah, there’s no way that this boat’s going anywhere for quite a while.”A visible water line marks where the canal level once reached. Barton says the shallowing has persisted for the last month or two — and shows no sign of improving.”Every season it’s gotten worse, every year. Progressively worse,” she said.Gulf Coast News Chief Meteorologist Allyson Rae says the drop aligns with what’s expected during Florida’s dry season — especially during a year falling dramatically short on rainfall.”When we talk about how much rainfall we’ve seen for the entire calendar year, we’re about a foot and a half short,” Rae said. “This could go down as one of the driest years we’ve had on record in this region.”Data from the South Florida Water Management District shows the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer reached record lows in early 2025. While levels rebounded slightly by October, they remain below normal.”There are going to be a lot more factors going into the aquifers and the freshwater canals than just rainfall,” Rae said.Barton believes rapid development in Cape Coral is compounding the problem — and she hopes conditions change so she can once again enjoy her waterfront property.”We’ve got another four months of dry season before we can even expect rain,” she said. “We’re going to be living on a beach.”DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
After three decades living along a freshwater canal in southeast Cape Coral, Rose Barton says she’s never seen water levels this low.
“The first probably 20, 25 years — it stayed for most of the year,” Barton said from her home between Nicholas Parkway and Southeast 10th Terrace. “The last probably four or five years, it’s like this more than not.”
Today, her boat sits firmly on the bottom of the canal — nowhere near launchable.
“We’re only in December,” she said. “So yeah, there’s no way that this boat’s going anywhere for quite a while.”
A visible water line marks where the canal level once reached. Barton says the shallowing has persisted for the last month or two — and shows no sign of improving.
“Every season it’s gotten worse, every year. Progressively worse,” she said.
Gulf Coast News Chief Meteorologist Allyson Rae says the drop aligns with what’s expected during Florida’s dry season — especially during a year falling dramatically short on rainfall.
“When we talk about how much rainfall we’ve seen for the entire calendar year, we’re about a foot and a half short,” Rae said. “This could go down as one of the driest years we’ve had on record in this region.”
Data from the South Florida Water Management District shows the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer reached record lows in early 2025. While levels rebounded slightly by October, they remain below normal.
“There are going to be a lot more factors going into the aquifers and the freshwater canals than just rainfall,” Rae said.
Barton believes rapid development in Cape Coral is compounding the problem — and she hopes conditions change so she can once again enjoy her waterfront property.
“We’ve got another four months of dry season before we can even expect rain,” she said. “We’re going to be living on a beach.”
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.