Water pressures issues persist for City of Fort Myers

Neighbors in a Fort Myers neighborhood are living with worsening water conditions.

The water pressure in Ward 6, the eastern portion of the city, is not good.

City leaders are planning to take action.

The city is exploring different options from booster pumps to also expanding water capacity.

The low water pressure is just one the latest issue neighbors have dealt with in the last few years.

Mary Stalvey’s water looked brown in her McGregor Reserve home in 2020.

But now it’s crystal clear.

Stalvey had to buy a whole new filtration system for her home.

The city reimbursed her for it.

“You don’t realize how important clean water is till you don’t have it and I feel like we’re so spoiled because we just expect it. And it’s just not always that way,” Stalvey said.

For Mike Hodgins, it’s not the water quality but the quantity that is the problem.

“I have gone to friends’ and neighbors’ homes to shower when we’re going out for dinner or we’re going somewhere special,” Hodgins said.

While he and his wife do the best with what they have, it’s still hard.

“​This was our dream. Thirty years we’ve talked about this. We’re not rich people. We saved; we budgeted. We bought what was affordable,” Hodgins said. “We never in a million years thought to ask about water.”

Mike Hodgins said Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson called him earlier this week after Hodgins spoke up during a city council meeting about his water issues.

Hodgins said that gave him hope that things will improve in the future.

Fort Myers City Council member Darla Bonk told WINK News there is around $13 million in funding from the COVID-19 relief stimulus package that the city might be able to get.

If that happens, Bonk hopes to convince the council to use all of the money on water issues and applicable projects.