I'm having a really hard time with the swimming, I was wondering if there was anything I can do to make it better?
Find someone who is good at swimming and ask them to teach you, or hire a coach. Swimming is all about technique. Total immersion is a great resource.
The local gyms around me have the pools at a depth of about 3-4.5 ft. Do you think I can make do with that?
It will work, as long as you can practice swimming, treading, and underwaters. I would recommend looking up the total immersion swimming course.