EMWD to begin targeting water wasters with fines

From the Valley Chronicle:

Eastern Municipal Water District has adopted a system of fines for wasting water. Penalties for letting water run down the street will start in September. Part of the program also requires the latest in water-saving technology in all new residential development, whether it is one house or 100, said Eastern spokesman Peter Odencrans.

The water waste penalties already exist for big users such as municipalities and corporations. Odencrans said the water district has collected about $500,000 in fines from large users.

Residential users will be offered two opportunities to avoid penalties. On the third occasion that water officials find water getting beyond a yard, however, will generate a $100 surcharge on the offender’s water bill, the fourth instance will bring a $200 surcharge, and the fifth a $300 surcharge.

Odencrans said the water district got into the fines reluctantly. “We’ve always said we didn’t want to be water cops,” he said.

Money raised through surcharges is pumped back into conservation efforts and does not become part of the operating budget, said Eastern director Randy Record. “They have been proven to save water,” he said.

Odencrans said the district anticipates saving 18,000 acre-feet per year with the conservation efforts. But they do not work every time, as the district found with the fines levied against large users, he said. “Some people just didn’t care and wrote a check,” he said. “They considered it a cost of doing business.”

EMWD is also considering tiered water rates and increased use of recycled water. Read the full text of this article from the Valley Chronicle by clicking here.

Comments

Admin

• Log in

Credits

Powered by Vertigo & WordPress
WordPress Themes by Brian Gardner