Richmond Resident Shamed for Wasting Water

RICHMOND, CA- Nearing the suspension of its policy of imposing fines on suspected water wasters, the East Bay Municipal Utility District released another list today of some of the last customers facing the penalty.

Around 200 of EBMUD's customers were fined in bills issued between Feb. 29 and April 1 on the list released today, much less than some of the utility's previous water-waster records.

EBMUD has periodically released names to media of customers penalized through the Excessive Water Use Penalty Ordinance, which has been in effect since April 2015 but will be suspended as of May 3. The ordinance fined single-family residential customers $2 for each unit -- or 748 gallons -- used after crossing over an 80-unit threshold, or an average use of 1,000 gallons of water per day.

EBMUD officials said the ordinance was effective in curbing excessive water use during the state's historic drought and the district's board decided it is no longer necessary after a wet winter. A majority of the violators of the ordinance did not violate it again in subsequent months, EBMUD officials said.

Topping the most recent list of violators was a Lafayette resident, Roy Oakes, a customer who used an average of 5,832 gallons of water per day, according to EBMUD data.

Also high on the list was a Richmond resident, Teresa Lacona, who registered a 5,049-gallon daily average.

St. Moritz Dorf LLC, a private company with an Alamo property that has appeared on the list before, drained 3,946 gallons of water per day. But most of the residences that appeared on today's list, 41 of the roughly 200, were in Oakland.

EBMUD plans to release one more of the lists late next month that will show the final violators of the excessive water use ordinance before its suspension.

By Bay City News, Image via morgueFile