Water wasters be warned: Somebody’s watching you

Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 | 11:11 a.m.

Waste watch

Anyone seeing water being wasted in Southern Nevada can call one of the following helpline numbers, depending on where they live. Leave date, time of day and exact location of where the water is running:

Water tips

Las Vegas Valley Water District rules and tips and conserving water:

Exceptions

The Las Vegas Valley Water District allows homeowners and businesses to use water under certain exemptions:

For two hours on a recent afternoon, Statler Hasley drove through quiet Las Vegas neighborhoods looking for water running down gutters.

At one home, near Decatur Boulevard and Vegas Drive, Hasley spotted water running down a sidewalk, the concrete colored brown from algae growth.

Hasley typed the street address into a laptop computer inside his Las Vegas Valley Water District truck and discovered the homeowner had been warned before about the over-irrigation problem.

The water-waste investigator filled out a tag and placed it on the chain link fence.

"I try to save every drop that we can," Hasley said of his two-year effort as an investigator for the Water District.

For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a small army of water investigators such as Hasley check every street, every lawn, every home, school, office, business, golf course, anywhere there is turf.

They may have more checking to do starting Thursday, when the summer schedule of allowing watering every day changes to just three days a week. But residents needn't fear the investigators if they're having trouble adjusting to the new schedule this week.

Rather than water cops, these investigators consider themselves educators as well as enforcers. Hasley is well suited to that role. He earned an environmental studies degree at UNLV two years ago.

After discovering wasted water, the Water District sends the property owner a written notice. If someone needs advice, the district is ready to provide it.

A videotape of the problem can be sent to the homeowner to help find a solution. In the case of a leaky pipe found on a recent afternoon, a $5 or $6 repair could save thousands of gallons of water, Hasley said.

If that leaking sprinkler pipe or missing sprinkler head or watering during restricted hours is repeated, the customer can be fined, if repeated warnings are ignored, Hasley said.

A homeowner is usually fined $40 for the first violation. The fine doubles with each monthly water bill.

Triggering complaints could be a flow of water running into the street from a home or office building, sprinklers watering lawns during the restricted hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. any summer day, or those washing cars, driveways or sidewalks and letting the water run down the street.

If someone is home at the time the waste is spotted, Hasley asks the homeowner if he can investigate further.

"The first thing I check is the toilet," he said. Often residents don't realize their toilets have leaks. Then he checks the sprinkler system.

"A little leak can waste so much water," Hasley said.

Citizens regularly help the investigators do their jobs. People call or e-mail the Water District about water running down streets, Hasley said.

"People will flag me over in the truck if they see water waste," he said.

Earlier this year a cabdriver called the Water District every day when he'd spot wasted water, Hasley said.

"Very few people are fined," he said. "Most people take care of the problem right away."

Before the water-wasting prevention program began two years ago, a citation for wasting water sent a customer to court, said Tracy Bower, a spokeswoman for the Water District.

"We don't want to be antagonistic," Bower said, explaining why the Water District instituted the enforcement-education approach. "We'd rather solve the problem."

The most recent report from investigations of 7,715 complaints of water wasters took place during April, May and June this year, according to the Las Vegas Valley Water District's updated report.

After investigating those water wasting complaints, district staff fined 470 customers who continued to waste water after the initial warning during those three months.

Fines vary depending on meter size, the customer's history of violations and the stage of drought in Southern Nevada.

Customers may protest fines and request a hearing from an outside source. Customers receiving a first-time fine can receive a rebate by attending a water-efficiency class.

The Water District stresses maintenance and suggests homeowners check the sprinkler system once a week for twisted sprinkler heads that might water the sidewalk or for broken valves that may be wasting water without the homeowner even knowing.

When Sept. 1 arrives on Thursday, Water District customers and those in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City will be restricted to watering lawns three days a week, depending on what group they fall into, depicted by letters A, B, C, D, E, F.

Some residents might wonder why the watering schedule changes on Sept. 1 when the weather is still hot, but Bower explains, saying the Water District selected Sept. 1 to return to watering by groups because the sunlight and heat of the day is shorter.

"We may not notice it, and still think it's hot, but the plants don't need as much water," Bower said.

Henderson officials also prefer an educational approach to water conservation, said Kathleen Richards, public information officer for the Henderson Utility Services Department.

She said Henderson water officials participated in about 20 community outreach events in 2005 so far, reaching more than 10,000 people.

"Many Henderson residents are new to our desert environment and need help understanding we are in our fifth year of the worst drought on record," Richards said.

Henderson is creating federally funded Junior Water Watchers programs in which city staff will visit 1,000 fifth graders during 2005 and teach them water conservation and water quality.

Customers who cut their water consumption may be eligible for a quarterly Henderson Water Watcher award.

And the city set an example by converting about 800,000 square feet of turf since 2002, Richards said. By trimming the lawns at city parks, Henderson officials said they saved 49.5 million gallons.

Water wasting calls have also dropped dramatically from last year, Richards said.

In 2004 Henderson sent 1,012 courtesy notices, 1,757 warning letters and 200 violation letters with fines. This year's activity from January through July shows 320 courtesy notices, 642 warning letters and 167 violation letters with fines.

North Las Vegas issued 1,576 notices in 2004 and 336 notices through July this year -- but no citations, said Mike Wilson of the city's water division.

Boulder City prides itself on personal service and customer satisfaction, said Steve Koon in Boulder City's Public Works Department.

Koon said he has sent many letters notifying property owners about a water wasting problem but issued just two citations in two years, one to an out-of-state owner and another to a condominium complex.

"I send people letters, and they call me and apologize for wasting water," Koon said.