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MSN News
Drought-stricken
California agencies seek 'water cops'
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 22 (Reuters) - Hosing down a driveway in
drought-stricken California could soon mean a visit from the "water
cops," as agencies throughout the state begin beefing up staff to
enforce strict new conservation rules set to take effect next month.
The water district serving the state's Silicon Valley tech hub
unanimously approved spending half a million dollars on enforcement,
including agents, at a board meeting Tuesday night. Los Angeles' water
utility said it would also be hiring more people to investigate reports
about residents wasting water.
"Our members are up to their ears in reports that people are wasting
water," said Marty Grimes, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Water
District, which sells water to public utilities and municipalities in
Silicon Valley.
To streamline the reporting process, the additional spending will also
go towards developing a smartphone app for users to document water
waste violations.
"We've been doing the carrot for a long time," Director Dennis Kennedy
told the meeting in the city of San Jose, "and it's time to really push
that stick."
California is in its third year of a devastating drought that is
expected to cost its economy $2.2 billion in lost crops, jobs and other
damage. Last week, state regulators approved sweeping new restrictions
on outdoor water use that allow cities and local water districts to
impose fines on violators.
The new regulations prohibit washing a car with a hose that does not
have a shutoff valve, watering the lawn more than twice a week and
washing down streets and sidewalks.
Santa Clara's newly approved enforcement positions, popularly known as
"water cops," will be available to individual cities or public
utilities within the region to investigate allegations - often from
neighbors - that people are violating conservation rules.
In Los Angeles, the Department of Water and Power is hiring four
full-time people and two part-time staff for its water-waste response
unit, said Jim McDaniel, the agency's assistant general manager.
Depending on the enforcement activity, he said, the team could be
expanded to nine. The LAPD will also help identify violators, he said.
Other cities with water enforcement teams include Pasadena and
Sacramento.
Water agencies are also making it easier to report water wasters
online, and preparing emergency conservation orders for consideration
by their boards, said Lisa Lien Mager, spokeswoman for the California
Association of Water Agencies.
Violators can be fined, but George Kostyrko, spokesman for the
California Water Resources Control board, said the agency was
discouraging the use of fines most of the time.
"Our goal here is not to generate infractions for homeowners," Kostyrko
said. "Our goal is to get their attention."
(Reporting by Jennifer Baires in Santa Clara, Calif.; Additional
reporting and writing by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif.;
Editing by Peter Cooney and Robert Birsel)
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