As drought worsens, fines up to $10K approved for South Bay water wasters
SAN JOSE - As the drought deepens, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has approved fines ranging from $100 to $10,000 for outdoor water wasters, while it asks for a 15% reduction in water usage.
The district has moved from the carrot to the stick, fines for anyone turned in for overwatering.
Just in the past month, John Geise and his wife in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood made their landscaping more drought-resistant.
"It's pretty new and everything is now on a drip system. We shrunk the lawn down to — greater than half I think is eliminated now. And we replaced it with some decorative rock and some low water different variations of plants," Geise told KPIX 5.
Where there was water thirsty grass, there are now pavers and rocks. "We did the same for the back yard," Geise went on to say
The Santa Clara Valley Water District began taking calls about outdoor water wasters last year. On Tuesday, following a unanimous historic vote, those calls can lead to fines starting at $100 and stretching all the way to $10,000 for egregious cases.
"It is now the stick. We need every tool in the tool box and we need people to know we are serious about more water conservation," said Kirsten Struve, assistant officer of the district's Water Supply Division. "It's been the driest three months on record, these first three months of the year, and we haven't seen any water savings yet."
The first offense will garner a letter, then a door hanger and then after 30 days, those fines will start kicking in.
The goal is 15% water use reduction across the board.
John Geise thinks his shrunken lawns will meet that 15 percent goal and help shrink is rapidly rising water bill.
"This for sure gets us there. Our teenage kids don't get us there, but the front lawn will get us at least half way there," he said.
