Burbank officials apologize for water violation letters

Burbank Water and Power has stepped up efforts to meet a state-mandated 25% cut in water usage, but some of its tactics have come under fire.

This month, utility workers analyzed data from water meters to identify customers who might be in violation of the city’s new water conservation ordinance. The ordinance allows for watering only on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

More than 6,500 letters were mailed to residents, reminding them of the watering restrictions that began June 1.

But several hundred residents who received those letters said they were unfairly targeted.

Last week, City Manager Mark Scott apologized for the letters, which were mailed to customers watering on the wrong days as well as those who were not violating the city ordinance but were among the highest water users.

Unfortunately, Scott said, the same letter went out to both types of users, which “wasn’t fair and wasn’t right.”

“Some people who didn’t deserve to be accused of over-watering got accused of over-watering,” he said, offering an apology to those users during a City Council meeting last week. “There are no excuses; it’s an apology.”

The city itself faces potential fines of up to $10,000 a day if it doesn’t meet the state-mandated cuts, which Scott said he hopes will help residents understand why the utility’s enforcement has been more “aggressive.”

More than 500 residents contacted the utility after receiving the letters, Scott said.

Some of those who were warned about watering on the wrong days claimed to be hand-watering, which is still legal on all days of the week except from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some of the high-volume water use had to do with pool work, others claimed.

Mayor Bob Frutos and Councilman Jess Talamantes said they also received the letters. Councilman Will Rogers said he was assured by city staff that the letters would not count as one of at least two warnings the utility issues before assessing fines for improper watering. The fine for a first-time offense is $100 and can increase to as much as $500 for repeat offenders.

Burbank resident Janet Strong spoke to the council about the letter she received. She said she has been watering Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — assuming those were the proper days — with most of her sprinkler stations timed for 10 minutes. She said she was “very surprised” by the letter.

She said she felt “spied on” knowing that the city’s metering system was so accurate that utility workers could tell her what day and time she did her laundry just by looking at her usage.

Councilman David Gordon agreed that the letters could be “offensive to some … intimidating to others.”

Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy was more succinct.

“We screwed up,” she said.

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