Water-use violations proving costly to some scofflaws

Mandatory restrictions in water usage went into effect in April and include limits on the days residents are permitted to irrigate their lawns.

But the message hasn’t gotten through to some, and city staff has been issuing citations after staking out homes where sprinklers go off on the wrong days.

Five code enforcement officers each spend part of one day per week checking out different neighborhoods, from the Port Streets to Dover Shores to the Corona del Mar village, said Matt Cosylion, the city’s code enforcement supervisor.

So far, he said, the most violations have occurred in the Cameo Shores and Cameo Highlands neighborhoods, where 20 citations were issued last week and a dozen more issued on Monday.

“For that particular area to have that many citations in two weeks — we have a problem,” he said. “That’s really high.”

A first citation costs $100, he said, and a second costs $200. A third violation will cost $500.

At least one resident has received two citations, Cosylion said.

“Some people called, and some of them are upset,” he said.

Residents who have been ill or on vacation might be forgiven, but the rules have been in place since April, with signs posted throughout the city with reminders of watering days.

“We’re concerned residents need to be up to date on water conservation standards,” he said. “People have had plenty of time” to learn about the rules.

Cameo Highlands resident Nik Froehlich said he’d noticed a city vehicle parked in his neighborhood before dawn recently.

“He was just sitting there, waiting for the sprinklers to go on,” he said.

Cosylion said that Newport Beach has to reduce its overall water consumption by February or faces state fines, so the enforcement efforts and citations will continue.

In November, he said, watering will be restricted to just one day a week.

And soon, he said, staff will begin looking at individual accounts to see if residents are reducing their water use overall.

“Things are going to get tighter,” he said.

The Ocean Boulevard and Poppy Avenue areas also have had a higher number of violations, he added.

Staff not only will plan enforcement visits in the mornings, he said, but also will be looking for late afternoon and early evening water usage on days when watering is restricted.

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Coyote issue on Speak Up’s calendar

The Nov. 4 meeting of Speak Up Newport will feature a city animal control officer and a state Fish and Wildlife officer to discuss coyotes.

“Have you noticed that, as our community grows, the number of coyotes seen on our city streets seems also to have increased?” the group’s website states. “There are many factors contributing to why the coyote population has become more visible and brazen.”

The public is welcome to attend the free event, which will include information on what law enforcement is doing to protect citizens and their pets and how residents can help. The meeting will include a Q&A opportunity.

The meeting will begin with a reception from 5:30 to 6 p.m. followed by the program until 6:30 p.m.

This month’s meeting will take place on the first Wednesday of the month instead of the usual second Wednesday because of Veterans Day.

The meeting will take place in the Civic Center Community Room at the Civic Center at 100 Civic Center Drive.

For more information, call (949) 224-2266.

Corona del Mar Today appears Sundays in the Daily Pilot. Read daily updates at coronadelmartoday.com.