St. George officials ponder fines for residents who waste water

St. George officials ponder fines for residents who waste water

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ST. GEORGE — While discussing an update to the city’s water conservation plan Thursday, the St. George City Council considered the possibility of implementing fines for water wasters.

St. George had a water waste ordinance just over a century ago, Scott Taylor, the city’s water services director, told the council. In 1909, residents would be fined up to $25 or face up to 25 days in the city jail. Today the 1909 fine would translate to nearly $700, he said.

For many years it has been city policy to educate rather than enforce. Individuals who wasted water through various means – be it through leaking water systems or watering during seasonal water bans – would end up having city employees talk to the violators about how to fix the problem and little more.

While this has worked in the past to a point, the growing emphasis on water conservation may require a form of enforcement where none has been for a long time.

“I think we ought to look into that a little bit more,” St. George Mayor Jon Pike said. “We’ve got to help people realize how important it is. And it’s not just individuals and residences, it’s churches and businesses too. … They’re over irrigating some of these lawns so much.”

Rene Fleming, the city’s energy and water resources services coordinator, had approached the city council in 2015 with a proposal for an ordinance fining those she called “egregious” water wasters.

Read the full article at St. George News.

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Mori Kessler

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