TUSTIN : City Drops Penalties for Excess Water Use
A water conservation program that cost residents and business about $80,000 in excessive-use penalties in the past year was rescinded by the City Council this week.
The council voted unanimously Monday to discontinue the mandatory rationing program that asked residents and business to cut water consumption by 15% or face surcharges on their water bills.
City Water Service Manager Gary Veeh said the mandatory rationing program is no longer needed since the Metropolitan Water District, the wholesaler that supplies about 35% of Tustin’s water, has also put an end to penalties it was charging to cities that failed to cut consumption by 30%. Tustin instituted its penalty schedule to defray the costs of the drought-response measures taken by the MWD, Veeh said.
Officials said at least $20,000 of the $80,000 the city collected in penalties was passed on to the MWD to cover surcharges. City Manager William A. Huston said that the remainder will go toward capital improvement projects in Tustin.
Despite the penalties, officials said Tustin residents and business owners made impressive cutbacks in water consumption.
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