Posted on 07/14/2014 5:32:02 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Neighbors are tattling on neighbors for wasting water and some are taking their drought shaming to social media.
If you’ve ever had the feeling you’re being watched while you water your lawn, there’s a good chance you are during this historic drought.
In Sacramento, water wasters can face fines, and the enforcer may be someone who lives right next door.
Terrance Davis with the city department of utilities says he’s seeing a trend of drought shaming.
“Our water use complaint calls have gone up exponentially from the last 2 years,” he said.
Karen Halbo lives in River Park. She says it’s not about whose lawn is greener anymore, it’s about whose lawn is browner.
“Frankly when your lawn looks as bad as mine does you sort of want to encourage others to stop watering concrete,” she said.
Down the street, Pam Ferko admits the pressure from her neighbors not to waste sometimes has her sneaking around.
“I think my husband has been guilty of coming out late at night and doing a little secretive watering underneath the trees,” she said.
Even the Capitol lawn is drought shaming by example, with signs reading “If we can go brown, so can you.”
Some may find the drought shaming vindictive or sneaky, but the city says that competition is motivation, and it’s working to reduce water waste.
“Obviously we can’t see everything, can’t be everywhere so having people in the community helping us out—residents, neighbors—reporting those types of things is a great tool for us too,” Davis said.
The city says from January to June, it’s received more than 8,000 calls to its water-use complaint line. Just last month, the city saw a 17 percent cut in water use.
Socialist media.
Nanny State PING!
In summer 1999 here in Maryland under Parris Glendening the state government imposed fines for outdoor water usage and have the BS Sun and local news shows give a ‘rat on your neighbor for using water outdoors’ hotline, that the Maryland police enforced.
However the police had to witness it themselves so it resulting in mainly intimidation.
I used to take walks at night and could smell when someone had watered.
Then we get something like “nextdoor.com” to facilitate this behavior (plus possibly tattling on people who are preppers).
Next, falling revenue will be blamed for the oncoming water department rate hike.
You know they'll do it. This stuff writes itself.
I’m gonna really be angry if someone posts crap on my FB or twitter accounts. Oh. Damn. I forgot. I don’t have either and don’t really care cause I don’t do guilt or shame. Guess I’ll go crank up the “irritation” system. ;>}
Mid July in Michigan and you can’t get the lawn mowed for all the rain, it never dries out. Deer graze in my lawn.
As a lifelong resident of Kali i’ll scream it again, when the bureaucrats stop handing out building permits like candy then they will have my attention that there’s a water problem.
Ayup. While this story isn't from Californicatia, it is from another liberal stronghold, Albuquerque, NM.
http://www.abqjournal.com/388697/news/utility-seeks-to-raise-water-rates-as-use-drops-2.html
Thanks for the ping!
When they deport the millions of illegal aliens that are here there will be enough water for the rest of us. There. ;)
Same here in central Illinois, I've got mushrooms springing up in places. Not complaining though, my garden looks great.
Farmers corn crop looks to be about 10 ft. high.
Exactly what this regime — reflecting its master Satan — wants: neighbor against neighbor, family members at each other’s throats, and a general environment of chaos.
Weeds in my garden are almost waist high. It is too wet to till between the rows.
In the meantime, there ought to be a business opportunity for someone spraying the dead grass with green food coloring...(better put up a sign advertising it's a dye job, though).
Whatever happened to demand forcing creation/aquisition of new supply?
Just like power, they use the conservation levels as the new “baseline” and since revenue dropped from lower volume, they raise the rates.
And no one questions the EPA for causing the situation...all to save some delta smelt...
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