FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – Although California is locked in a third year of historic drought, many homeowners and businesses still don’t have meters telling them just how much water they are using.
That’s changing, but some say it’s not fast enough. State law requires water meters by 2025, but the State Water Resources Control Board says dozens of water districts, many in the thirsty Central Valley, aren’t totally metered.
More than 235,000 homes and businesses in the state are not equipped with meters, according to the most recent figures for 2013 collected by the State Water Board. An Associated Press analysis found that Californians who live in 10 water districts with the highest number of unmetered home or business all used more water each day than the state average.
The number of unmetered homes and businesses represents a small fraction of water services statewide, but officials say every drop counts. Gov. Jerry Brown in January declared a drought emergency, and state officials in July approved fines up to $500 for residents caught wasting water. Some communities have put water cops on patrol.
The state’s unmetered homes and businesses are another example of California’s struggle to track water use.