The city of Clarkesville is cracking down on developers accused of stealing thousands of gallons of water by implementing a tougher ordinance designed to hold violators accountable.
On Monday, May 5, city council members approved an updated ordinance that lends law enforcement greater authority to cite individuals or companies suspected of water theft – a problem city officials say has persisted for years.
“We have people who illegally tap water,” Clarkesville City Manager Keith Dickerson said. “They know it’s wrong, but this (ordinance) has the ability to write them a ticket.”
Because the stolen water bypasses metering systems, the city cannot provide an exact figure for how much is being taken. Officials say perpetrators are known to damage meters to gain unauthorized access.
“Now, if they damage a meter and cut the lock off, they can also get a ticket for that,” Dickerson said. “Other people use the fire hydrant, and they get a meter from us, but they don’t put the meter on it. Now they get a ticket for that.”
Under the revised ordinance, fines start at $250 for a first offense, increase to $500 for a second and can reach as high as $1,000 for a fourth violation.
Clarkesville Project Manager Joe Deputy said the issue isn’t unique to Clarkesville but affects water systems across the region. He said most of the offenders are contractors who pay the initial tap fee but not for the water they consume.
“There’s not necessarily an account established at that juncture, especially if it’s just a developer,” Deputy said. “You have all these people working in and out of the house when it’s being built, and if (water) is available, they’re going to use it.”
Deputy expressed uncertainty about the ordinance’s effectiveness in curbing the problem.
“They’re changing some of the verbiage more associated with having authorization for (water usage) before – now it states that it has to be authorization from the city,” he said. “I don’t know if that changes a whole lot.”
